It was familiar that hour on television was soft. It was PG-ish stuff Scooby-Doo again The Twilight Zone. You went well, but all these demonstrations are shocking, as if it was a small type or something shameful. Now, with streaming, horror TV shows can be just as scary and terrifying as their movie brethren. They’ve ditched some of their sci-fi and mystery armor for a full-on, shameless, Halloween-ready binge. Below are some of our favorites. If you like them, you might also want to check out our list of the best horror movies or horror tech for Halloween.
Updated October 2024: Added What We Do In The Shadows, Grotesquerie, Them, Fall of the House of Usher, again Yellowjackets.
Stranger Things
A spiritual fan of many shows and movies that Gen Xers and Millennials loved growing up, Stranger Things offers horror tropes with a nostalgic glow. The fourth season (the best so far) leans heavily on ’80s horror, where the villainous Vecna ​​reaches its tentacles of flesh into its victim’s dreams to exploit their worst fears. This game respectfully acknowledges its debt to Wes Craven A Nightmare on Elm Street series, with Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) himself appearing as Vecna ​​victim Victor Creel.
What We Do in the Shadows
Adapted from the wonderful movie of the same name by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, this show about a group of vampires living on Staten Island is a comedy. Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja have been vampires for centuries and are struggling to fit into the modern world. They live with energy vampire Colin Robinson and Nandor’s regular Guillermo. It’s a comedy with a horror background, well-made and acted by all involved, and its sixth and final season is now playing.
Castle Rock
The town of unknown depression is (in more ways than one) a kind of nexus for Stephen King’s characters, and Castle Rock it’s a treasure trove of fan references, but it also works as a compelling standalone story. Season 1 focuses on the mysterious Shawshank inmate, while Season 2 introduces a young Annie Wilkes (pre-Sadness). If someone built a theme park for King, it would look like Castle Rock. This fictional Maine town first appeared in it The Dead Zoneis used as a setting for Necessary Itemsand has repeatedly appeared as a dime a dozen in the Lord’s work over the years. With Hulu’s plan, it’s a whole story.
Archive 81
When archivist Dan (Mamoudou Athie) is hired to restore old videotapes, he soon becomes engrossed in the work of a woman named Melody (Dina Shihabi) who was investigating a demonic cult in a building in lower Manhattan. This claustrophobic series is filled with a growing sense of dread and relies heavily on an excellent performance from Athie. Although the show was sadly canceled after one season, you can still listen to the podcast that inspired it if you want to dig deeper into the story.
The Haunting of Hill House
This ghost story focuses on five older siblings who are haunted by strange phenomena that have caused them to run away from the family home years ago. Loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s gothic horror novel of the same name, this horror story is expertly directed by Mike Flanagan (Dr. Lala), ably assisted by a strong cast including Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, and Victoria Pedretti. A complex and haunting family drama, full of haunting images, building to a terrifying climax. If you enjoy this, Flanagan’s Midnight Mass it’s also worth looking at.
The Grotesquerie
This fever dream of a show sees hard-boiled alcoholic detective Lois Tryon, brilliantly played by Niecy Nash, trying to track down a twisted killer with a penchant for gory religious tableaus. He enlists the help of a crime reporter’s nun, played beautifully by Micaela Diamond. There’s also a notable turn from Lesley Manville as Ratched’s reminiscent nurse, Nicholas Chavez (Monsters) as a crazy priest, Courtney B. Vance as Tryon’s comatose husband, and Travis Kelce in his acting debut.
Ashes vs. Evil Dead
Rumors of the ages, fans of Evil Dead movies finally got what they were looking for when star Bruce Campbell reunited with director Sam Raimi to revive the horror superhero. Campbell was born to play the wisecracking idiot Ash as he runs into deadites and demons to save humanity with a chainsaw and a boomstick. Raimi directs the first episode, Campbell stars throughout, and this is the year of slapstick in the best way. The supporting cast has plenty of chemistry, and includes a fun turn from Lucy Lawless. And, while the chaotic action is mostly played for laughs, the gross-out hits high, or should that be low?
Hannibal
Set the age in advance Peace of the Lambs, this atmospheric show follows FBI special agent Will Graham as he tries to track down Hannibal Lecter without losing his mind. Bryan Fuller’s blood-soaked show is incredibly cinematic with plenty of tension, haunting visuals, and a mind-blowing ambient score, but Mads Mikkelsen’s strong acting as he emerges from the crowd is what makes this watch so worth it. The supporting cast, including Gillian Anderson and Laurence Fishburne, aren’t bad either.
