Spoiler Warning: Beware of minor spoilers for some of the entries on this list.
Happy Spooktober, friends!
To celebrate the arrival of the spookiest, scariest, most horrifying month of the year, I thought we could take a look at five horror-themed television shows that could be fun to watch as Halloween gets closer.
If you know me, you’ll know I’m not exactly a horror aficionado! I’m a big softie and a total scaredy-cat, so horror isn’t usually my genre of choice, whether we’re talking about TV shows, films, or video games. But every now and then, a horror title comes along that feels like a must-watch, or where some element of the production appeals to me.
Horror is enjoying its time in the spotlight right now. When I was a kid, horror was very much a niche genre at the cinema – and there really weren’t very many television offerings. The only horror or horror-adjacent shows I can really remember from the late ’80s and early ’90s are things like The Addams Family and the Ghostbusters cartoon. When I was a teenager, the nerdy friendship groups I moved in definitely saw horror as somewhat of a rite of passage, so being able to boast about having seen a particularly scary film was definitely enough to score you some bragging rights (even if I watched from behind a pillow half of the time!)
But these days, horror is much more mainstream – and there have been some great television programmes with a horror theme, too. The genre is no longer exclusive to the cinema!
As always, a couple of caveats. Firstly, it’s been a while since I watched some of these shows! I don’t regularly watch a ton of horror, and some of these programmes I’ve only seen once, during their original run. If that makes my take less valid to you… that’s fine. But I thought I should be up front about it. Secondly, everything we’re going to talk about is the entirely subjective, not objective, opinion of just one person. If you hate all of my picks, disagree with some of what I’ve got to say, or if I miss your favourite horror television show… that’s okay! There are plenty of horror TV shows out there, and a wide range of opinions on which ones are the best.
I’ve picked five horror or horror-adjacent television shows that I enjoyed and I’m happy to recommend. I’ve tried to avoid major narrative spoilers, but minor spoilers may still be present.
With all of that out of the way, let’s take a look at my selections!
TV Show #1:
The Strain (2014)
There have been a lot of shows and movies set during or after a zombie apocalypse, but The Strain is the first series I can remember in which vampires, not zombies, were the main threat. I especially enjoyed the first season of The Strain, which slowly built up to the arrival of an ancient vampire in the United States, and the actions of a team from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as they attempted to piece together what was happening – and fight back.
David Bradley (of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter fame) puts in an especially entertaining performance as an elderly vampire hunter, conveying his knowledge of the outbreak to the rest of the characters. And as the vampire disease propagates, there are some genuinely shocking jump-scares, as well as plenty of gut-wrenching moments.
The Strain was based on a book by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, who also are credited with creating this television adaptation. Del Toro is a master of the horror genre, and his take on vampires – partially inspired by ancient European legends and folklore – really succeeds at making the blood-sucking creatures scary. After the likes of Twilight had done a lot to run vampires’ reputations into the ground, that’s no mean feat!
There are some tense moments, some very claustrophobic scenes set in safehouses, skyscrapers, and the tunnels beneath New York City, and a surprisingly emotional storyline, too, as the vampires try to stake their claim to the new world. If you missed The Strain during its original run, or you’re just looking for a different kind of monster after burning out on the same old zombies, I definitely think it’s worth a watch.
TV Show #2:
Alien: Earth (2025)
Alien: Earth premiered just this summer, and I reviewed it here on the website not too long ago. I really enjoyed Alien: Earth, which I think does a fantastic job of expanding the world of Ridley Scott’s Alien beyond just the Xenomorphs. After repeated appearances in multiple films and games, I was beginning to worry that the Xenomorphs were running out of steam. Adding new alien creatures to this world has given it a much-needed boost.
I won’t say too much lest I spoil anything, but one episode of the season in particular stands out to me as recapturing the magic of the original Alien (from 1979) in a way that none of the sequel films or spin-offs ever did. It was a slow burn, building up the tension masterfully, before reaching an explosive conclusion. The rest of the season was solid (well, mostly), but that one episode in particular really excelled.
I’m surprised that, at time of writing, a second season still hasn’t been officially greenlit. It’s my hope, though, that Alien: Earth has been the expansion that the franchise has been needing for a long time, successfully re-establishing the Xenomorph as a terrifying and dangerous threat while also adding new, equally frightening creatures to the world.
Being set on Earth gave Alien: Earth a new frontier to explore. We got to learn a lot about the corporate dystopia that governs this vision of the future, as well as some rather timely commentary on artificial intelligence, too. Definitely not one to miss if you were a fan of the original Alien.
Don’t miss my review of Alien: Earth, which you can find by clicking or tapping here.
