The 20 Best Horror Miniseries, Ranked
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TV miniseries are basically one-season shows that are intended to be watched as one long, multi-part movie. The lengths of these miniseries may vary, but they all maintain the basic fundamentals of the format. Of course, as with any form of media, miniseries explore a wide variety of genres, from drama to comedy, and yes, even to horror.
Horror miniseries are actually becoming increasingly common in recent years, as the genre lends itself quite well to the format, especially if they are based on a novel or short story. Covering a vast array of topics, the best horror miniseries not only feature good scares and stories but also good drama, production value, and performances, cementing them in the minds of many.
20 'Rose Red' (2002)
Rose Red is a three-part miniseries with a script written by none other than Stephen King, the modern master of the horror genre. That said, King is better when it comes to writing books. The show isn't bad per se, but it's far from amazing. Still, if you need something to quickly binge in under a day, this is the perfect pick considering it's only three episodes long.
The plot follows an eccentric university professor living in Seattle, who becomes obsessed with local legends about a haunted house, where 23 people have supposedly gone missing. Intent on finding verifiable proof of paranormal phenomena, she leads a team of psychics to the house, hoping to capture an apparition. Unfortunately, she ends up biting off more than she can chew, unleashing the supernatural forces within. If you're a fan of haunted house stories or of Stephen King, it's definitely worth checking out, but it's not the best that the genre has to offer.
19 'Bag of Bones' (2011)
Bag of Bones is another series by Stephen King, only this time it's an adaptation of one of his books rather than an original script that he wrote. The miniseries is only two episodes long, feeling more like a long movie than an extended, multi-part series. Nevertheless, it has a really interesting and bone-chilling concept that fans of King's work will love.
The plot follows a widowed novelist, played by Pierce Brosnan, whose grief leads him to spend some time in a secluded cabin in the woods. There, he meets a widowed woman and her daughter, whom he befriends. Shortly thereafter, he begins experiencing nightmares and visions, and learns about a mysterious mental disorder that is plaguing the locals, causing many of them to drown their own children. This is a show that has its noticeable flaws, but that ultimately does pretty well for itself. It's creepy, unsettling, and the perfect length for a Sunday binge.
18 'Brand New Cherry Flavor' (2023)
Image via Eat the Cat Universal Content Productions
Brand New Cherry Flavor is one of those shows that not everyone is going to like. It's one of those TV series that is curated with a specific audience in mind, and if you don't fit into that demographic, you're just not going to enjoy it. Even critics acknowledged this in their reviews. However, for the right people, it's a pretty awesome foray into a very interesting universe.
Rosa Salazar delivers an incredible performance as Lisa, an aspiring filmmaker who moves to Hollywood in the 1990s to chase her dreams. There, she meets a renowned film producer who is impressed by her horror short and offers her a contract. However, this producer is a major creep who makes unwanted advances, and when Lisa retaliates, she is fired. Out of options and desperate for revenge, she meets with a witch, who will use her supernatural abilities to help her exact vengeance. This eight-part miniseries is a critical look at the ins and outs of Hollywood, and the kind of disturbing things that can go on behind closed doors. Beyond that, the show is satisfying, unnerving, and entertaining in all the right ways.
17 'Behind Her Eyes' (2021)
Behind Her Eyes is based on a novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough, and follows Louise (Simona Brown), a single mother who gets caught up in a love triangle between her, her boss, David (Tom Bateman), and her boss' wife, Adele (Eve Hewson). But this is no regular love triangle, as secrets are revealed and things quickly turn murderous.
It starts off as a standard slasher film, but Behind Her Eyes also delves into a lot of supernatural themes like astral projection and a bit of ghostly intervention. It's not fantastic by any means, but it's still a good miniseries if you're feeling spooky. Sure, there are some major lulls, and character development isn't fantastic, but there are plenty of worse horror miniseries out there, and the exciting bits more than make up for the more boring ones.
