11 Best Horror TV Shows & Series to Watch

From the dawn of its golden age, television and horror have been intrinsically linked. The original masters of fright honed their craft on the small screen first, with classic horror TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents pushing the boundaries of popular culture. In fact, the very act of being sucked into your television is rooted in the horror genre (thanks, Poltergeist) and while the experience may have changed with the advent of streaming services, some things remain the same.

Here, we’re breaking down some of the best horror experiences you can have on the small screen. There’s a lot to be afraid of, but these shows will at least be terrific while they’re being terrifying.

11 Best Horror TV Shows

1. Alien: Earth

• IMDB Score: 7.2
• Showrunner: Noah Hawley
• Starring: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis
• Seasons: 1

Alien is having a renaissance. Between 2024’s well-received Alien: Romulus, and 2025’s Alien: Earth, a new breed of xenomorph-led stories are on the rise. Even so, Earth stands out as something a bit different.

For one, it’s an eight-episode prestige television show following a group of sick kids whose minds are placed into hybrid android bodies that are sent on a mission to investigate a crashed ship—which just happens to be host to aliens.

That’s already pretty out there for the franchise, but when I say aliens, I mean different, never-before-seen monsters. The classic Xenomorph isn’t alone here, but is just one of several unique creatures stalking the halls of the downed USCSS Maginot, giving us an interesting glimpse into a wider-world of extraterrestrial possibilities. We’ve seen the Engineers before, and technically the Predators share this universe, but this is a smorgasbord of new species to watch murder people.

The second half of the season does fall off a little, and the ending takes things a bit further left field than anyone was expecting, but it’s still worth a watch if you’re a fan of the franchise.

2. Archive 81

• IMDB Score: 7.3
• Showrunner: Rebecca Sonnenshine
• Starring: Mamoudou Athie, Dina Shihabi, Evan Jonigkeit, Julia Chan
• Seasons: 1

Cruelly cancelled after just one season, Archive 81 is a strange mix of found-footage, cult investigation, and supernatural shenanigans, but the resulting mix is unlike anything else. Well, if you ignore the Blair Witch and the podcast this show is based on, of course.

See, Dan Turner has been hired by a man named Virgil Davenport to restore a burned 8mm video tape containing the PhD dissertation of Melody Pendras: a former grad student that was documenting the story of an apartment building that mysteriously burned down. In order to do so, Dan must be isolated in a research campus owned by Virgil’s LMG Corporation to keep the tape from degrading further, but when the tapes start featuring Dan’s own family members, it becomes clear that things aren’t as they seem.

What follows is two stories: one following Dan in the present day figuring out what is going on, and one following Melody in the 90s as she investigates the building’s history. The two stories interconnect in interesting ways, all while a shadowy cult keeps its eyes on Dan.

The show did well critically, but was cancelled regardless. If you’re into it, though, the show was based on a podcast of the same name that ran for three seasons, plus some extra episodes, which tells the complete story.

3. From

• IMDB Score: 7.9
• Showrunner: John Griffin
• Starring: Harold Perrineau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey, David Alpay
• Seasons: 3

If you’re a fan of Silent Hill, or the idea of sentient towns (who isn’t?), From is probably right up your alley. Part horror show, part mystery, From weaves together the stories of residents of a town in America that has decided they can no longer leave. Trying to exit the town will inevitably lead you back, as if the world is looping around you, and strange, nightmarish creatures lurk in the surrounding woodland.

When a family becomes trapped in the town, they work together with residents to figure out what is going on so they can all get out: all while avoiding the terrors that stalk the streets when darkness falls.

It’s a great premise that leads to a lot of personal drama in a similar way to Stephen King’s The Mist, though also leaves a lot of room for weird occult shit to happen. In fact, the deepening and cascading mysteries of the show have been compared to Lost, for better or worse.

Still, season three is well underway and promises answers to some of the show’s bigger questions. Even if we don’t learn everything, From is one hell of a ride.