American Horror Story
I have a love/hate relationship with anthology series American Horror Storybut with 10 independent seasons featuring classic horror scenarios, not to mention a stellar cast including Jessica Lange, it deserves a place here. For me, it escalated too quickly with asylum in season two, and subsequent seasons have been hit or miss. It’s fun for spot-the-trope horror fans, and the campy thrills come thick and fast, but it’s a guilty pleasure that can sometimes feel soft and exploitative, especially when it tries to blend in with real-life history. If you enjoy it AHScheck out the sorority slasher Scream Queensstarring Emma Roberts as a mean girl and Jamie Lee Curtis as a school principal.
From
The inhabitants of this small town in the middle of America find that they cannot move, and something evil comes out to hunt them when the sun goes down. While this slow burner’s destination remains to be seen, it’s scary enough to warrant a closer look. Harold Perrineau anchors the show with a compelling twist as Sheriff Boyd, struggling to hold his community together. Two seasons in, they’re glowing with answers, but I’m excited to see where they go in season three, which is playing now.
Bates Motel
Another horror prequel, Bates Motel it was set a long time ago Psycho when Norman Bates is a young boy who comes to an Oregon town with his mother to fix up a dilapidated motel. Despite their best efforts to start a new life, everything seems to be holding them back, and the seams quickly begin to show as Norman struggles to maintain his mental health. Anthony Perkins is a tough act to follow, but Freddie Highmore is convincing as young Norman, and Vera Farmiga is excellent as his mother Norma. Their relationship is the heart of this suspenseful show. Unlike many listed here, Bates Motel it took five seasons to build up to a satisfying conclusion.
Them
The Emory family moves from the rural South to East Compton, but as the first Black family in the area, they are not welcomed with open arms. The very unpleasant Betty (Alison Pill) makes it her mission to drive them away, and there’s a sad lack of counterpoint to her aggressive prejudice. The supernatural element feels thin, as each member of the family is haunted by their own ghost because everything pales in comparison to the real horrors they encounter in ’50s America. Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas are excellent as Emory. The second season focuses on a murder detective and a completely new story, and it’s even better than the first.
Marianne
A famous horror writer is lured back to his hometown by the death of his childhood friend and must be possessed by an evil spirit that has plagued him for years with nightmares. This French show starts off strong with a bad mood and some fun sequences. Although it plays with the usual horror tropes, it’s stylish and slick and funny, and the reliance on witchcraft works very well in the old coastal town setting. Mireille Herbstmeyer makes the series work thankfully in a truly shocking way as Madame Daugeron. It lost its way a bit towards the end, it shouldn’t have been cancelled.
The fall of the house of Usher
This new take on Edgar Allan Poe’s famous work portrays the cursed Usher family as opiate-dealing billionaires. The haunting tale is told by Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) as he sits swilling whiskey in a crumbling mansion, recounting the sudden deaths of his family members to the increasingly nervous detective Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly). This grisly, gothic, and haunting tale is Mike Flanagan’s final flourish on Netflix, and it’s very close to his best (The Hill House).
The world of Lovecraft
Atticus Freeman travels through 1950s America to find his father, but the horrors that await this young black man reach beyond Jim Crow into the twisted imagination of Lovecraft. Well designed and bold, The world of Lovecraft he marries true American horror with racism and Lovecraftian cults and monsters, as both rise from the shadows to terrorize us. The much-missed Michael K. Williams and the wonderful Wunmi Mosaku stand out in this excellent ensemble.
The outsider
When the mutilated body of a little boy is found in the woods of a small town in Oklahoma, detectives think they have a clear case, but an ironclad alibi throws a spanner in the works. This show is based on a Stephen King novel, although it doesn’t feel like one. Instead, it begins like a Scandi crime drama at first, with a glacial pace that builds deeply into a growing sense of dread. Ben Mendelsohn guides us through the darkness, and there are solid performances from Cynthia Erivo, Paddy Considine, and Jason Bateman (who directs a few episodes). King fans hungry for another detective show should check it out Mr Mercedes, where a broken retired detective played by Brendan Gleeson hunts down a mentally ill killer.
Yellowjackets
A high school girls’ soccer team is stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crashes, and as temperatures drop and supplies drop, they are forced to take drastic measures to survive. There is disappointment in this for the children of the ’90s, and the action alternates between the crash of 1996 and the survivors meeting again after 25 years. Things go inexplicably wrong throughout the first two seasons as we jump around in time, with season three coming next year. The excellent cast boasts Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, and Lauren Ambrose.
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