There aren’t manyhorror shows that hold up the promisethey make from the very start. This is normal, since the longer a show lasts, it can naturally lose momentum; sometimes the writing team changes or the story becomes too big. We love to see showrunners, writers, actors, andeveryone involved keep showing up to deliver great new programs, either way.
Somehorrorseries have stood the test of time, and more than just that, they’ve withstood the test of critical and audience approval and worked despite changes. Perseverance alone, though, isn’t enough for a show to be considered perfect. When it comes to it, the ten horrorshows that can be called masterpieces have influenced, impacted, and charmedaudiences (and even critics in some cases) beyond just being another TV show.
10’Channel Zero' (2016–2018)
Based On Creepypasta Lore
Channel Zerocameat a highly relevant time; the first person who decided to make a TV show out of a creepypasta (basically, an Internet-based horror story) must have thought they cooked. If that person isChannel Zero’s creator,Nick Antosca, then cook he indeed did.This was a refreshing new series on the horror marketat a moment when people were warming up to the genre again. The 2010s were a great time for horror, with, most notably,Ari AsterandJordan Peelebecoming familiar names in the genre.
Channel Zerohas four seasons, and it’s classified as an anthology series; all fourseasons are based on a different creepypasta story. The first one is calledCandle Cove, and it’s about a child psychologist trying to solve the mystery of his brother’s disappearance. The second season isNo-End House, about a house of horrors gone wrong; the third isButcher’s Block, about two sisters moving to a new town; and the fourth and final season isThe Dream Door, about newlyweds discovering a door in their new home’s basement.Channel Zerocame at a perfect time and terrified audiences in all the right ways.
Channel Zero
9’Evil' (2019–2024)
A Surprising Religious Horror Hit
Evilwasn’t expected to last so long, but thisStephen King-approved show went on for five years and continued to gather the same audience numbers throughout its four seasons. It’sone of the best-rated and critically approved horror series of the past decadeand a great representation of the religious horror genre. Critics found the show smartly written and mesmerizing, andTV GuidedeclaredEvil"the best show on TV" in 2021. If that doesn’t tickle your horror fancy, I don’t know what might.
Evilfollows the forensic psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), Catholic priest David Acosta (Mike Colter) and skeptical techie Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), who get hired by the Catholic Church to investigate supernatural events. Each episode follows the trio working a different case, though every season has an overarching plot and character development happening in the background. You’ll find yourself attached to these people really quickly, which makes Evil a great character series beyond just horror—which is nice.
8’Kingdom' (2019–2020)
The First Korean Zombie Horror Series
When people hear the phrase “K-drama,” they most likely think of dragged-out episodes of slow-burn romances, which isn’t far from the truth, but it’s also not a representation of the entire world of South Korean shows. Technically, all Korean shows are K-dramas, and so we can placeKingdom, a superb zombie horror/action thriller, in that category.Giving it a chance will pay off immensely, since it’s one of the coolest horror shows of the past decade. It’s thefirst-everNetflixoriginal Korean series, but it’s not great just because it broke ground. Great writing, superb acting, intense action, and stunning cinematography and costumes all contribute to its greatness.
Kingdomis set sometime in the Korean Joseon Era (1392-1897), when the Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) embarks on a mission across the kingdom to investigate his father’s sudden and mysterious illness. The more Lee Chang uncovers, the more he realizes thatpeople become increasingly sick from it, turning into fast, flesh-eating monsters. Ju is a charming lead, and he’s joined byBae Doona,Ryu Seung-ryong, and other greatly talented actors who make the story excellent. It has two seasons and a special, and you canbinge-watch it over the weekend(or if you’re crazy enough,within just a day).
7’The Terror' (2018–2025)
An Adaptation of a Dan Simmons Novel Turned Into an Anthology
Dan Simmonsis one of the greatest modern writers, weaving real-life mysteries with fiction and giving them brand-new life. This was the case withThe Terror, the novel in whichSimmons gives incredibly well-researched facts about the missing Arctic expeditionof Captain Sir John Franklin andthe HMS Terror and HMS Erebusbetween 1845 and 1848; since nobody knows what happened to them, Simmons gave the story an eerie, supernatural spin, since there’s hardly a way for a desolate and distant place like that to not be full of mysteries.
Then, the book was adapted into a series, and it crushed all expectations because of how well it depicted the atmosphere of the book. It’s one of the scariest shows that, beyond the supernatural, shows how human nature works in deprived places and situations. Reflecting on that,The Terrorcontinued into season two,following characters haunted by spirits in a Japanese internment campduring WWII;season three is coming this year. From a novel adaptation to a brilliantly terrifying anthology series,The Terroris a heavily underrated surprise.
The Terror
6’Tales from the Crypt' (1989–1996)
A Classic That Simply Never Gets Old
Tales from the Cryptis one ofHBO’s oldest original series, and it was based on EC Comics' series of the same name co-created byWilliam Gaines. Gaines also worked as a co-creator on the television series, which adapts more than just stories fromTales from the Crypt;he and Steven Dodd also used material from other EC Comics series, all deeply rooted in classic horror. Because the show was an HBO original, it was edgier than other network shows at the time, and graphic violence was a big part of the series to fit its horror narrative.
Tales from the Cryptis different in each episode, following a similar format toThe Twilight Zone; it’s narrated by The Cryptkeeper, a slimy corpse that cackles and cracks jokes before announcing another terrifying story, often with a pun on the episode’s title. The show was highly popular, leaving a lasting legacy on TV horror. It also had some amazing guest stars, includingMichael J. Fox,Demi Moore, andIggy Pop, among so many others.Tales from the Cryptis a classic show that will never get old, and even if you don’t find it scary anymore, it’s still a perfect series.