4. Hannibal

• IMDB Score: 8.5
• Showrunner: Bryan Fuller
• Starring: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas
• Seasons: 3

Another one gone too soon, Hannibal came and went in a blaze of glory, delivering a thrilling, atmospheric, and suspenseful chapter in the tale of horror icon Hannibal Lecter. Set early on in the infamous cannibal’s journey, Hannibal follows the early meetings and relationship between Lecter and FBI profiler Will Graham, as Graham seeks to uncover another serial killer’s identity. The deeper he dives into this killer’s mindset, though, the deeper the web Graham finds himself trapped in.

It’s masterfully made, and the fact that we already know Lecter is a murderer only heightens the tension, rather than spoiling the surprise. After three fantastic seasons, though, the show was cancelled. It sort of leads into the plot of the first canonical film in the series, Red Dragon, but the show also feels a bit like an alternate universe retelling of the series’ pre-history.

It doesn’t necessarily line up perfectly, but it is incredibly good watching.

5. IT: Welcome to Derry

• IMDB Score: 7.9
• Showrunner: Jason Fuchs, Brad Caleb Kane
• Starring: Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar
• Seasons: 1

Definitely the newest horror tale on the list, IT: Welcome to Derry is the latest attempt at expanding on author Steven King’s already vastly interconnected universe. Here, rather than follow one of King’s books to the tee, it instead explores the backstory of Derry—the home of Pennywise the Clown, and the site of the events of IT.

Derry has this unfortunate recurring problem of children going missing, or being murdered, and it’s unclear exactly what is at the heart of it. So, four children aim to figure it out—with less than ideal results. Following more deaths, newcomers to the town start to notice residents acting strangely and…well… we’ll know more as the season continues.

If you’re a bit done with Stephen King’s universe I can’t blame you, he’s absolutely everywhere at this point, but Welcome to Derry is starting off on a strong foot, and it’s absolutely worth a watch.

6. Stranger Things

• IMDB Score: 8.6
• Showrunner: Karl Gajdusek, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
• Starring: Millie Bobbie Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp
• Seasons: 4

The big one! Whether you think it’s seminal or overrated, the impact Stranger Things had on culture throughout the past decade can’t be dismissed. It played a massive role in re-popularising Dungeons & Dragons as a game, bringing beloved monsters such as the Demigorgan and Vecna back into the public sphere. Plus, it told a well crafted tale of the loss of childhood innocence, the hubris of man, and the spread of something darker than dark throughout the town of Hawkins.

In saying that, the show morphed and grew over time and, with the imminent launch of season five (which will finally put the show to rest almost a decade since it kicked off and three years after the conclusion of season four), it’s hard to say it’s retained the level of cultural cache it commanded in its prime.

It’s scary, but in a ‘young adult’ sorta way. You could probably watch this with a friend that’s afraid of the dark and have a good time watching them squirm, though.

7. Supernatural

• IMDB Score: 8.4
• Showrunner: Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble, Jeremy Carver, Andrew Dabb, Robert Singer
• Starring: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, Mark A. Sheppard, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
• Seasons: 15

Another big one, though mainly in its running length, Supernatural is a cult favourite among the horror world as a loveable, but still spooky, show to dig into. Originally hitting our screens in 2005, the tale of the Winchesters—a family of demon hunters that are pulled back into action following the disappearance of brothers Sam and Dean’s father, John—has become something of a dark comfort show.

That’s not to say it still can’t pack a bunch, but when you’ve seen characters disappear multiple times, give up their souls, spend months in literal Limbo, and come back unscathed, it’s hard to fear for their safety, you know?

Instead, you’re left with a fun and rompy action-comedy-horror that pulls equally from The X-Files, The Exorcist, and Goosebumps, and has a ton of fun in the process. An excellent first horror show, if you’re looking to get into the genre and need a hero (or two) to trust will save the day.

8. The ‘Haunting’ Series

• IMDB Score: 8.5 and 7.4
• Showrunner: Mike Flanagan
• Starring: Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Seigel, Victoria Pedretti
• Seasons: 2

If you’ve heard of The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, you might be surprised to learn that they’re actually part of a two-part anthology series, sharing a number of cast members and themes but, ultimately, being independent stories. Within these two shows, director Mike Flanagan adapts Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, as well as Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, and delivers them in a modern format.

