The humble television show is a difficult medium to make horror stories work inBut some series have managed to climb the ranks of the genre. While countless incredible horror films have endlessly proven the potential of the horror story in movie format, the many constraints of network television have made the success of creative horror television series much less common. That said, there are a number of standout horror shows that have stood the test of time as genre-defining works of art.
The best horror shows use long-form storytelling to plunge their protagonists deeper and deeper into despair over the course of a thoughtful narrative that places character above all else. Conversely, television is particularly suited to anthology stories when it comes to horror, With the episodic format of a series is the perfect platform to set a wide breadth of unique terrifying premises. Either way, it’s clear that a macabre fascination with scary stories has infiltrated both networks and streaming.
10
The tension
4 seasons
One of the most terrifying modern vampire stories ever conceived, FX’s The tension May be the most undersung horror TV series around. Although not a household name, the currentIts quality has been endlessly proven, consistently taking home a litany of different awards over the years it has been active, including the horror-focused Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. Co-created by horror and dark fantasy icon Guillermo del Toro, the series revolves around a Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, a CDC researcher tasked with handling the outbreak of a deadly vampirism.
Co-created by horror and dark fantasy icon Guillermo del Toro, the series revolves around a Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, a CDC researcher tasked with handling the outbreak of a deadly vampirism.
The tension Blends the very real terror of a virus-based pathogen with ancient vampire ghoulishness, redefining the classic creatures of the night with a modern twist. THe show features some brilliant special effects and body horror that are chilling to watchEqual parts spectacle and scares. While the underwhelming third season dilutes the impressive bloodline of the series to some degree, when The tension is at its best, there really is nothing else like it.
9
American Horror Story
12 seasons (ongoing)
With such an encompassing, eye-catching title, it’s no wonder that American Horror Story is one of the most impressive names synonymous with the television horror cross-section. Neither quite an anthology nor a fully serialized saga, Every season of American Horror Story Presents a new batch of disturbing episodes, each centered around a classic horror plotlineWhether it’s witches, ghosts, aliens or worse. While the many different seasons of American Horror Story Varies in quality, there is no denying the cultural impact the series has had.
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Can catch big-name performers like Evan Peters and even Lady Gaga, American Horror Story Never skimps out on its production value, always maintaining some excellently-rendered supernatural scares when the season requires. The performances of the rotating cast never cease to impress as they navigate the various hellish worlds laid out before them.Keeping the show fresh years and years after its initial release in 2011. Having won more than 100 awards to date, there’s a good reason why American Horror Story is so popular.
8
Penny Dreadful
3 seasons
Few genres outside of horror have the same number of famous characters that instantly sum up their values, with legendary creatures such as Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf Man all ubiquitous to scary stories. Penny Dreadful was able to capitalize on the recognition of public domain horror icons by merging them together in a deviant period drama With a very modern appetite for spooks and scares. The series focuses on a clairvoyant woman’s quest to find an eccentric explorer’s missing daughter amid the gothic horrors of Victorian London.
Unlike most series, each successive season of the heavily serialized horror drama has also been met with progressively more critical acclaim, with the bombastic final series earning the show several Emmy awards for visual design on top of its already numerous accolades.
Although his name may not have the same staying power of titles as American Horror Story, Penny Dreadful Evokes the original pulp tales of its namesake with phenomenal art direction and acting. Unlike most series, each successive season of the heavily serialized horror drama has also been met with progressively more critical acclaim, with the bombastic final series earning the show several Emmy awards for visual design on top of its already numerous accolades. Penny Dreadful is easily in the conversation for the greatest horror series of all time.
7
Bates Motel
5 seasons
Constructing a worthy follow-up prequel to PsychoOne of the legendary Alfred Hitchcock’s single best films of all time, is no simple effort. somehow, Bates Motel managed to succeed, describing the events that would have led to the fateful killings of the famous slasher Norman Bates In the movie in the modern era. The series stars Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore as Norma and Norman Bates, the dysfunctional mother-son duo who drive the harrowing events of the psychologically-disturbing TV show.
The performances of Bates Motel Driven a tangled web of deception that slowly dove further and further into the rabbit hole of Norman’s broken psyche. Just when it seems like the character is starting to evolve in a more positive manner, The series bluntly reminds viewers of its foregone conclusion, making for a brilliant tug of war between despair and delicious soap opera intrigue.. The series’ acting in particular has been praised, with each main cast member accruing an impressive array of award nominations just for their Bates Motel Roles.
6
Tales from the Crypt
7 seasons
The 90s may have taken horror less seriously as a medium through which truly palpable stories like Bates Motel Could be telling, but that doesn’t mean the decade has no love for the gory and macabre. Enter Tales from the Crypt, One of the most recognizable horror series of all time long before the general audience was truly sold on such. an anthology series, Tales from the Crypt Tells new stories every week, with the wise-shouldered corpse known as the Cryptkeeper serving as a memorable host.
