AMC’s horror anthology series, The terrorHas a wave of increased popularity after added to Netflix, and the streaming platform has a place for the notoriety of the TV show. One of the most memorable parts of The terror Is its smooth and thrilling tone that sets it apart from other historical series which incorporate supernatural elements. however, The terror is hardly the first series to use these themes to its advantage. Whether they’re set in the past or not, there are plenty of strong TV shows that feature creepy settings and storylines with impressive performances to match.
Supernatural horror TV shows rely on their imagery and mysterious narrative to capture the audience’s attention, but the performances of the central characters are just as important.
Supernatural horror TV shows rely on their imagery and mysterious narrative to capture the audience’s attention, but the performances of the central characters are just as important. The figure and characters of The terror are new each season, but it doesn’t take long for the series to establish who the people in the story are and why the audience should care about them. Horror series don’t have to be overtly violent or graphic to scare the audience, like The implication of incoming threats can be just as powerful as raising the stakes.
10
The North Water (2021)
The dramatic miniseries blends horror with natural elements
The North Water is based on the novel of the same name by Ian McGuire, and the story lends itself remarkably well to a screen adaptation. With Colin Farrell and Jack O’Connell, The show follows the events of a whaling ship in the 1800s who ends up trapped in freezing conditions and violent situations. Everyone in the crew is running from something, but there are some characters who have allowed themselves to succumb to their dark impulses and take it out on the rest of the people on the ship.
in the north water, The show directly addresses the darkness of humanity instead of using fantasy as a metaphor.
It remains to be seen how the story of The terror Season 3 will connect with previous seasons and the enduring theme of the ocean and natural world. however, The North Water Draws many parallels between The terror season 1, Except the horrors of the sea are brought upon the characters by themselves, not supernatural forces. in the north water, The show directly addresses the darkness of humanity instead of using fantasy as a metaphor.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
96% |
86% |
9
Yellowjackets (2021 – present)
Multiple timelines intertwine to tell one mysterious and chilling story in this survival series
After crashing in the Canadian desert in the 1990s, a high school girls’ soccer team struggles to survive and stay safe in Yellowjackets. The series is an updated take on Lord of the Flies With a supernatural twist, How the things these women do to stay alive in their teens come back to haunt the adult versions of the characters in the parallel story in the present day. Yellowjackets Is consistently highlighted for its casting, because the young actors and their mature counterparts are very similar.
While Yellowjackets Would be scary enough without the fantastic elements, mysterious circumstances continue to plague the team in the forest. Unsure if there is an evil force pulling them back to the forest or if the darkness is simply within them, The mystery of how the surviving characters made it out of isolation is still up in the air. The terror was more explicit in its horror and fantasy aspects than YellowjacketsBut the dedication to bringing ’90s elements into the desert is close to how the time periods are handled in The terror.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
100% |
73% |
2 |
93% |
42% |
Related
8
1899 (2022)
The passengers on an ocean liner go through the unimaginable in this period piece
The letters in 1899 are on a ship traveling from the UK to New York, But tragedy and mystery hit the open ocean, trapping the heroes of the story. This is close to both stories in The terrorSeasons 1 and 2, as season 1 takes place on the HMS Terror While searching for the Northwest Passage, Season 2 follows the experiences of a Japanese-American family living off the Pacific coast during World War II. There is something especially chilling about being trapped at sea with nowhere to turn.
1899 It sets itself apart by including a diverse array of letters from all over the world that are aboard the ship to the US.
1899 Featuring a variety of characters from all over the world who are on the ship to the US. it. The audience simultaneously learns more about the passengers as they delve into deeper danger. As for his characters and the strange events that happen to them, 1899 Tells an exciting tale despite being canceled before its time.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes critic rating |
Rotten Tomatoes audience rating |
1 |
77% |
75% |
7
They (2021 – present)
The series adds plenty of scares while chronicling two turbulent decades of American history
them is formatted more closely to The terror Like other horror series, as it is an anthology and set in the past. however, them is set in the ’50s in season 1 and the ’90s in season 2, so the story it explores is much more fresh and compelling. The series is in conversation with how racial prejudice in the US. US, specifically in Los Angeles, reached its head In different but equally insidious ways during different moments in the past. While season 1 successfully set the tone for the story, season 2 has received even more praise and notoriety.
Season 2 saw Debrah Ayorinde, Pam Grier and Luke James take center stage, With Ayorinde continuing her starring role from season 1 as a new character. She plays an LAPD detective, Don Reeve, investigating a murder, and as in the first installment, there is something sinister going on behind the scenes. Her world and family are turned upside down throughout the story, and clear parallels can be drawn between what was happening politically and socially at the time and the metaphor of the monsters targeting Dawn and her loved ones.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
58% |
69% |
2 |
100% |
88% |
6
Penny Dreadful (2014–2016)
Showtime’s gothic drama is the perfect follow-up to The Terror
The series Penny Dreadful Takes its name from the short fiction books that are sold mostly in the UK In the 1800s, which were full of violence, gore, and mythical creatures. Set in London in the late 19th century, Penny Dreadful Uses familiar creatures and characters from the literature it is loosely based on, with the likes of Dorian Gray, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, and many more gracing the screen. Starring Eva Green as Vanessa Ives, the series raises the stakes each season for thrilling results.
Although Penny Dreadful It is not an anthology, it brings new characters into the fold every season and explores new facets of its mysterious history in every corner of the world.
