13 Scariest Shows Ever Made
Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses.
They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer.
In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.
Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.
Horror has become a mainstay on television, and these thirteen series stand out as the scariest shows, consisting of everythingfrom domestic terror to murderous cosmic entities. Now that October’s here, folks are getting ready for Halloween. Candy and costumes are great fun, but many prefer all things spooky. We want tricks, not treats. We want to scream as we walk through haunted houses. Those of us who want a good fright can dive into great horror movies, video games, and TV shows.
Here at ScreenRant, we’re celebrating 31 Days of Horror leading up to Halloween 2026. If you’re looking for your next scary television horror binge-watch, we’ve got you covered. Some series like Black Mirror, Yellowjackets, and The X-Files bring the scares, but they won’t appear on this list because they primarily fall into other genres. Similarly, many of the best horror TV shows aren’t that scary.
The classic horror show The Twilight Zone, which lands among my favorite shows of all time, won’t show up. Some The Twilight Zone episodes are undeniably chilling, but most have lost their edge with time. They're more mind-bending than scary. Similarly, beloved comedy-horror series like What We Do in the Shadows won’t appear on the list. Instead, we’ve looked across all sorts of horror subgenres and compiled a list of shows with real scares for viewers of all ages. These 13 scary horror shows are perfect for the spooky season.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962)
The Twilight Zone is, in my opinion, the best episodic horror anthology show ever, but most of its scary stories have lost their edge. Alfred Hitchcock Presents is scarier than the iconic series from a modern perspective because it creates fear from the ordinary instead of the supernatural. Alfred Hitchcock Presents takes place in an ordinary, white-picket-fenced suburban neighborhood. The setting lures viewers into a false sense of security, then it rips the rug out from underneath them.
In Alfred Hitchcock Presents, no vulnerable communities are exempt from scary situations, including children. Some of the most terrifying episodes include “Don’t Look Behind You,” “An Unlocked Window,” and “A Home Away from Home.” I’ll never forget the terror of the ventriloquist doll. Additionally, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was so dark that it was temporarily blocked from airing on network TV in 1962.
Tales From The Crypt (1989-1996)
Based on the E.C. Comics from the 1950s, the 90s horror-comedy anthology Tales from the Crypt has left its mark on pop culture. Folks who lived through that era remember the wise-cracking, eerie-looking Crypt Keeper. For the most part, the series leans more toward “camp” than “terrifying.” However, it includes some elements and storylines that are, at the very least, creepy and, at the most, genuinely scary.
Tales from the Crypt features intense gore, body horror, and violence, made possible by its HBO run. The show features constant moral retribution and the feeling that you cannot escape cosmic justice. Plus, the actually scary episodes of Tales from the Crypt, such as “Television Terror” and “And All Through the House,” will stick with viewers long after they end.
The Creep Tapes (2024-Present)
While many horror shows create fear from gore and the paranormal, The Creep Tapes is a prime example of horror born of dread and realism. The Shudder and AMC+ found footage horror series centers on an unhinged serial killer who lures victims in under the pretense of creating a video recording.
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The found-footage style makes viewers feel like they are watching a real, unedited version of events. Audiences don’t have to suspend their disbelief nearly as much. The Creep Tapes also treats everyday people as completely expendable, increasing the sense of danger. On top of that, this horror series shows the danger of politeness in a world where predators exist, which hits especially hard for people socialized to give up their safety for the comfort of others.
American Horror Story (2011-Present)
American Horror Story is the biggest TV show in the horror genre right now, with season 13 airing right now. However, it only lands on the lower side of the scariest TV shows because it often feels like a dark soap opera. All of the seasons have disturbing imagery and gore, but spectacle isn’t the same as scary.
That being said, the horror anthology still earns its spot because of Asylum, Roanoke, and Cult. These three seasons of American Horror Story nail the fear factor. Roanoke feels like a spiritual successor to The Blair Witch Project, except with intense gore and body horror. Meanwhile, Asylum and Cult lean into real-life horrors with a small dash of supernatural, creating an unrelenting feeling of psychological terror.
Unsolved Mysteries (1987-2010)
For most Millennials, myself included, Unsolved Mysteries was absolute nightmare fuel. The TV show walked a very thin line by including both brutal real-life murders and strange, unexplainable paranormal phenomena. It created the feeling that nothing and nobody was safe.
To make matters worse, Robert Stack told the stories while wearing a trench coat in a pitch-black or very dark space with plenty of fog, making him feel like a creeper or a ghost. He spoke in a deep voice. He also stared right into the camera, which was just plain unnerving. Then there’s the theme music, which isn't just unsettling but downright terrifying. As an adult, it’s not quite as scary, but many of the stories are still deeply unsettling and psychologically twisted.
Channel Zero (2016-2018)
Creepypastas are the internet’s version of urban legends and campfire stories, and some of the best onscreen horrors come from this community. Backrooms and Slenderman might be the most notable examples, but the horror anthology Channel Zero brings others to life. Blending psychological and paranormal horror, each season's main characters experience psychological pain that makes the creepypasta elements more impactful.
|
Season # |
Season Title |
Creepypasta |
|---|---|---|
|
#1 |
Candle Cove |
"Candle Cove" by Kris Straub |
|
#2 |
No-End House |
"The No-End House" by Brian Russell |
|
#3 |
Butcher's Block |
"Search and Rescue Woods" by Kerry Hammond |
|
#4 |
The Dream Door |
"Hidden Door" by Charlotte Bywater |
Rather than cheap jump scares, the series frequently employs unsettling imagery like The Tooth Fairy, which sent shivers down my spine even though I’m a horror enthusiast. They use the uncanny valley many times to build fear. What’s more, they maintain the spirit of the original creepypastas, leaving enough ambiguity for viewers to fill the holes with their fears. Unfortunately, Channel Zero ranks in the middle because not every season is terrifying enough to place higher.
