The 10 Essential Horror TV Shows For Beginners
Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.
Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.
Horror movies have long been a staple on the big screen, but there's a whole host of great horror TV shows out there that are well worth exploring for both beginners and long-time horror film fans. Horror has always been a space for exploration and creativity to thrive, which is why it has been so prolific when it comes to feature films.
However, the horror genre also lends itself well to long-form storytelling, with TV shows that explore a narrative across a single season, or across multiple seasons of television delivering some of the very best drama, intensity, and gripping tales to ever grace the small screen.
From TV shows that exist as part of a wider film universe, to anthology shows that cover a wide range of narratives, and classic monster stories reimagined, these are some of the absolute best horror shows for people who have yet to break into the horror TV space.
It
Starting out with an incredible adaptation of Stephen King's masterpiece, It. King has often been regarded as the Master of Horror, with dozens of his novels and short stories laying the foundation for yet more TV and film adaptations. However, the 1990 It series starring Tim Curry as Pennywise stands apart.
Modern feature-length adaptations have managed to capture the story in a compelling way and bring it up to date, but this series accomplished something groundbreaking years before technology and computers were capable of bringing the horrors of King's imagination to life.
With Tim Curry's legendary performance, the imagination of King, and a series that truly captures the mysteries of Derry effectively, this is a great series to jump into the TV horror space.
Chucky
However, if horror books aren't your thing, but you are a horror film fan, then Chucky could be the perfect pick. Don Mancini is the writer behind the Chucky series of films that began all the way in 1988, and has been attached to almost every project since.
The campy, outrageous comedy beats of this classic slasher are a familiar and evocative collection of stories, and in the Chucky TV series, which also saw Mancini's involvement, this is the perfect transition point from the big screen to the small screen. Across 3 seasons and 24 episodes, Chucky is a must-watch for fans of horror as a whole, and especially fans of the wider franchise.
Evil
Evil is a stellar monster of the week series that ran for four seasons and is available to watch on Paramount+. The show follows a psychologist and a scientist who join a Catholic priest as they work through backlogs of unexplained mysteries, leading to a series of conflicts with supernatural horrors.
This is a gentle psychological horror to ease into the horror genre more broadly, as the show also balances comedy, cynicism, thriller, and more cerebral aspects that all add up to create something that is a pleasure to engage with. With 50 episodes overall, there is also plenty in this series to sink your teeth into and get hooked on.
Stranger Things
Next up is one of the most mainstream horror shows in recent history, with Stranger Things. The thing is, there is a reason this show became such a hit among audiences, even beyond the usual horror fanbase. With a blend of humor, coming-of-age storytelling, nostalgic alternate historical details, and sci-fi elements all combined together to create a supernatural horror hit.
Stranger Things had some of the most creative and intriguing early seasons in any horror TV show, with a variety of creatures, an expansive lore, and an incredible cast of characters that grew as the series went on. All in all, Stranger Things certainly has its flaws, but the series is a great entry point into horror TV.
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is also a massively popular series that has managed to endure far longer than most shows in the space, likely because of the anthology nature of the show, but while the series is currently airing its thirteenth season, some of the early seasons are among the best horror TV of all time.
With incredible performers who make up a regular rotating cast, including Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, and many more, all coming together to adapt the fascinating stories of Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, AHS is incredibly imaginative and delivers twisted tales that are well worth a watch.
For beginners, with each season unraveling a fully self-contained story, AHS is a low-commitment, high-reward set of stories, particularly anything in the first five seasons.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is an incredible psychological thriller that descends into horror, but gently, and in such a way that it feels like an excellent starting point for those new to the horror genre. With a story set in two timelines, and a group of young people stranded after an incident, the earliest part of the show deals with an unraveling mystery.
Over time, however, things get much darker, but never in a way that feels like a cheap jump scare. The show also includes an interesting exploration of humans as monsters and tension that spans decades of a story and becomes so much more enchanting and intense as the story unfolds.
The Haunting of Hill House
Mike Flanagan is proving to be an incredible force within the horror TV space, and with a handful of feature-length projects and various other upcoming works, it's clear that he isn't slowing down any time soon. However, among all of his works, The Haunting on Hill House remains one of the most highly regarded.
This is another twisty timeline narrative, but it also leans into supernatural horror and bridges the gap from more thriller-esque shows like Yellowjackets and more hardcore traditional horror stories. It also features an incredible cast that brings the story to life, and some truly heartbreaking twists that make the most of what can be done in the horror space.
Midnight Mass
Sticking with Flanagan for a moment, Midnight Mass is another standout series which explores religious fanataisicm, an isolated island, and a story that plays on classic horror monsters. Hamish Linklater is the standout of the series, surrounded with incredible and talented supporting actors who make every second of this series count.
It's dark, it's packed with twists, and it is another series that feels like a great jumping-on point for modern horror, with intricate, intelligent narratives combined with supernatural horrors in a way that is deeply satisfying and thrilling.
The Walking Dead
Speaking on classic horror monsters, this list lacks the presence of one of the most prolific horror creatures of all time, zombies. Fortunately, The Walking Dead is a wonderful starter series to explore a very human story set in a world overrun by the zombie apocalypse and the downfall of humanity as we know it.
This is the perfect way to blend character-driven narratives and true classic horror, with scenes that definitely earn a jump, but the focus is firmly on how the characters engage with one another and what spending every day trying to survive does to the human race.
Hannibal
Finally, Hannibal adapts a story that was famously brought to the big screen with Anthony Hopkins tackling the role of the cannibal serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. Well, Mads Mikkelson takes up that mantle in this series, and in a much more subtle and intentionally eerie way, the story slowly reveals the horrors beneath the surface.
Early on in the series, this show could be mistaken for a particularly grotesque detective show, but it quickly evolves to become one of the best horror dramas on TV. On top of that, it is one of the most compelling and thrilling horror shows to break into the genre on the TV format.
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