Famous actors join Green, including Timothy Dalton, Josh Hartnett and Billy Piper, Creating a memorable ensemble cast that plays off each other and builds out the story’s world. Although Penny Dreadful It is not an anthology, it brings new characters into the fold every season and explores new facets of its mysterious history in every corner of the world. This is mentioned as The terror Enhances historical elements in his monstrous story and presents a new tale every season.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
81% |
N/A |
2 |
100% |
93% |
3 |
94% |
87% |
5
Hemlock Grove (2013–2015)
Social class and the supernatural are brought into the spotlight in Hemlock Grove
In the imagined setting of Hemlock Grove, the city’s wealthy elite look down on the people in poverty. This social issue, which was rooted in realism, is only the beginning of the city’s supernatural problems. After Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) arrives in town, Two young women are murdered, and everyone in town is suspicious of the newcomers, Especially Hemlock Grove’s elite family, the Godfreys. However, Roman Godfrey (Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd) offers to help Peter solve the murders despite his secret.
Peter is a werewolf, but he is far from the only otherworldly creature in Hemlock Grove, as many of the characters soon realize that they are related to monsters from a fairy tale. Although it was never a hit with critics, Hemlock Grove Garnered a decent following, although it only ran for three seasons. The series premiered when Netflix was gaining recognition for its original series. shows how Hemlock Grove Demonstrated that Netflix could house supernatural and fantasy shows, making it exciting when projects like The terror are added to the streamer.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
26% |
67% |
2 |
55% |
76% |
3 |
33% |
48% |
4
Sleepy Hollow (2013–2017)
The familiar horror story has been reimagined for the 21st century
Unlike the Tim Burton movie of the same name, Sleepy Hollow Follows the famous Ichabod Crane after he travels to the future and is resurrected along with the dreaded Headless Horseman. The story begins in the late 1700s with Ichabod (Tom Mison) killing the man who will become the Headless Horseman. He wakes up in the present day and joins forces with Abby Mills (Nicole Beharie), a sheriff’s lieutenant. In the modern town of Sleepy Hollow, which is aware of the supernatural events around them.
Sleepy Hollow Uses religious imagery and plotlines, such as the horsemen of the apocalypse, to contribute to the overall atmosphere of the series.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Could be a fictional horror story, though The town of Sleepy Hollow is a real place, And Sleepy Hollow is able to incorporate the Gothic elements of the original short story into the present day. moreover, Sleepy Hollow Uses religious imagery and plotlines, such as the horsemen of the apocalypse, to contribute to the overall atmosphere of the series. Although The terror is a bit more violent and terrifying than Sleepy HollowIt focuses just as much on its characters.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
74% |
83% |
2 |
94% |
76% |
3 |
55% |
66% |
4 |
N/A |
68% |
3
The Magians (2015–2020)
The series takes Lev Grossman’s original story to new heights
The sorcerers May deal with magic and legends often found in fairy tales, but this fantasy series is much darker than viewers can imagine. Incorporating deep themes and terrifying villains, The sorcerers Puts his characters through a lot when they discover the existence of magic, only to find out it is up to them to save it of disappearing from existence. Focusing primarily on the adventures of Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) and his friends at Brakebills University, the series maintains that magic always has a price.
The best part of The sorcerers is how character-driven the story is, even in the show’s most fantastical moments. The Beast, AKA Martin Chatwin (Charles Mesure), is the series’ most terrifying villain, but even he has layers and a more nuanced backstory than the audience realizes. like The terrorparts of The sorcerers Deal with the real world and incorporate true historical events In the fabric of the narrative. However, the most important parts of the show are the supernatural.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
74% |
75% |
2 |
91% |
81% |
3 |
100% |
81% |
4 |
93% |
74% |
5 |
100% |
58% |
2
Lady in the Lake (2024)
Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram star Lady in the LakeThe Apple TV+ series based on the novel of the same name by Laura Lipman. Set in Baltimore in the 1960s, Lady in the Lake Explores how the community and media treat the murder of a young white girl and a black woman Otherwise, reflecting the racism and prejudice of the area. It tells the parallel stories of Maddie Schwartz’s (Portman) arrival in town and investigation into the violence and Cleo Johnson’s experience in the time leading up to her death.
The morality of Schwartz’s actions is constantly questioned, when the circumstances surrounding Johnson’s death become more complicated and uncertain.
The historical aspect of US Lady in the Lake lends itself to comparison with The terror, As well as the social commentary at the heart of the series. In many ways, Schwartz uses Johnson’s death as an excuse to reevaluate her life and inserts herself into situations and families she doesn’t belong. The morality of Schwartz’s actions is constantly questioned, when the circumstances surrounding Johnson’s death become more complicated and uncertain.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
75% |
75% |
1
Castle Rock (2018–2019)
Stephen King’s writing is brought to life in this original series
There are big names in the Hulu series Joint cancerincluding Melanie Lynskey, Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd, and Sissy Spacek in season 1. Combining elements from different works by Stephen King, The show is set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, which King invented, And there are two different stories in the first and second season. As they explore the many parts of King’s universe, each season sets a unique haunting and mythical tone as the characters unravel the city’s secrets.
Joint cancer is praised for his ability to faithfully chronicle the intricacies of character development while communicating the vastness of the world they inhabit. This is a difficult skill, as worldbuilding and exposition can often take away from character dynamics, however Joint cancer Has great source material to work with. Although the events of the series are completely fictional, unlike The terrorIt feels just as real even when dealing with the supernatural. Although it is set in the present, Joint cancer Feels like a story out of time.
Time |
Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
1 |
87% |
80% |
2 |
89% |
77% |