The 38 Best Horror Shows of All Time
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WE DON’T ALWAYS come looking for a horror show because we want to be scared. A lot of the time that’s part of it, without question, but someone coming for horror on their TV is coming for the same reason they'd come to a horror book, movie, video game, or even podcast—it’s because it’s the easiest, quickest genre to be sure you’re going to have a real emotional reaction. Even when you’re watching something that’s not particularly good, a solid jump scare, or a strange, disturbing moment, can pull your attention in a way that hardly anything else in art, media, or literature can.
When that kind of horror comes in the form of a television show—whether it’s a limited series or a program that spent more than a decade on the air—it’s a way that we can keep that same feeling going for a prolonged period of time. Luckily, horror is not one-size-fits-all. Are you into spooky, weird, borderline sci-fi mysteries, usually wrapped up in the course of (less than) an hour or so? Then you're probably an X-Files person. What about a surreal, dreamlike, freaky, long-running murder mystery filled with twists, diversions, and characters you won’t ever forget? That’s the Twin Peaks pitch. Some people want emotion and deeper meaning with their horror: they can go for the Mike Flanagan Netflix shows. Others just want camp—thats where American Horror Story comes in.
There’s a lot of different flavors of horror; you may like some, you may like none, and you may like all! It’s hard to say. What’s not hard to say, though, is that horror is thriving—even legendary genre characters like Jason Voorhees (in Peacock’s Crystal Lake) and Michael Myers (in the upcoming Miramax-produced series) will soon make their small-screen debut. There’s a past in horror TV, for sure, but there’s also a future.
In this story, though, we’re not going to look too far to the future. We’re going to stay right here in the present, and break down the best horror shows that you can watch when you want to feel something—spooky, disturbing, ridiculous, whatever.
They’re all right here. These are Men’s Health’s 38 favorite horror shows of all time.
Scream Queens (2015-2016)
Ryan Murphy and his team of collaborators have done a lot on TV during their now decades-long reign of power and popularity. But it’s hard to think of a project he’s done that’s been more fun than Scream Queens, which aired for a pair of seasons back in the mid-2010s. A campy whodunit that doubles as a tribute to the slasher movies horror fans love, Scream Queens had a stacked cast—including Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Keke Palmer, a young Glen Powell, and brief appearances from the likes of Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas—and was just a whole lot of campy fun for any fan of the genre (well, the first season at least. The second season does feature John Stamos, though.) –Evan Romano
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American Horror Story (2011-)
American Horror Story may just be Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s most famous endeavor. The long-running anthology series features a rotating troupe of actors in strange and unbelievable tales (trying to explain a season’s premise is like describing a fever dream). Scary isn’t the best descriptor for the show; it’s more campy and disturbing, filled with sex, serial killers, and surprising supernatural phenomena. Seasons tend to be hit or miss–the second half of each season often features plot twists that can make or break the story–but the impact of the show transcends its wavering quality. It’s without question one of the most prominent horror anthology shows in recent memory. –Milan Polk
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Hannibal (2013-2015)
While many think of Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal when they imagine Thomas Harris' iconic (fictional) killer Hannibal Lecter, Mads Mikkelsen completely reimagines the infamous shrink/cannibal in this NBC show. Hugh Dancy stars alongside Mikkelsen as FBI agent Will Graham, and the two play an unforgettable game of cat and mouse. We see Hannibal pre-capture as a manipulative psychologist hiding deadly secrets, and Graham as a shockingly smart agent who struggles with his mental health…and relies on Dr. Lecter to stay level-headed. The series features some of the most gruesome scenes to ever air on primetime televisi0on, and it’s one of the most engaging crime thrillers of all time. Now we're just waiting for a reboot season. –MP
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The X-Files (1993-2002)
Love cop shows but tired of the same old format? You’ll get a breath of fresh air with The X-Files. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson shine as investigators Mulder and Scully, who look into every weird and inexplicable case the FBI has already tried its best to ignore. One agent is a full-blown conspiracy theorist, while the other is a major skeptic. But as the series progresses, it gets harder to explain away the strange happenings, and the agents even develop feelings for one another. In a time when most shows these days have 10 episodes or less per season, The X-Files is a worthy (and lenghty) binge. –MP
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Stranger Things (2016-)