TV Show #3:
The Terror, Season 2 (2019)
The first season of The Terror is fantastic – as I’ve noted more than once here on the website. But Season 2 tends to get overlooked, which I think is a bit of a shame. Season 2 goes for much more of a supernatural “ghost story” angle, and there are a few jump-scares that genuinely caught me off-guard and are still burned into my memory six years later! There’s still the same mystery tone as in the first season, but jumping across to a whole new cast of characters gives it a completely different setup.
Season 2 of The Terror takes place during the Second World War, and focuses mainly on Japanese-Americans in an internment camp. George Takei, of Star Trek fame, plays a supporting role – and he had actually been interned as a young man in the 1940s. The setting isn’t just a backdrop, though – it’s integral to a story which takes Japanese folklore as a starting point to tell a genuinely unsettling and frightening tale.
As the mystery at the heart of the story unravels, we get to learn more about the haunting and why it’s affecting the main characters. The war also comes into play in a big way, informing character decisions and motivations, as well as providing a setting that most of the cast are unable to escape from. Although the show’s first season was outstanding, and Season 2 arguably doesn’t quite reach that same high bar, I still found it entertaining and frightening.
A third season of The Terror has belatedly been greenlit. I expected to see it in 2025, but we’re already in October – prime spooky season – and there’s been no word on a release yet. Still, one to keep an eye on. Who knows, maybe it’ll be something to watch next Halloween!
TV Show #4:
The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)
This miniseries is a modern-day (and fairly loose) adaptation of the gothic horror stories of Edgar Allan Poe. I found it to be genuinely riveting stuff, and a creative way to weave together a selection of unconnected stories into a single, cohesive narrative. Creator Mike Flanagan did an excellent job of bringing together many of Poe’s best-known works, while giving them a modern twist.
There are a few jump-scares, but what shook me the most with The Fall of the House of Usher were some of the show’s more brutal moments. Some of these weren’t hidden from us as the audience; there was a slow build-up to an inevitably gory or gruesome death or maiming, and that tension was really well-conveyed by the show. There were also some spectacular performances from Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, and an unexpectedly dark and villainous role for Mark Hamill, too.
In my review a couple of years ago, I described The Fall of the House of Usher as akin to “Succession meets Final Destination;” effectively a slasher film taking aim at the children of a wealthy and successful business mogul. Edgar Allan Poe was a master of building up tension, and if there’s one thing I can say about The Fall of the House of Usher, it would be that it really succeeds at translating that feeling to the small screen.
With Netflix’s money behind it, The Fall of the House of Usher looks fantastic. Its storyline bounces around, encompassing different moments in the main characters’ lives, with each episode building to a grisly conclusion – and another shocking revelation, too. It’s dark, gothic, and tense – perfect for this time of year!
Be sure to check out my review of The Fall of the House of Usher, which you can find by clicking or tapping here.
TV Show #5:
Fortitude (2015)
When I first sat down to watch Fortitude, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I genuinely thought it was gonna be another crime/murder mystery type of show – but it goes in a completely different direction, despite having an opening act very similar to other crime dramas that were on TV in the mid-2010s. As the story unfolded, though, it went in much more of a thriller and then horror direction, with the end of the first season really leaning into body horror and creepiness in a big way.
Fortitude stands out for its Arctic setting, which is loosely based on the Norwegian island of Svalbard. Just a normal murder mystery in that setting would’ve been something different (and a ton of fun, probably), but Fortitude managed to have twists and turns in store to keep me on my toes throughout its run.
It’s hard to say too much more about the story without giving away something important, so I’ll just say that Fortitude surprised me in the best way possible. I really didn’t expect the series to go the way it did – but that can be part of the fun, right? It’s not full of jump-scares, so if that’s what you’re on the lookout for, be aware that Fortitude is more mysterious and slow-going. As it builds up, though, it tells a genuinely fascinating – and occasionally gruesome – tale.
I liked the frozen setting, and there were some fantastic performances from big-name stars like Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, and Dennis Quaid. If you missed this one when it was new – which was, to my great shock, now a decade ago already – I really hope you’ll give it a try.
So that’s it!
We’ve taken a look at five spooky television shows to kick off the spookiest, scariest month of the year! I hope this has been a bit of fun, and that maybe I’ve chosen one or two that you might’ve overlooked when they were new, or just hadn’t considered for your Halloween binge-watching!
Earlier in 2025, I reviewed the horror film 28 Years Later – click or tap here to check out my thoughts on that. And between now and Halloween, I have a couple of other ideas for some seasonally-appropriate content. So please check back throughout Spooktober… I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to say!
Until then… don’t have nightmares!
All of the television shows discussed above are the copyright of their respective broadcasters, studios, etc. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 