Slasher (2016-2023)
Although it doesn’t get as much appreciation as other horror shows, Shudder’s Slasher deserves credit for being truly disturbing. The series is an anthology with masked villains driven by vengeance and malice every single season. Like many slasher movies and TV shows, the stories also include a dark whodunit, where solving the mystery means stopping a murderous rampage. Unlike some of the best slasher villains, like Jason or Freddy, the killers are always human beings capable of doing evil.
Slasher’s kills are surprisingly creative and visually intriguing, making it feel like an art form. There’s a good amount of graphic gore that will scare some viewers, and an extremely high body count in some seasons. Luckily, Slasher isn’t afraid to kill off the most lovable and noble characters, creating true stakes.
The Haunting Of Hill House (2018)
Although it doesn’t get as much appreciation as other horror shows, Shudder’s Slasher deserves credit for being truly disturbing. The series is an anthology with masked villains driven by vengeance and malice every single season. Like many slasher movies and TV shows, the stories also include a dark whodunit, where solving the mystery means stopping a murderous rampage. Unlike some of the best slasher villains, like Jason or Freddy, the killers are always human beings capable of doing evil.
Slasher’s kills are surprisingly creative and visually intriguing, making it feel like an art form. There’s a good amount of graphic gore that will scare some viewers, and an extremely high body count in some seasons. Luckily, Slasher isn’t afraid to kill off the most lovable and noble characters, creating true stakes.
The Exorcist (2016-2018)
The 2016 to 2018 series The Exorcist was criminally overlooked in favor of the film sequels, but the show is the best sequel to the 1973 classic. In this story, a progressive local priest named Father Tomas Ortega teams up with a traditionalist Vatican-trained priest named Father Marcus Keane to handle demonic possessions. The show completely ignores the movie sequels. Instead, The Exorcist OG movie and The Exorcist series share connections, making it a direct sequel that is creative but reverential to the original story.
Many scary elements from the original movie appear in the television series, such as disturbing visuals and demonic possession. There’s plenty of body horror to go around, plus hallucinations and a creepy-looking demon. The show also makes it easy to care about the characters, so it hits hard when scary things happen to them.
The Terror (2018-Present)
Like other scary TV shows, The Terror is an anthology. Each season captures humanity's cruelty while also throwing in a supernatural predator. Every story creates a claustrophobic feeling by placing the characters in a confined place they cannot escape. The first and third seasons are pretty gory, and the second leans into Japanese folk horror. While all the seasons are pretty scary, the first season is undoubtedly the scariest, and it’s the reason why this show ranks near the top of this list.
The Terror season 1’s horror initially comes from the HMS Terror and the HMS Erebus getting stuck in the Arctic ice. The characters are trapped in a brutal environment that shows nature as an indifferent force. The cold, starvation, and lead poisoning drive the crew members to madness. There’s mutiny and cannibalism. Plus, the show introduces a supernatural predator that stalks the crew, adding another layer of terror.
Marianne (2019)
Anyone who can handle subtitles or dubbed TV shows needs to watch Netflix’s Marianne, a show that easily ranks as the scariest series ever made. In this story, horror novelist Emma Larsimon stops writing about her malicious witch main character, Marianne, and the entity manifests in her hometown to terrorize her into continuing the series. The show doesn’t just lean on a single type of horror.
The audio is designed to make every single scene feel unsafe, even if nothing terrible is happening onscreen. The small town has a claustrophobic atmosphere and a nagging feeling that something is deeply wrong. Then, Marianne adds disturbing imagery and unnatural movements, making the possessed old lady feel truly chilling. The possession and psychological manipulation will terrorize viewers who fear demonic and occult horror. What’s more, Netflix’s Marianne creates a feeling of distorted reality, creating tension and the fear that nothing seen is actually there.
It: Welcome To Derry (2025-Present)
Because The Muschiettis' IT duology completed the Losers Club’s story, everyone expected it to end with Chapter Two. However, they surprised us all by creating It: Welcome to Derry, one of the best horror shows based on a movie, and it's scarier than either movie. The first season kicks things off with a demonic childbirth and an onscreen child massacre, setting expectations immediately. This level of terror continues throughout each episode of the HBO Max show, building fear and anticipation.
It's horrifying to think that the residents of Derry are trapped in the town, making them sitting ducks for IT. There are gruesome creatures, gore, and body horror. They don’t shy away from jump scares, but they don’t overuse them either. They create fear and terror from real-world issues like racism, showing how IT preys on humanity’s horrors. Interestingly, they hold off on introducing Pennywise until episode 5. By holding off and minimizing his appearances, they make the shapeshifting being far more impactful when it shows up.
Masters Of Horror (2005-2007)
The TV show Masters of Horror is a unique entry on this list in that it’s impossible to concretely describe why it’s scary. The idea behind the short-lived series is that legendary horror directors would create an hour-long horror story with complete creative freedom and no standard TV restrictions or censorship. Because each episode is its own mini-horror movie, the types of horror vary from body horror to demonic rituals.
Many episodes feature intense violence, sexual content, and disturbing elements that would land it a hard R-rating in the movie world. Takashi Miike’s “Imprint” is so dark and graphic that Showtime pulled it from the broadcast lineup at the last minute, making it the only episode that went too far, even for the premium network. Ultimately, Masters of Horror is one of the few anthology series where I can confidently say every episode is good and at least a little scary. Even the weakest episodes are worlds better than other horror TV shows.
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