It may be hard to remember, but Stranger Things was not always the mammoth hit that it’s become during its run on Netflix. The series—taking clear influence from the likes of ‘80s horror, the novels of Stephen King, and more—has perhaps become the streaming giant’s flagship hit series, but it built that audience organically; people forget that the words "Stranger Things" didn’t particularly mean anything before the show debuted in 2016. And while it’s sometimes easy to poke fun (and holes) in pieces of pop culture that get so utterly huge… it’s hard to do that with Stranger Things, because it’s just so well done. Yes, the show owes a lot to its influences from the ‘80s, but with stellar visuals, a cast that have all rightfully blown up, and some serious, genuine horror monsters and scares, it’s simply one of the best horror series ever made. We’ll see if the forthcoming final season will manage to stick the landing, but to this point we’ve got very few actual complaints. – ER
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Evil (2019-)
Paramount+’s supernatural thriller Evil is a show that mines its terror by exploring binaries. Church and state, possessed and insane, dead and living are only a few topics explored by forensic psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) and prospective Catholic priest David Acosta (Mike Colter), only to come out with terrifying results. The most unsettling parts of Evil are how serial killers and cannibals are hiding in plain sight and even become characters you care for before their true evil intentions are revealed. If you want your heart and expectations twisted on an episode-by-episode basis, pop this show on. – Keith Nelson
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Black Mirror (2011–)
There’s a hypothetical question I like to ask sometimes: “If you could have unlimited episodes of any show, which would you pick?” While I’ve gotten a lot of answers to this question through the years, my own has always remained the same: Black Mirror. The show, which originated on the BBC before moving to Netflix, has been mining for fear in our modern technological landscape for more than a decade, and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. And with the show’s format—each episode stands alone and tells its own sometimes-grounded, sometimes not, always biting story—it’s easy for co-creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones to pull in major stars like Jon Hamm, Anthony Mackie, Jesse Plemons, Salma Hayek, and many, many more. We’ll keep watching this one for as long as they want to keep making it. – ER
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Yellowjackets (2021–)
If you were a fan of shows like Lost but want a little more morbid horror and, at times, absurdism, with your mystery, then look no further than Showtime’s Yellowjackets. With perhaps the most compelling pilot episode in years, Yellowjackets immediately draws viewers in with its daring dual-timeline story of a New Jersey soccer team whose airplane crashes in the middle of the woods somewhere and how they manage to make due…and a 25-years-later reckoning of the (surviving) girls in the aftermath of something horrible. The cast is exceptional—with star performances from Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy-Brown, and Ella Purnell, among others—and the show will shock, startle, and engage you in all the best ways. –ER
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The Last of Us (2023–)
Not only a great horror show, not only a great zombie show (kind of), and not only a great video game adaptation, The Last of Us is just straight up one of the best shows to hit the TV airwaves in recent years. Stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey bring the roles of the original The Last of Us video game to life in a series that’s far more about the humans who have been left behind than the monsters who have been transformed following a deadly outbreak. The show has only had one season so far—so if you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, it’s an easy binge to get caught up in time for Season 2. –ER
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Servant (2019-2023)
With M. Night Shyamalan at the helm as showrunner, Apple TV+’s psychological thriller Servant was destined to push the TV show format to its most nightmarish limits. Bereaved mother Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose) is coping with her mental breakdown over the loss of her thirteen-week-old son, Jericho, by treating a doll as his replacement, and this opens the door for one level of creepy attachment issues. Once Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free) comes in as the nanny for Dorothy and her husband Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell), all bets are off. Servant, at a certan point, elevates to one of the best Apple TV+ shows out in the world. –KN
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Twin Peaks (1990–1991; 1992; 2017)
In the last decade, murder mystery anthology/limited shows have seen a huge boom: starting with True Detective and including things like Mare of Easttown, Big Little Lies, Sharp Objects, and The Outsider, we’ve seen a ton of these shows hit big. But they all forever live in the shadows of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s iconic, surreal, dreamlike (and nightmare-like!) murder mystery series, Twin Peaks. The show (which itself returned for a lengthy and brilliant sequel series, Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017) is truly singular, with moments that will make you laugh, moments that will thrill you, and moments that are so strangely disturbing that they may just be seared into your brain for eternity. And Kyle MacLachlan’s Special Agent Dale Cooper is one of the greatest lead characters in TV history.
