DEEP DIVE: 6 Horror Television Shows You Need To Watch

Halloween season is here – my favourite (spooky) time of year. With it, comes a deluge of horror related media – from films, to books, to Halloween parties. But there is an underrated subsection of Halloween, that rarely (in my opinion) gets mentioned in the spaces of the horror world. That is TV – specifically horror TV shows. Funnily enough, horror television has been around since the mid 1940’s with the show Lights Out, though it wasn’t until 1959 with Rod Serling’s Anthology Series The Twilight Zone being one of the pioneers in frightening and critically acclaimed one off spooky stories that would keep you up at night. Future anthology series would follow, such as Creepshow, Tales of the Unexpected, Goosebumps. Long form horror television would also take charge – American Horror Story (itself a anthology series but told over a season rather than an episode), Widows Bay, and The Strain – coming out in the 2010’s and 2020’s, making horror television more respectable when it had perhaps been seen as too silly or bizarre. I suspect this could also relate to the recent resurgence of horror films being awarded with more praise at the Oscars. These are the six series that I think you should watch just before Halloween – and what I believe are their scariest episodes.

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6. American Horror Story – Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s anthology series has gone through many iterations over it’s whopping 13 seasons – locations and settings include a haunted Asylum, a school for witches, a hotel run by a vampiric Lady Gaga, and summer camp with a slasher villain on the loose. But its debut season focuses on a simple house in Los Angeles – well a Murder House. As a family moves into their new home, a series of very strange occurrences begin to happen, and not everyone makes it out alive. The season is rather brilliant, not just from a story telling perspective – with its rich cast of characters, great performances from Jessica Lange, Connie Britton, and a star making turn from Evan Peters – but the fact that it completely sets the groundwork of the show, and the lore as a whole. There’s a reason the show lasted for 13 seasons (and recently renewed for a 14th). Best of all… every season is completely standalone. Though it’s perhaps not the scariest show, it is incredibly fun and campy, along with its goriest and silliest horror moments! Scariest Moment: The horrifying opening scene as two bullies enter the Murder House’s basement, and are picked off in gruesome fashion. Streaming on Disney+ and FX on Hulu/ Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Lily Rabe, Kathy Bates, Taissa Farmiga/ Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck/ FX/ 18

5. Doctor Who – Season 3, Episode 10: Blink

Now – it may seem strange that Doctor Who is on this list. Let’s face it. It’s not really a horror series. Well… apart from Blink. Everyone knows Blink. If you’ve seen every Doctor Who episode – you know Blink. And if you’ve never seen Doctor Who before: watch Blink. This is THE episode of Doctor Who. Regarded as the scariest episode of the show, purely because it features the creepiest villains put to screen: The Weeping Angels. They cannot move unless you stop looking at them. And if you’ve never blink… God help you. Terrifying. Even better – it works as a standalone episode because The Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion Martha Jones (Freeman Agyeman) do not appear.  Carey Mulligan also appears – in a fantastic one off character of Sally Sparrow. To say more would spoil the surprise… but whatever you do: don’t blink. Scariest Moment: Whenever The Weeping Angels show up. Streaming on BBC IPlayer/ Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Ncuti Gatwa/ Created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson/ BBC One / 12  

4. The Walking Dead – Season 4, Episode 14: The Grove

The Walking Dead is one of my guilty pleasures. It’s a realistic look at a zombie apocalypse that slowly got more and more unrealistic. I mean what starts as a grounded family drama, becomes a gonzo go for broke show featuring a man with a bat covered in barbed wire named after his deceased wife; a tiger that eats zombies; and people living in a junkyard that speak in what appears to be a form of made up words. I love it. The best episode and scariest in my opinion – is The Grove. It’s a chamber piece that comes towards the end of the fourth season – and focuses on four characters. When one of them starts becoming more disturbing the whole dynamic turns frightening and upsetting. This – to warn you – is an incredibly upsetting episode. I don’t want to give away the big moment of the episode but it features a child, an older woman with a gun, and a cabin in the woods. A beautifully written episode, which will shock, upset you, and wow you all at the same time. Scariest Moment – Look at the flowers. Streaming on Disney+ and Now TV/ Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Melissa McBride/ Developed by Frank Darabont (Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard)/ AMC/ 18  

3. The Twilight Zone – Season 2, Episode 6: Eye Of The Beholder

As mentioned before, The Twilight Zone is a seminal series. Every episode stood alone, and was unique and different in equal measure. However, one truly horrifying episode aired – Eye of the Beholder is a really frightening entry into Rod Serling’s canon. Focusing on a plastic surgery operation slowly going horribly wrong, the episode is unbelievably tense and scary as it slowly dreads towards it’s creepy conclusion. And when they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder… they aren’t kidding. Scariest Moment – When the operation finishes. Streaming on Amazon Prime/ Rod Serling/ Created by Rod Serling/ CBS/ 12  

2. The Haunting Of Hill House – Season 1, Episode 6: Two Storms

The Haunting of Hill House put Mike Flanagan on the map. Two Storms put him on every producers speed dial. Whilst the show had been pretty great up until that point – The Bent Neck Lady in Episode 5 an immediate standout- Two Storms flips the whole show on its head with a mind bogglingly clever episode. The whole episode is in 20 minute long one shot takes. And yes even when it goes into flashbacks. The exploration of grief and emotion puts you on the edge of your seat. And then the show continues on its wild journey. It’s beautifully shot, scary as hell, and exceptional. A must watch. Scariest Moment – The whole funeral. Streaming on Netflix/ Michael Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Victoria Pedretti, Timothy Hutton/ Created by Mike Flanagan (Based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson)/ Netflix/ 15  

1. Widows Bay – Season 1, Episode 4: Beach Reads

Apple TV got another Emmy winner with the horror comedy Widows Bay. Episode 4 cemented it as the best show of the year. This bottle episode focuses on Patricia (played by Kate O’Flynn – who deservedly won the Emmy) and a demented party caused by a very cursed book. It’s very very funny, and has a killer ending. And also… very very scary. I was in complete awe watching this episode – and when it ended I immediately knew it would be the show to beat this year. It actually really works as a standalone installment – watch it first, be impressed, be scared, and then watch the whole thing and be blown away. Best of all… it’s only 35 mins long. Scariest Moment – The real punch is shown…   Streaming on Apple TV/ Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Stephen Root/ Created by Katie Dippold/ Apple TV/ 15