Horror movies don’t come out nearly enough, amiright?
New horror movies come out a few times a year. Good new horror movies like these are released even less frequently. So what are us fans of the creepy and macabre to do in the meantime? Rewatch some of the classics? Catch up on remakes? Sure. Good plan. But when you run out of horror movies to watch, why not grab a good horror tv show instead?
TV has gotten more gruesome over the past decade, a phenomenon that makes some shake their heads, but for horror fans, it gives us that much more to choose from when we’re looking for a good scary movie fix.
Because Halloween takes way too long to show up and sometimes you just need a good scare.
These are the best horror tv shows to watch while you’re waiting for the next box-office nightmare to get here.
16. Salem
Creepy, witchy, bleak.
It’ll come as no surprise that Salem tackles the subject of the notorious Salem Witch Trials. The story focuses on a powerful woman who is also (unbeknownst to the superstitious townspeople) a powerful witch. When her old love interest returns from war things get complicated fast.
The overall look of this creepy tv show is as dark as it’s plot.
15. Scream
It’d be hard to make a movie about horror tv shows and not include the Scream adaptation.
Scream, the horror movie, has gone down in horror history. It singlehandedly reinvigorated slasher movies in the 90s. It starts off with a suspense-filled, now-infamous, scene and the even more infamous line, “Do you like scary movies?”
Those are big shoes to fill, and the tv show aims to do that, but with an updated timeframe. The 90s still hold a certain nostalgia for many viewers, so updating that classic may have been a mistake on the filmmakers’ part. Still, MTV’s Scream made it on to a second season, so it’s got somethin’, even if it’s not the same as the movie.
14. The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
A miniseries, this creepy show explores the fictional events after Lizzie Borden was acquitted of her parents’ murder. People start dropping like flies around her and suspicions arise that she’s the one responsible.
Christina Ricci (known from The Adams Family as little gothic Wednesday) stars as Lizzie Borden. The short-lived show got mixed reviews, but the plot (which includes a bit of dark humor) makes it a decent addition to your list of horror tv shows to watch.
13. American Horror Story
American Horror Story may come as close to an actual horror movie as any tv show on this list. It was made to creep us out. And it does.
Each season has a new theme and new characters, with many of the same actors. Although the first season had the most shock-factor since the show was new and nothing like it had been seen before, subsequent seasons have presented viewers with new stories, new mysteries, and disturbing new villains.
Even if you’re with the crowd that doesn’t want to be sucked in by this popular series, it’s worth watching the first season of this horror show for anyone who’s looking for a scary-movie thrill in a 45-minute episode.
12. The Following
To give you an idea of what you’ll be getting into with The Following, think of the horror movie The Bone Collector. A dark cop drama with a heavy dose of tension and blood.
The story centers around a determined (and arguably unstable) cop (Kevin Bacon) who is hunting a charismatic serial killer. The bloody show will entertain any horror fan with shock factor alone, which means if you’re not up for gore, move on to something else. The rivalry between the two main characters is what keeps us coming back.
11. The Strain
Some horror movies are purely gross – Human Centipede, anyone? Their purpose is just to make us cringe, not to scare. The Strain takes a similar approach with its illness-related gore but manages to keep audiences interested with an interesting storyline.
This kind of horror tv show is for a particular type of audience. If you have a weak stomach, you’re not part of it.
10. Teen Wolf
This may seem like an odd pick for a horror tv list, but Teen Wolf has held its own as a unique take on the average supernatural teen drama shows. It’s slightly gorier than your average, with a better script and acting than you’ll find in many similar tv shows.
It’s got enough drama to keep it interesting without being predictable and cheesy, and the characters are surprisingly well-rounded for a show about a bunch of supernatural high schoolers. This may be for the younger generation of horror fans, but watch a couple episodes before you write it off.