Anyone who likes TV (and doesn’t have a weak stomach) should watch Twin Peaks at least once. —ER
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Don’t let the humor of the “Scooby Gang” fool you; Sarah Michelle Gellar was fighting for her life as Buffy Summers on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Buffy has to battle with creatures who steal the voices of the people in town while collecting human hearts, and that’s just one episode. The inventive mix of humor, horror, and romance endeared Buffy to generations of viewers, while also providing weekly frightfests they’ve probably returned to in the past. –KN
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Twilight Zone (1954–1964; 1985-1989; etc)
The anthology series to trump all others, The Twilight Zone first began in 1959. And along with various short-lived reboots and two films, the original five-season run is still worth watching. Episodes take on various genres (sci-fi, fantasy, black comedy, etc) and explore horrors existential, supernatural, and physical. You never know what you’re about to watch. Two astronauts travel to a new world, where one becomes a god to the people there. A couple discovers a stolen camera and takes pictures of the future. A woman realizes the floor of a department store she visited doesn’t actually exist. With award-winning writers and famed guest stars, shows like Black Mirror and Goosebumps have The Twilight Zone to thank for their success. –MP
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Supernatural (2005–2020)
One of the most well-known shows at The CW’s arguable peak, Supernatural follows two monster-hunting brothers determined, no matter what, to rid the world of evil. The series ended in 2020 after 11 seasons, and while it could veer into fan service and silliness at times, Supernatural (much like its spiritual ancestor Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is a strong entry in the teen/young adult drama canon. With spooky and mysterious monsters mixed with melodramatic storylines, the series is an entertaining show throughout its long run. –MP
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Goosebumps (1995–1998)
With a (very solid) show of the same name now airing on Disney+ and Hulu, it’s the perfect time to give the original Goosebumps television adaptation its props. Ripped from the pages of R.L. Stine’s irreplaceable book series, Goosebumps aired from 1996 to 1998, but lived on in reruns to scare an entire new generation of kids in the 2000s. With a catchy theme song, spooky animatronics, and thrilling tales, Goosebumps served as the perfect introduction to both horror books and TV shows for kids. –MP
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Sweet Home (2020–)
With the popularity of Squid Game, Korean television is finally getting its due among Western audiences, with Netflix spearheading distribution. Sweet Home follows a young man who moves into a new apartment. But just as he’s getting settled in, chaos reigns and monsters are unleashed upon the world. Along with his neighbors, he settles into the apartment building and tries to survive. While the series only has one season out so far, Netflix reportedly renewed it for Season 2 and 3. If that’s not a promising early sign, we’re not sure what is. –MP
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All of Us Are Dead (2022–)
All of Us Are Dead is what would happen if Lord of the Flies was set in a school wrecked by a mysterious outbreak of a zombie virus that turns people into flesh-eating monsters. The South Korean television series never lets you relax for a second, as you’re either hit with a wave of carnivorous zombies in the blink of an eye, or deep in the midst of a suspenseful life-or-death decision that these students must make that none of them are old enough to be prepared for. Your next Netflix and Chill session could have you watching this show through the slits of your fingers because, at any moment, terror can strike. –KN
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Interview with the Vampire (2022–)
We all know the film adaptation of Interview with the Vampire starring Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, and Tom Cruise (plus a young Kirsten Dunst). But AMC’s Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, a reimagined version of the same book series, manages to explore far more than the film did at the time. Although only one season so far has been released, the series has the potential to become something great, and in our opinion, is already one of the best vampire shows out there. –MP
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Kingdom (2019–)
Set in the 16th century, this South Korean series is a mix between a political thriller and a zombie horror. For fans of Game of Thrones, Kingdom offers intrigue with a side of fantasy as they watch the Crown Prince of a struggling kingdom investigate a strange plague sweeping the lands. While there have been many zombie shows out there, Kingdom is a notable highlight in a packed genre. –MP
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Penny Dreadful (2014–2016)
While Showtime might be better known for shows like Dexter or Shameless, Penny Dreadful is its most underrated show. This fantasy-horror series features various literary horror characters, encountered by a doctor, as he searches for his missing daughter. The series lasted for three seasons and has its own spinoff and is an exciting watch for avid readers and TV horror fans alike. While it can verge on the ridiculous at times, Penny Dreadful knows how to do macabre horror right. —MP
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Haunting of Hill House (2018)
I grew up on grueling, gory horror, so it takes a lot to scare me. Apparently, Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan knew that when making this 2018 supernatural Netflix series. It's eerie all the way through—like when things linger in the background, a la The Strangers, that make you rewind just to make sure you're not going insane—and then there's that jump scare. It's quite possibly the Mother of all jump scares. It would win Best Jump Scare of All Time at the Jump Scare Awards. Victoria Pedretti, you got me gal. As for the second scariest part of the show? How ridiculously hot Luke (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is as an adult. Oooh, chills just thinking about it. –SA
