With Halloween right around the corner, you might be looking for something scary to watch aside from just rewatching the same horror movies you watch every year. We’ve compiled a list of some fantastic horror television shows that you might have never seen before. They’re all reasonably short too so you should have plenty of time to catch up on the ones that interest you before the big day hits!
We’re skimming over some of the big shows like American Horror Story in favor of the little guys who get lost in the massive amount of content available to us all these days. Without further ado, here are 10 fantastic and underrated horror television shows you should watch this Halloween season.
The Birch
Facebook Watch is producing a new horror series based on a short film from Crypt TV. The show is already off to an intriguing start. The Birch is all about a horrifying creature that dwells in the woods. If you summon The Birch, it will do your bidding to get revenge against those who have wronged you.
In a way, the creature is almost maternal. But as we all know, nothing comes without a price. The story follows three different teenagers and their unique experience with The Birch. The series is surprisingly graphic and very entertaining.
Limetown
Limetown is another Facebook Watch series. It is based on a podcast series about a town, called Limetown, that was functioning as a neuroscience research facility. But then one day, the entire popular of Limetown seemingly vanished without a trace.
The show picks up 15 years after and it follows Lia Haddock (played by Jessica Biel). Haddock is obsessed with the case of Limetown because she has a personal connection. Her uncle, Emile Haddock (Stanley Tucci), was one of the leaders of Limetown and he disappeared too. But then Lia gets contacted by a Limetown survivor and begins to unravel the mystery.
Harper’s Island
Abby returns to her hometown of Harper’s Island to attend the wedding of her best friends Trish and Henry. Seven years prior to her return, there was a series of terrible murders that kept Abby away from the place she had come to know.
Salem
It follows an accomplished witch, Mary Sibley. Mary and her coven are attempting to summon Satan and to do so they’ll need to make a certain amount of sacrifices. In this version of Salem, it is the Puritans who should be very afraid. The show is grisly, gory, and extremely campy and fun.
Channel Zero
Channel Zero is a horror anthology series that aired on the SYFY channel. Each season was based around a popular creepypasta from online. The first season, Candle Cove, followed a man who becomes haunted by something tied to a children’s television show.
Season two, No-End House, is all about a tourist attraction that becomes a horror movie. Season three, Butcher’s Block, is about a pair of sisters who move to a new city troubled by mysterious disappearances. Finally, the show was renewed for Season four, The Dream Door. The fourth season was about a pair of newlyweds who find a strange door in their basement. The entire series is streaming now on Shudder.
Slasher
Slasher was formerly a Chiller production but when the network was dissolved the rights were sold to Netflix. The Canadian-produced series is airing all three seasons on the streaming service currently. As the name suggests, this horror anthology follows a different slasher story each season.
The first season takes place in a small town when the hooded Executioner begins killing people. Season 2 takes place in a snow-covered ski resort where another killer strikes. And the third most recent season is about the Druid killer who looks sort of like they got lost on their way to a rave.
Penny Dreadful
Penny Dreadful only aired for three seasons on Showtime but it was enough to leave a mark considering the show is getting a spin-off series sometime next year. That said, the original is well worth your time. The show is set in Victorian England and includes many 19th-century public domain literary characters like Dracula, Mr. Jekyll, Dorian Grey, Victor Frankenstein, and more.
It’s a ghoulishly good time. The series stars Eva Green who is incredible as Vanessa Ives. It’s a travesty she never received an Emmy Award nomination for her work on this series. Plus, it’s genuinely scary in addition to being well-written and well-acted. The first two seasons are the best but season three has some standout episodes as well. Don’t miss out on this one.
Ash vs. Evil Dead
If you’re a fan of Bruce Campbell or the Evil Dead franchise you may have already seen this show but if not, you should consider doing a binge-watch. It’s short and easy to binge too with short episodes and only three seasons.
The series aired on STARZ and followed Ash 30 years after the original Evil Dead trilogy. He once again has to face off against the forces of evil along with his new pals Kelly and Pablo. Since the show was made by the same team that made the films, you get the same over-the-top horror-comedy vibes and you’ll have a blast watching it.
Chambers
Sadly, Netflix ended Chambers after only one season but the show was full of genuine horror, especially body horror. The series was about a teenager who has to have a heart transplant.
Afterward, she begins experiencing hallucinations and nightmarish visions related to the girl who used to have her heart, now deceased. The show stars Uma Thurman, Tony Goldwyn, and Sivan Alyra Rose. Even though it only lasted one season, it’s still a fantastic and eerie watch. And even though the ending sets up for a season two, it’s also not a bad stoppping point so you won’t be too unsettled by cliffhangers.
The Exorcist
If you’ve ever watched the original Exorcist films or you just love stories about demons and demonic possession, then FOX’s The Exorcist is must-watch television. Both seasons are currently available to watch on Hulu. The series follows two priests who agree to help a woman (played by Geena Davis) when she begins to think her daughter might be possessed.
The Exorcist plays plenty of homage to the original franchise (with one particularly memorable and gruesome moment involving a curling iron) while still creating its own storylines and building on the lore already created by the original film. Trust us when we saw this series is worthwhile. It’s well-made, well-written, and extremely disturbing. Plus, fans of the original will find plenty to keep them entertained and guessing as the series moves along.
Next: The Exorcist: 10 More Hidden Details You Never Noticed In The Horror Masterpiece