Hill House follows the remaining members of the Crain family, which abandoned wife-and-mother Olivia to their haunted home in the 90s, only to be plagued by spirits for their formative years. The Crain children, now adults, return to the house to figure out what happened to their mother, and what is causing their respective hauntings. It’s genuinely chilling in places, while also tackling some real-world issues along the way.

Bly Manor, on the other hand, tells the story of au pair Dani Clayton as she is hired to take care of a man’s niece and nephew, after he unexpectedly takes them on following his brother and his wife’s death. The Bly Manor estate on which they live, however, is plagued by apparitions that seem to take an interest in Dani and her past.

Together, the two seasons are a fantastic exploration of the ways in which people can be haunted by both literal and figurative ghosts, and the impact that has on the way they live their lives. Sadly, the third season, which was to be Flanagan’s take on Richard Matheson’s Hell House, never came about. Make it you cowards!

9. The Last of Us

• IMDB Score: 8.5
• Showrunner: Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann
• Starring: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Isabela Merced, Kaitlyn Dever
• Seasons: 2

Based on the popular PlayStation video game series, The Last of Us is a somewhat fresh take on the zombie trope. Yes, it follows a group of survivors traversing a fallen civilisation, with the goal of avoiding detection and/or murder by the ravenous hordes left behind by society’s collapse—our main characters, Joel and Ellie, are even ostensibly looking for a cure, another common trope—but the whole thing is thrown on its head by the nature of the plague.

It isn’t a rage virus, or a supernatural curse of undeath at play here. Instead, a fungal infection has taken over the brains and bodies of much of the remaining human population, which now seek only to kill and further propagate infection. This change was already well received, but following the Covid-19 pandemic, the fear of spreading viruses or pathogens hits just a bit harder.

Oh, it’s also a really good story of how far you’re willing to go to protect your found family, the ramifications of that, and a meditation on the pointless cycle of violence and revenge people often find themselves in. Go in ready to watch people die.

10. The Walking Dead

• IMDB Score: 8.1
• Showrunner: Frank Darabont, Glen Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang
• Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Melissa McBride
• Seasons: 11 (plus a few spin offs)

Perhaps the quintessential zombie story, The Walking Dead is another example of a fantastic horror show taking the world by storm when it dropped in 2010, only to lose some steam over time. Following the story of Rick Grimes, the original seasons told a compelling tale of survivors learning to trust in each other and work together in a lawless, desperate world. As if the walkers weren’t enough, there are rival survivors out there only focused on their own survival, and more than willing to steal, or kill, to achieve it.

However, after 11 seasons, and several spin-off shows that have also delivered multiple seasons, The Walking Dead isn’t quite the juggernaut it once was. It keeps shambling on though, with ANC dropping a new season of Daryl Dixon-based spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon this year.

It’s still a great show, and genuinely scary in parts, but we eventually got worn down by the endless cycle of ‘build a shelter, have it invaded and destroyed, start again’, which repeat ad nauseam throughout 177 episodes. Sometimes, too much of a good thing is still too much.

11. Twin Peaks

• IMDB Score: 8.5
• Showrunner: David Lynch
• Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Lara Flynn Boyle, Michael Ontkean
• Seasons: 4 (plus a movie)

A masterpiece of modern television, Twin Peaks is arguably director David Lynch’s seminal work, and somehow walks the line between so many genres and moods that it can sometimes feel disorienting. Is it a police procedural? Kind of, but it’s also a slice-of-life look into a quaint American town and its inhabitants, while also resembling a fever dream. The show’s production also spans three decades, and is bolstered by a prequel movie that should probably be watched at the end.

If, somehow, you haven’t watched this show, Twin Peaks follows FBI Agent Dale Cooper, who travels to the titular logging town to solve the murder of seemingly innocent high schooler Laura Palmer. Things quickly get weird, though Cooper takes a lot of the incongruities of the events in his stride: he’s weird too.

What follows is a deep dive into the seedy underbelly of what appears to be a quiet town, the supernatural threat that lurks in the woods, soap-opera-style love triangles, and some truly dark moments punctuated by the eerieness of Lynch’s house style.

Not just one of the greatest supernatural TV shows, one of the best shows of all time, period.

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