These 30 terrifying TV shows are ideal for a marathon binge-watch because they will keep you on the edge of your seat all night.
1. Yellowjackets
This Showtime series is about a soccer team fighting for survival in the Canadian Rockies after their plane goes down. Recalling a literary classic, another swarm allegory titled The Lord of the Flies, this show jumps between timelines (1996 and present day) and stars a gloriously diverse group of women.
2. What We Do in the Shadows
If you are into the horror genre with some humor, then, this is the perfect TV series for you. This classic chronicles the daily and nightly goings-on had by a group of bloodsucking roommates when they’re not ravaging the necks of the innocent. Created by Jemaine Clement, who co-wrote and -directed the film on which the series is based with Taika Waititi, this series’ satirical brilliance will live on forever.
3. Twin Peaks
This 1990 cult show, which centers on an FBI agent looking into the death of a homecoming queen in the most bizarre town on the West Coast, is a prime example of Horror 101: concealing secrets, mysteries, and gory murders under a façade of charm.
4. The Walking Dead
With their resurrected bodies tainted with an unknown virus and a group of survivors battling to prevent them from eating human flesh, the zombies have been shambling around AMC and certain streaming services since 2010. Frank Darabont’s zombie horror has endured a great deal, even inspiring a number of valuable spin-offs.
5. The Terror
Although this anthology series, which was based on Dan Simmons’ 2007 novel, only lasted two seasons, its intrigue has had a lasting impact. This Ridley Scott work provides its own color, coincidence, and resolutions to real-life tragedies by basing its plots on historical mysteries.
6. The Outsider
Here, an 11-year-old little boy has been murdered and all the evidence points to Jason Bateman’s Terry Maitland, a family man with a wife and two daughters, as the killer. A tangled and confounding ball of yarn to unravel. This show also stars Cynthia Erivo and Ben Mendelsohn.
7. The Last of Us
Video games are a never-ending source of material for television programs; Halo, The Witcher, and Castlevania all enjoyed some degree of popularity. This apocalyptic thriller series, which stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as a sharpshooting smuggler and his 14-year-old journey companion who may hold the key to stopping the virus that wipes out civilization, is the greatest of the past several years that isn’t animated.
8. The Haunting of Hill House
Since 2016, the director Mike Flanagan has continuously produced a new chiller every year. Some are television shows, such as this contemporary adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s gothic saga of the same name.
9. Swarm
Dominique Fishback portrays Dre, a young serial murderer whose superfan obsession with a Beyoncé-level pop singer leads to various forms of violence. The film is directed by Janine Nabors and Donald Glover, both of whom are wearing showrunner britches for the production. Swarm is a gripping television series that embraces the pervasive fan culture.
10. Supernatural
This classic series, which aired from 2005 to 2020, followed in the footsteps of their father and centered on two evil-riding brothers. We will credit that outstanding run to the outstanding lead actors Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, who both develop as performers as their fictitious characters, the Winchester brothers, do on screen.
11. Stranger Things
This Duffer Brothers series is a masterwork at striking a balance between well-developed characters, nostalgia for the 1980s, and supernatural aspects and horror-maestro homages (to Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, James Carpenter, and others). Both fans and newcomers will enjoy this entertaining horror fare.
12. Servant
Servant, a haven for horror enthusiasts, has attracted some amazing directors who have contributed their vision and aesthetic to the story of a grieving Philly family and their mysterious nanny. This package has a wealth of talent, ranging from Julia Ducournau and Veronika Franz to Karyn Kusama and M. Night Shyamalan.
13. Marianne
When the well-known horror author returns to her hometown, Marianna discovers that the evil spirit that has been tormenting her has left her dream world and transformed into her greatest nightmare.
14. Kingdom
In addition to its conflict of thrones and politics, Kingdom, which is set in medieval Joseon, rewrites history by introducing a zombie disease. The Crown Prince Lee Chang sets out to discover the cause of the King of Joseon’s illness at the start of the series. Some of the greatest horror sequences ever to be seen on a small screen are presented to viewers throughout the course of the following two seasons.
15. Interview with the Vampire
In 1994, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise made sucking an art form by adapting it for Ann Rice, directed by Neil Jordan. Here, a veteran of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad produces as Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson begin to dig their fangs into throbbing necks.