16 'The Shining' (1997)
The Shining is based on Stephen King's acclaimed novel of the same name. Unlike the 1980 Stanley Kubrick horror movie, the miniseries received support from King himself and had more of King's direct involvement in the writing process. As a result, the miniseries is actually much more faithful to the novel than the movie is, though the movie is often still regarded by critics as the superior adaptation.
The story is pretty much the same: a family living in a hotel gets snowed in, and the father succumbs to cabin fever, going on a killing spree and terrorizing his family. While the miniseries isn't as good as the movie, it's still well worth a watch, especially given its endorsement by the original author. If you're looking for a more faithful adaptation of the original novel, look no further than the 1997 miniseries.
15 'Harper's Island' (2009)
Harper's Island was initially conceptualized as a multi-season anthology series but was ultimately left at just one season, following a complete narrative rather than multiple stories at once. Seven years prior to the series, a man went on a killing spree on the eponymous island before being killed by the local police department. The daughter of one of these victims is sent away to live elsewhere but is forced to return to the island years later to attend a wedding, after which the killing begins once again. Only this time, it's not known who's responsible.
Perfect for Agatha Christie fans, this horror-mystery series features some superb acting and comes with a sense of paranoia, as any of the multiple characters could be responsible for the newly occurring murders, and it's not quite clear who until the end. This was a show that was not appreciated nearly enough as it should have been for its time and is much better in hindsight. Yes, there are some major flaws, but for the most part, it's actually very intriguing and entertaining.
14 'The Enfield Haunting' (2015)
The Enfield Haunting might just be the only miniseries on this list that is based on a true story. The show is set in the 1970s, in the city of Enfield, England. The haunting involved an alleged poltergeist that terrorized the Hodgson family, moving furniture, knocking on walls, whispering during the night, and throwing objects across the room. There were even reports that one of the daughters, Janet, became possessed at one point.
The claims were corroborated by local police and neighbours, with over 30 witnesses coming forward to verify the family's story. Most famously, this haunting became the central plot point of the 2016 horror film The Conjuring 2, which followed Ed and Lorraine Warren's investigation of the case. This show is a bit more detailed and realistic, leaning heavily into witness statements across its three episodes, and producing a dramatized retelling of events. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, this is a fascinating miniseries and a spooky haunted house story that fans will love.
13 'The Midnight Club' (2022)
The Midnight Club has a premise reminiscent of the Midnight Society from the classic '90s kids' horror show, Are You Afraid of the Dark? Basically, a group of horror enthusiasts meets at midnight to share spooky stories with each other. However, unlike Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the horror enthusiasts are not a group of kids but a group of patients with terminal illnesses, all of whom are young adults living in a home hospice center in the Pacific Northwest. All of them have created a pact that whoever dies first will have to make efforts to communicate with the others from beyond the grave.
The stories aren't the most important part here, because there is actually an overarching narrative going on with the club itself rather than it being presented as an anthology series. It was initially intended to run for two seasons but was ultimately canceled, so it remained a miniseries. Horror-wise, it can be kind of intense, as the first episode broke the Guinness World Record for the most scripted jump scares in a single episode of TV, with a whopping 21 jump scares. But if that's not your thing, don't worry, because there are also a lot of heartfelt and touching moments alongside the spooky bits, so it's got good drama along with good horror.
12 'The Stand' (1994)
1994's The Stand is once again an adaptation of a Stephen King novel, though this isn't just a horror series, but a post-apocalyptic drama, too. The apocalypse occurs after a weaponized influenza virus is accidentally released from a military laboratory and kills 99% of the world's population in a matter of weeks. The scattered group of survivors, located in various places all over the US, begin having strange dreams and visions, all prompting them to go to Nebraska or Las Vegas to meet specific individuals.
The four episodes of this miniseries are full of twists and turns. The show is not only unique narrative-wise but visually, too, with a cool color palette and an oppressive atmosphere. The Stand is by far one of the most underrated adaptations of a Stephen King work, one that definitely deserves another chance this Halloween season.