Tales From the Crypt
5’Penny Dreadful' (2014–2016)
A Unique Collection of Victorian Gothic Monsters
Penny Dreadfulis a unique show that’s also a very classic horror story, mainly because itincludes most of the famous Victorian Gothic charactersand monsters, from Dr. Frankenstein and his creation to Van Helsing and Renfield. The show very cleverly weaves these characters together, following their lives and character development while telling a great main story. For example, one of the more emotional transformations comes for Frankenstein’s monster (Rory Kinnear), who later becomes an integrated man, calling himself John Clare and befriending the show’s protagonist.
Penny Dreadfulprimarily follows Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), a clairvoyant and mysterious woman who gets hired by the explorer Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) to find his missing daughter. Vanessa is joined by a mysterious American bounty hunter,Ethan Chandler(Josh Hartnett), but also becomes involved with Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and, well, Lucifer himself.Penny Dreadfulis very cool;it looks beautiful, but it’s also quite scary and full of brilliant horrorthat makes you want more after each episode.
Penny Dreadful
4’Hannibal' (2013–2015)
The Greatest Games of Psychological Terror
WhenHannibalfirst aired, people came for the ever-favorite cannibal doctor Hannibal Lecter and stayed forMads Mikkelsen’s chilling portrayal of him. Besides his performance, the show’s writing was often praised, particularly the dynamic between Hannibal and the FBI agent chasing him, Will Graham (Hugh Dancy); in addition, the show’sdark, stunning cinematographyand eerie atmosphere made the series a huge hit. In a way,Hannibalis still highly relevant because it recently experienced a rise in its following, somewhat because of TikTok edits of Will and Hannibal; no joke.Even things like that can keep a legendary thing alive, andHannibalwill simply never die.
Hannibalwas inspired byThomas Harris' acclaimed novelsThe Red Dragon,Hannibal, andHannibal Rising. Will Graham (Dancy) is assigned to solve a serial killing in Minnesota, but when his boss notices repercussions on his mental health, he hires Hannibal Lecter (Mikkelsen), a forensic psychologist, to supervise Will.The series also introduces different killers throughout, and some of them are peak body horror.People were sometimes shocked byHannibalactually getting aired on network television, with the series gettingbanned in some states due to graphic violence.
3’Midnight Mass' (2021)
A Masterpiece That Combines Terror With Catharsis
Midnight MassisMike Flanagan’s original series, not based on anything previously written like some of his other miniseries. Asan incomparably original and terrifying piece of television,Midnight Massremains a brilliant addition to the genre and another Stephen King-approved story. It was Flanagan’s passion project that took years to take off and get approved; it combines his personal upbringing in the Catholic Church with his love of the supernatural and horror-based storytelling, and it’s the rawest representation of his work.
Midnight Massfollows the residents of Crockett Island, a small-town community where everyone knows each other. The community is shaken up by the arrival of two outsiders: Riley (Zach Gilford), who is actually a local who’s been in prison for years, andFather Paul (Hamish Linklater), sent to replace Crockett Island’s missing monsignor.With their arrival, strange things start happening, and the residents become more and more unsettled. It’s downright terrifying at some points, and itcombines that fear with religious catharsis, delving into things like the meaning of life, the effect of religion, and the role of a community.Midnight Massis layered and great to watch and rewatch once a year.
Midnight Mass
2’The Twilight Zone' (1959–1964)
The Gold Standard for Sci-Fi Horror
Some would argueThe Twilight Zoneis more science fiction than any other genre, but it weaves horror much more often into its episodes. CreatorRod Serlinghad a very creative mind and many of his stories were reflections on current world affairs, told through the prism of horror and futuristic storytelling.Serling used horror in the correct way—to depict reality, the other side of a story, and convey a moral message that’s still highly relevant.
The Twilight Zoneisan anthology series that changes by the episode rather than by the season. Each episode is a different story often depicting unusual or disturbing events happening to the characters and them having to overcome or solve them. One common denominator is Rod Serling as the narrator, appearing at every beginning and ending of the episode to introduce the story and then provide the final punchline. It’s the greatest depiction of how horrorcan be used to convey a message, a moral, and a truth, and often hit close to home.
The Twilight Zone
1’The Haunting of Hill House' (2018)
A Mesmerizing and Tragic Horror Story
Another Flanagan miniseries,The Haunting of Hill House, is hisfirst miniseries for Netflix, and it helped him become a household horror name over the next few years after it.The Haunting of Hill Housewasbased onShirley Jackson’s novelof the same name, and it’s a worthy adaptation (to say the least).Hill Houseis intricate in its terror, full of details and small moving parts that terrify and chill,and it’s only amplified by its brilliant cast, who are some of Flanagan’s most frequent collaborators (Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, andCarla Gugino, for a start).
The Haunting of Hill Housefollows Hugh and Olivia Crane (Thomas and Gugino), who move in with their five young children into Hill House.The manor is dilapidated, and Olivia wants to remodel and refurbish it in her own styleso they can resell it. However, the longer they stay at Hill House, the harder it becomes to leave. The home is full of past ghosts, grief, regret, and anger, and it’s coming for its newest residents. It’s a spooky and incredible series with heart and intensity. First,it will scare you, then it will make you cry; at other times, it’ll manage to do both at the same time.
The Haunting of Hill House
KEEP READING:The 10 Scariest Horror Movies of the Last 100 Years, Ranked