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Midnight Mass (2021)
We could probably argue for a loooooong time about which of writer/director Mike Flangan’s five Netflix horror series is the best. But what sets Midnight Mass aside from the rest is that it’s the modern horror master’s only series based on an original script, and not an adaptation. Set on the fictional Crockett Island and soundtracked almost entirely by Neil Diamond, Midnight Mass is an engrossing, engaging, and at times diabolical horror experience with subject matter that ranges from conversations about the meaning of life and what comes after to, well, a bit of the supernatural. Midnight Mass feels almost like Flanagan doing his version of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot crossed with the catholic guilt themes of Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. A lot of familiar Flanagan friends are part of the cast, but it’s Hamish Linklater, as the town’s mysterious and charismatic priest, who gives an all-timer performance that you certainly won’t forget. –ER
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The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
Flanagan’s latest—and for now, final—Netflix horror series shows a mastery of modern horror TV filmmaking and storytelling. Based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher brings back most of Flanagan’s old cast friends—including Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, and more—along with newcomer Mark Hamill for a story that plays like Succession meets Dopesick meets Final Destination with all of the grim, morose, gothic sensibilities of a Poe adaptation. The numerous deaths (not even a spoiler) in the show can get pretty grisly, so this one is not for anyone with a weak stomach. –ER
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Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1992–1996; 1999–2000; 2019–2022)
You can call this creepy Twilight Zone from millennial childhoods, but you better also give it its respect. Are You Afraid of the Dark? is as much the title of the ‘90s horror anthology show on Nickelodeon as it’s a question for every viewer before they willfully delve into the show’s macabre world. Monstrous movie characters who spill out of the screen into real life; children who get turned into dolls, and body-snatching aliens are just a handful of the gruesome characters within the stories told over the weekly campfire where the show takes place. The show has been revived twice, because you can’t keep a good horror show down for too long. –KN
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Chucky (2021–)
When it comes to dark slasher films with a dash of bloody humor, the Chucky film franchise is one of the genre’s greatest, and the TV series doesn’t disappoint. Everything you come to Chucky for — serial killer doll terrorizing unsuspecting civilians—is baked into these episodes, with the suspense cranked up to 100 in order to keep you coming back for more every week. He gave people apples with razor blades in them and stabbed a detective to death with a barrage of used needles. Chucky’s kill count only goes up with each passing episode. –KN
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The Outsider (2020)
It’s a shame that we only ever got one season of HBO’s outstanding adaptation of Stephen King’s The Outsider—but since the season covers the entire story of King’s novel of the same name (one of his best in recent years), things could have been much worse. A grisly murder becomes a supernatural mystery in this story that centers on Ben Mendelsohn’s lead detective Ralph Anderson and Cynthia Erivo’s brilliant investigator Holly Gibney (a King favorite character; you can follow her in many of his novels if you so wish). Think True Detective meets The Thing. –ER
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Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)
Perhaps the most underrated horror show that Netflix has ever produced is Brand New Cherry Flavor, which comes from Channel Zero head man Nick Antosca. Cherry Flavor, loosely based on the novel of the same name, plays like some of the strangest, most offbeat ‘90s horror (think David Lynch’s Lost Highway) in the best ways. It’s super gross, frequently violent, and very weird, but with a revenge horror storyline that will draw any fan of the genre in. If you can get into the eccentric, don’t skip out on Brand New Cherry Flavor. –ER
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Castle Rock (2018–2020)
You can call it Castle Rock, or you can refer to it as The Demented Horror Universe of Stephen King. Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, where many of King’s stories take place, Castle Rock weaves together stories of the terrifyingly violent dog Cujo, the haunted hotel of The Shining, and the depressing Shawshank State Penitentiary from The Shawshank Redemption. This show is the greatest hits from a man who has scared you, your parents, your parents’ parents, and likely their parents, too. –KN
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Channel Zero (2016–2018)
SYFY has a bad reputation due to things like its Sharknado franchise. But aside from some of those questionable original movies, the channel has put together a catalogue of passable science-fiction and fantasy shows that occasionally strike gold. Channel Zero is one such gem. Based on Internet creeypastas–in which online users of platforms tell the equivalent of campfire stories–Channel Zero adapts these tales into unsettling anthology stories. The show’s four seasons told four separate narratives, including the standout Season 1, “Candle Cove,” a brilliant introduction to the series. –MP