Tales from the Crypt was able to get away with including content that would have made most syndicated networks blush, including intense gore, sexual content and rampant profanity.
Notably, since it aired on HBO’s premium channel, Tales from the Crypt was able to get away with including content that would have made most syndicated networks blush, including extreme gore, sexual content and rampant profanity. of course, These are all the ingredients for an excellent horror story. Throw in some absurdly famous guest stars, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Whoopi Goldberg, and it’s no wonder Tales from the Crypt had such a death grip on pop culture during its heyday.
5
Black mirror
6 seasons (ongoing)
Tales from the Crypt may have dominated the horror anthology television space in the past, but in the modern era, Black mirror Towers over all others in this particular category. Another anthology series, the British-produced Netflix original presents novel horror stories with A focus on technology gone wrong, including killer robots, twisted game shows, nightmarish virtual realities and invasive digital implants. Even if not every story under the umbrella of the series is equal in quality, the best episodes of Black mirror Examples of why the long wait between season releases is so worthwhile.
Not content to simply sit back and tell scary stories for the sake of thrills alone, Many of Black mirrorThese stories will present the audience with interesting questions about social values ​​and the place of technology in them. It doesn’t hurt that the production value, performances and concepts of even the worst episodes are still deeply intriguing. The Traces of Horror in the Digital Age, Black mirror Has repeatedly earned his countless Emmy and British Academy film awards.
4
Stranger things
4 seasons (ongoing)
There are horror stories that succeed in the relatively niche space of the genre, and there are horror stories that grow into pop culture icons. Stranger things is certainly the latter, enthralling millions of viewers with its serialized brand of Lovecraftian horror glazed with a healthy dose of 80s nostalgia. The series follows four best friends and the adults in their lives as they grapple with the incursion of twisted, multidimensional monsters into their small townAppearing alongside a mysterious girl with powerful psychic gifts.
Stranger things has single-handedly made household names out of the actors behind even his brightest-looking characters, while reintroducing a whole new generation to the star power of Winona Ryder. Dominating awards shows since its debut on Netflix in 2016, Stranger things is one of the few horror series to break the barrier of becoming a pop culture titanLeaving behind a vast wake of merchandise, branding and public reception. Its popularity can be owed to the relatable performances, incredibly-designed villains and jaw-dropping sequences of pulse-pounding terror.
3
The Haunting of Hill House
1 season
In fact, the works of Mike Flanagan could cover a list of the best modern horror stories all on their own. However, if one TV series had to represent the adaptation expert’s special brand of unsettling horror, this is it The Haunting of Hill House, Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name. The show weaves together a tale of an estranged group of siblings who lived together in a haunted house as children.They find themselves together once again, when similar tragic and supernatural circumstances have raised their heads once again.
what makes The Haunting of Hill House So effective is the fact that it’s not afraid to take its time getting to the scares, despite being a limited miniseries with only a single season. at the time, The titular house’s heartfelt performances and eerie atmosphere bounce back and forth between both the adult and childhood timelines. To weave a twisted and tragic story of abandonment and decay. The series’ writing in particular has been the subject of many horror-focused awards, with ease with its weighty themes.
2
Hannibal
3 seasons
As fun as supernatural stories of ghosts and psychic monsters are to feast on, it is very real serial killers like Hannibal Lecter that stick in the mind as some of the most terrifying horror villains of all time. NBC Hannibal understood this Leaning into a story that regales with the origins of the infamous cannibal psychiatrist. Starring Mads Mikkelsen with a Hannibal performance that almost surpasses that of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Hannibal Fascinated with his writing and pictures.
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somehow, Hannibal is able to get away with some of the most amazing, yet beautifully shot images of blood and gore ever produced on network televisionPlaying up Hannibal’s obsession with high art through his victims. The supporting cast is also stunning, with Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham, Caroline Dhaverna’s Dr. Alana Bloom, and Laurence Fishburne’s Jack Crawford all developing the Hannibal Lecter myth with fictional skill. For its thoughtful execution and evocative art, Hannibal Has consistently topped many lists detailing television’s greatest hits, let alone among horror projects in particular.
1
The Twilight Zone
5 seasons
The original horror anthology series that ruled television for years after its end, The Twilight Zone is undoubtedly the design, from which countless numbers of imitations have been produced. Hosted by the beloved Rod Serling, it’s remarkable how long the standard-definition, black-and-white constraints of the decade-old series have still managed to influence pop culture, with individual episodes still fresh in the minds of horror writers years later. Each episode of the series presented a brand new horror story focused around terrifyingly strange events or worlds.
Without The Twilight Zone Paving the way first, it is difficult to imagine that series like Black mirror Or Tales from the Crypt could have ever appeared in the first place. Admittedly, just like any anthology series, some episodes of The Twilight Zone were better than others, but as a whole, the series has a remarkable consistency. As far as horror TV shows go, It is impossible to beat the ingenious funny plot of Dream The Twilight Zone.