11 'Corpse Party: Tortured Souls' (2013)
Corpse Party: Tortured Souls is a four-part anime miniseries that quickly made waves as it was deemed the most gory and gruesome anime series ever. It is deceptively innocent at first glance, but features some truly visceral imagery that is enough to make even slasher fans squirm uncomfortably. Funnily enough, this horror series is actually based on a video game and serves as a sequel to Corpse Party: Missing Footage, a one-part OVA (original video animation).
It features a lot of typical anime tropes: a school setting, ghosts from Japanese folklore, and a cast made up primarily of adolescents, yet it still manages to be extremely mature, and not at all as many viewers would expect. It's not perfect, but considering that it's based on a video game and is riddled with clichés, it's actually pretty good. It's short and enjoyable, making it perfect for both anime fans and horror fans.
Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes What Is Your Biggest Horror Nightmare? Elm Street · Chucky · Scream · The Conjuring
Four horror franchises. Four completely different ways of scaring you. One waits until you fall asleep. One makes sure nobody believes you. One is already in your group of friends. And one is in the house with your family. Answer eight quick questions about how you actually watch horror, and find out which nightmare was built for you.
😴Elm Street(Freddy Krueger)
🧸Chucky(Child's Play)
📞Scream(Ghostface)
🕯️The Conjuring(The Warren Files)
01
Which horror scene makes you cover your eyes? Four classic images. One of them is worse than the others for you.
02
You are home alone and you hear a noise. First thought? Everybody has one. It arrives before you have decided anything.
03
Which horror movie rule would you break first? Everybody thinks they would survive. Almost nobody actually does.
04
Something genuinely frightening happens. What do you do? Not in a film. In your actual living room, tonight.
05
How do you actually watch a horror film? Be honest about this one. Nobody is checking.
06
Somebody offers you serious money. Which do you still refuse? The amount does not matter. There is one on this list you are not doing.
07
Which feeling stays with you a week after the film? Good horror does not stop when the credits do.
08
Something wakes you at 3am. What is the worst possibility? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your nightmare.
The Lights Just Went Out Your Nightmare Is…
Four franchises, four completely different ways of getting underneath your skin. This is the one built out of your particular fear, why it works so well on you, and what it would leave behind.
Elm Street
Your nightmare does not wait outside the door. It waits for you to close your eyes, which you are going to have to do eventually, because nobody has ever won that particular argument.
- Freddy is horror's cruellest idea: a threat that lives in the one place you cannot guard, cannot lock, and cannot avoid forever.
- You are the one who is fine during the film and wide awake at two in the morning. Your own head is where this does its damage.
- These films understood exhaustion as a horror engine. The kids on Elm Street do not lose because they are weak. They lose because they are tired.
- You can lock every door in the house. You still have to sleep.
Chucky
Your nightmare is not really the doll. It is the face of the person you tell, and the way they decide, very kindly, that you have imagined all of it.
- Chucky works precisely because he is absurd. That is the trap: the more accurately you describe him, the less anybody is going to believe you.
- You are the one shouting at the screen because the characters are not listening. You know that feeling from real life too.
- The franchise is at its best when the adults in the room are the real obstacle, and you have met those adults.
- By the time somebody finally believes you, you will have handled most of it on your own.
Scream
Your nightmare has your number, knows your name, and has almost certainly been inside your house before. The worst part is that you already know them.
- Scream is the only one of these where the killer takes the mask off and turns out to be somebody who was at the party.
- You are the person who calls the twist out loud before it lands. You watch people the same way you watch films.
- The franchise made the rules of horror part of the plot, which means the survivors are the ones paying attention. You would be paying attention.
- Everybody is a suspect, including the person who just offered to walk you home.
The Conjuring
Your nightmare is not really about you. It is about the people asleep down the hall, and the feeling that whatever is here is not interested in leaving.
- The Conjuring films are domestic horror. The house, the family, the perfectly ordinary room that quietly stops feeling ordinary.
- Your instinct is to get everybody into one room. Your fear is protective rather than personal, which is rarer than it sounds.
- This is the one franchise where belief is the weapon. The people who come through it are the ones who are not alone and refuse to be.
- Whatever is here did not come for you. It came for the household, and you are the one standing in the hallway.
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