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The Addams Family (1964–1966)
You can’t talk about horror without talking about TV’s horror family, The Addams. Far more comedy than horror, of course, The Addams Family sitcom was adapted from a series of long-running New Yorker comics by Charles Addams. Although the series only lasted for two seasons, its impact stretched far beyond its original run and found renewed interest through reruns and a series of ‘90s films. The series may not have the same sinister style as the comics, but still remains a horror staple for anyone who wants a humorous take on all things strange and dark. –MP
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Bates Motel (2013–2017)
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most disturbed characters, Norman Bates (originally played by Anthony Perkins, played here by Freddie Highmore), gets a proper origin story in the darkest way imaginable in Bates Motel. We get to see the psychological nuances and failures that went into Bates becoming the twisted character from Hitchcock’s seminal 1960s film Psycho. Norman regularly has dissociative blackouts, which allow his sinister alter-ego to do anything from having hallucinatory conversations with his mother’s corpse to getting violent with his love interest, Cody Brennan (Paloma Kwiatkowski). You may be deemed legally insane if you binge this series and then watch Psycho, but you will thank yourself for doing so. –KN
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The Munsters (1964–1966)
The Addams Family’s sitcom cousin (they premiered the same year), The Munsters seeked to provide a satirical approach to suburban life with a family of monsters. Although it hasn’t received the same overall longevity as The Addams Family, the series found more popularity in its original airing, including a Golden Globe nomination. It's a delightful classic watch if you're looking for a horror binge with a lighter tone. –MP
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Ash Vs. Evil Dead (2015–2018)
One of the most fun (and, probably, most-awaited) horror shows of recent years is Ash Vs. Evil Dead, which brought horror icon and Scream King Bruce Campbell back to his most famous role: Ash Williams, of The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness fame. And true to the original films of that outrageous series, Ash Vs. Evil Dead is jam-packed with extreme violence, absurd humor, and lots of Bruce Campbell catch phrases. It’s a really fun time, especially for fans of Sam Raimi’s original movies. –ER
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Masters of Horror (2005–2007)
Imagine if Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone was instead a series of short films made by some of the greatest horror directors of all time; that’s the premise of Masters of Horror, a hugely-underrated horror anthology series that aired on Showtime in the mid-2000s for only a pair of scream-filled seasons. Episodes were directed by genre icons such as John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and Dario Argento. A great watch for anyone looking for some genuine scares, but without a serious time commitment. –ER
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True Blood (2008–2014)
I don’t know about you, but a vampire ripping someone’s heart out only to suck the blood out of one of its arteries like a sippy cup will scare me out of sleep (and using straws) for a while. True Blood, one of the most recognizable series in HBO’s catalog, imagines a world where there’s enough synthetic blood for vampires to live among humans without using them as feeding vessels and even fall in love with one another. Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her relationship with 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) is the emotional core of much of the show’s drama. Still, it’s the hypnotized people feasting on raw animal organs and a bloodthirsty vampire nest, all depicted in graphic detail, that make this a perfect horror TV series for a Halloween binge. –KN
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Tales of the Crypt (1989–1996)
With a star-studded cast (including Demi Moore, Tim Roth, Don Rickles, and way more) and some very notable directors (Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis, William Friedkin among them), Tales From the Crypt is one of the most fun anthology horror shows on this list (and of all time). With each terrifying tale based on a story from an EC Tales From the Crypt Comic, and being introduced by the wonderfully-campy Crypt Keeper (with some great practical effects being done), this is a really fun show that will fill your free spooky season time very nicely. –ER
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The Terror (2018–2019)
We’re primarily recommending the first season of AMC’s The Terror, based on Dan Simmons’ book of the same name, which tells the somewhat-fictionalized-but-still-based-on-a-true-story tale of an 1845 boat expedition that quickly became an exercise in undeniable dread and horror at something supernatural and horrifying lurking around any corner. With a cast of truly professional actors—including Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, and Ciaran Hinds—this is a horror show that comes to you with the production value of a prestige drama or a Ridley Scott-esque (he’s a producer) historical epic. –ER
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The Kingdom (1994–2022)
Any fans of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks will have a welcome follow-up here with The Kingdom (Danish title: Riget), from fellow beloved auteur director cinema weirdo Lars von Trier. Spanning three separate series (the most recent coming with 2022’s The Kingdom: Exodus) over a 30 year span, The Kingdom is a surrealist horror medical drama that can be dryly funny and a real treat for anyone who may thinks they’ve “seen it all.” Because until you’ve seen The Kingdom, you absolutely have not. –ER
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