9. Sleepy Hollow
The first season of Sleepy Hollow premiered in the fall of 2013, setting it up to be a fan-favorite horror show with Halloween coming up. Not surprising since the story of Sleepy Hollow is basically synonymous with Halloween.
Some might have expected the series to come to a quick close once the time for horror movie madness had passed, but it’s held on through another 2 seasons thanks to a storyline and characters that people have continued to enjoy. It’s also possible it can credit its continued success to those fans that love a good scary tv show year-round.
8. Dexter
For those horror fans who prefer a heavy dose of drama with their gory thrill ride, Dexter delivers. The main character, Dexter (surprise surprise), is a serial killer that kills serial killers – mostly. He also works with the police department so there’s plenty of mystery and murder to go around.
Although the series finale left fans a bit irritated (as finales tend to do) and the line between horror and thriller/drama is blurred, this is no doubt one of the best horror shows on the list. A lineup of impressive actors and an addictive storyline led Dexter through 8 seasons, and at the time of this post, they’re all on Netflix.
7. Penny Dreadful
This dark, award-winning show is made for those of us that love a classic scary movie. Penny Dreadful takes place in victorian London and explores the origins of some of literature’s most notorious horror monsters – from Dorian Gray to Dracula.
Along with its gothic set this horror tv show dives face-first into blood and gore, to the point that it’s almost comical at times. But for horror fans, it’s dead-on perfect.
6. The Killing
For horror fans that appreciate suspense and a nail-biting mystery, this tv show hits the spot. The Killing follows the disappearance of a teenage girl and the people trying to unravel the mystery behind it.
This makes it on the horror tv show list because of the excellent plot, with plenty of twists to keep you up ’till 3 in the morning ’cause just one more episode, and a dark, gritty aesthetic that us horror enthusiasts tend to love.
5. Bates Motel
Psycho is one of the most famous horror movies of all time, so the fact that Bates Motel has managed to pick up that torch and create a prequel to such an iconic story in any sort of successful way is impressive.
This is the story before Psycho. In Bates Motel we get to witness Norman Bates as a boy in his mother’s company – and she’s actually alive. The acting is fantastic, but it would be easy for a story with such a limited cast and set to get boring. Fortunately this creepy show is just slow enough to make it suspenseful without losing your interest.
4. Supernatural
The horror-themed tv show follows two brothers as they road trip across the country fighting and killing nightmarish monsters. For a tv show, Supernatural hits a lot of points that make it a go-to for horror fans. Although not as intense an R-rated horror movie, it doesn’t skimp on gore, movie monsters, or suspense, and, judging from the massive fandom, the writers and actors have obviously done an excellent job of creating characters that people get pretty attached to.
3. Luther
This is a non-stop cop show that horror fans will love. The main character, a London-based cop named Luther, tracks down psychotic killers and gets caught up in the insanity along the way most of the time. The villains in this tv show are disturbing enough to rival even the best horror movie villains.
The level of intensity is also something we’re more used to seeing in a horror movie, rather than a cop-drama. Each episode delivers an engaging mystery with a new, but equally psychotic bad-guy.
2. The Walking Dead
Possibly the most famous horror tv show on this list, The Walking Dead has made a name for itself with a tense plot, great characters, twists you never seen coming, and gross-out gore – usually in the form of rotting zombies.
The horror genre has many different subgenres and as a horror fan you may stick to one or two – like slashers or suspense – but even if you’re not a zombie-apocalypse type, The Walking Dead is one tv show that is worthy of a spot on any horror fan’s shelf.
1. Hannibal
Hannibal Lecter, the famous fictional serial killer, lives a seemingly quiet life as a psychiatrist. One day the FBI is knocking on his door – not to arrest him, but to ask for his help in solving a series of murders. FBI lecturer Will Graham (who suffers from some level of Autism) is also asked to consult on the cases due to his unusual gift for “seeing” what the killer did and why.
The show may have run it’s course by now, but if you haven’t seen it, it should definitely go on your movie list. Although, it isn’t for the squeamish.