16. Hannibal
We doubt that any network TV horror series has ever been more aesthetically spectacular than Bryan Fuller’s masterfully rendered Hannibal. The series, which stars Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy, maintains the themes found in the Hannibal Lector film franchise while experimenting with a new plotline that has an FBI agent sympathizing with the renowned culinary cannibal.
17. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Since childhood, Guillermo del Toro has had an obsession with monsters and the macabre. The Mexican filmmaker is now a confirmed horror maestro, and he’s letting his fears out on the big screen. Del Toro tells eight terrifying stories in Cabinet of Curiosities, each one more brilliant than the one before it.
18. From
From, which is set in a typical little American town, centers on a group of locals, prisoners, who are subject to pressures that prevent them from leaving. You can be sure it’s good because it comes from the same men who made Lost, Fringe, and Game of Thrones.
19. Evil
Even though it is constrained by prime-time limitations, the goosebumps this series offers are incredible. Evil is highbrow network television that follows the personal and professional lives of a clinical psychologist, a priest-in-training, and a supernatural contractor who has joined forces to look into weird occurrences.
20. Dark
This German jewel has a lot to reveal. There is a huge cave that leads directly to the town’s nuclear plant, children have vanished from a tiny community, and everyone appears to be living double lives. This series is a masterwork of dark science fiction, somehow combining a time-jumping plot and dysfunctional drama with otherworldly aspects and startling revelations.
21. Crazyhead
This British comedy, an award-winning series that ended far too soon, follows Amy and Raquel, two friends in their 20s who battle their own inner demons while battling horrible monsters.
22. Chucky
Co-writer Don Mancini contributed to the creation of the eerie doll Chucky in 1988, which launched a franchise that is everything from kid-friendly. By adapting Chucky’s stab-happy murders into an episodic thriller about a teenager at the whim of a serial murderer, Mancini, who is now a series creator, has brought his story back to life for the small screen.
23. Channel Zero
Do you recall creepypastas? Those urban tales that became widespread on the Internet and crept into your own nightmares from the imagination of a stranger? That’s Channel Zero on a little screen. As one might anticipate from creator Nick Antosca, the adaptation of four shorts for an anthology series starring Paul Schneider, Maria Sten, and Brandon Scott is incredibly eerie and sly.
24. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Even though the show, which celebrates diversity and inclusion gave millennials plenty to talk about back in the 1990s, it has also slayed its way into Gen-Zers’ hearts and minds. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy, the title character, a high school girl who battles all things evil in between classes. The Scoobies are too good for any generation to ignore.
25. Black Mirror
Every moment spent gazing into Black Mirror is a moment well spent, even though some of Charlie Brooker’s techno-horror anthology series’ episodes may end up being more beloved than others. The series serves as a warning about the gloomy future that humanity’s technological advancements may be pushing us all into, reflecting our tech-driven anxieties.
26. Being Human
Both the Americanized version and the BBC’s original supernatural series are worth fitting into your binge-watching schedule. However, we would advise starting at the beginning, when Annie, George, and Mitchell were merely attempting to get through the day without any problems. Imagine Friends with shrieking werewolves, vampires, and ghosts in place of the laugh track.
27. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
This compilation of ghost stories, which is part of the ’90s SNICK block, is acted out by some very familiar faces (see: Melissa Joan Hart, Neve Campbell, Ryan Gosling, and Elisha Cuthbert) and read over a creepy campfire. It’s a very nostalgic watch.
28. Archive 81
When Rebecca Sonnenshine’s series (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) debuted on Netflix in January 2022, it received a lot of play. Though its time-jumping twists and turns are too confusing for a single viewing, it also demands to be seen again. You should familiarize yourself with Dan, Melody, and those strange tapes right now if you haven’t previously, or if you’re merely anticipating their encore.
29. American Horror Story
In 2011, Ryan Murphy, the horror TV king, and Brad Falchuk started American Horror Story. Now in its 12th season, this themed anthology series has a lot of longevity. This year’s theme, Delicate, is reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby and will include Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevingne, and AHS veteran Emma Roberts in a story of maternal horror.
30. Wednesday
With Wednesday, an episodic reworking of The Addams Family, Tim Burton, whose cult-film staples include Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, and Sleepy Hollow, finally made the leap to the small screen. The show centers on a young Wednesday Addams, who solves a murder mystery that is incredibly unusual at Nevermore Academy.
