- 2 years ago
Some of us need a weekly horror fix! For this list, we’ll be looking at the most spine-tingling horror, sci-fi, and thriller shows to hit the small screen.
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00:00 Good evening, fiend fans, and welcome to my crawly crypt.
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're
00:07 counting down our picks for the top 20 horror TV shows.
00:11 You can breathe.
00:12 You can blink.
00:14 You can cry.
00:16 Hell, you're all going to be doing that.
00:19 For this list, we'll be looking at the most spine-tingling
00:21 horror, sci-fi, and thriller shows to hit the small screen.
00:24 Did we miss any of your favorites?
00:25 Let us know in the comments.
00:28 Number 20, Dark. Written in German,
00:30 a title card reads, "The distinction
00:31 between past, present, and future is only
00:33 a stubbornly persistent illusion."
00:35 This is a quote by Albert Einstein in the opening words
00:37 of Netflix's Dark.
00:38 They ominously set the stage for the show's spooky sci-fi
00:41 premise, which throughout its three seasons,
00:43 sees its ensemble cast of characters
00:45 travel through a variety of different eras and dimensions.
00:47 Although the series' dramatic location-hopping
00:49 can be seen as too complex or even disorienting
00:51 to some viewers, to those who stick with it,
00:54 it's an incredibly rewarding ride.
00:55 [SPEAKING GERMAN]
01:01 Its central mystery is compelling to watch unravel,
01:03 and its expertly crafted score is eerie enough
01:05 to unsettle even the toughest of horror fans.
01:07 [SINGING]
01:18 Number 19, Masters of Horror.
01:20 Are you in the mood to watch a film about Edgar Allan Poe's
01:23 run-in with an evil cat, or a darkly comedic body horror
01:26 romance about two women who become bugs?
01:27 Maybe you're even feeling brave enough
01:29 to watch the controversial Takashi Miike film deemed
01:32 too extreme for showtime.
01:33 Regardless of your taste, it's likely
01:34 that there's an episode of Masters of Horror for you.
01:37 You been to psych yet?
01:38 Ah, come on, Charlie.
01:39 No, no, no, Frank, no, no.
01:41 This is standard op.
01:41 It's not my call.
01:42 The anthology series comprises 26 hour-long episodes,
01:46 all by different horror directors
01:47 and all self-contained.
01:48 This means that each episode is basically its own mini-movie,
01:51 and the series' director lineup includes
01:52 some pretty big names in the genre,
01:54 including John Carpenter, Dario Argento, and Tobey Hooper.
01:58 Number 18, Servant.
01:59 Since the success of The Sixth Sense in 1999,
02:02 M. Night Shyamalan has been a reliable hit at the box office.
02:05 In 2019, he decided to bring his unique brand of horror
02:07 to the small screen, acting as showrunner and executive
02:10 producer on Servant.
02:11 Dorothy, you remember?
02:15 Do you remember what happened to Jericho?
02:23 The series tells the story of a young couple
02:25 who suffer a tragic loss and begin
02:26 to cope with their resulting trauma
02:28 in an unconventional way.
02:29 They end up going so far as to hire a nanny for their doll,
02:32 inexplicably causing a strange and seemingly supernatural
02:35 series of events in their home.
02:36 When Dorothy gets back home tonight,
02:38 the baby's going to be in that crib.
02:41 The breathing, kicking, pissing one.
02:43 Agreed?
02:44 Shh.
02:46 It's a creepy tale with some major twists
02:47 that has been praised by the likes of Stephen King
02:50 and Guillermo del Toro.
02:51 Number 17, Tales from the Crypt.
02:53 If you ever thought puppets were just for kids,
02:55 we're sure the Crypt Keeper could
02:56 persuade you to reconsider.
02:58 Ah, poor little fellas.
03:02 When I think of their childhood, all those cute little maggots.
03:07 In early HBO production, Tales from the Crypt
03:12 pushed the boundaries of what could be shown on TV,
03:14 including more violence, more profanity, and more nudity
03:17 than many of its contemporaries.
03:18 It did so in an anthology format,
03:20 with the Crypt Keeper acting as the show's creepy,
03:22 wise-cracking host.
03:23 The unprecedented creative freedom
03:25 offered by the series' network and premise
03:27 attracted several big names to its director's chair,
03:29 including Richard Donner, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
03:31 and Tom Hanks.
03:32 Unsurprisingly, people loved it, and it soon
03:34 became popular enough to receive an animated spin-off
03:37 and a toned-down run-in syndication on basic cable.
03:39 So remember, boys and girls, safety first.
03:44 Number 16, Penny Dreadful.
03:49 If you've been on the lookout for really great gothic horror,
03:52 look no further than Penny Dreadful.
03:54 As you grow up, you'll learn we all
03:57 do things which cause us shame, sins we have committed.
04:03 With a name derived from cheaply-made 19th century
04:05 serials, the Showtime series resurrected
04:07 classic characters like Victor Frankenstein,
04:09 Dracula, and Dorian Gray for a new generation.
04:12 Don't we all want to paint ourselves into something
04:15 better than we are?
04:17 Like its namesake, the show employs
04:18 plenty of clever foreshadowing, flowery language,
04:21 and grisly crimes, but thankfully subverts
04:23 the term's association with poorly-made products
04:25 through its breathtakingly beautiful locations
04:27 and set designs.
04:28 Though the show's seemingly abrupt ending
04:30 left some fans disappointed, its acting
04:32 is considered to be just as consistently good
04:34 as its visuals, with Ava Green's performance in particular
04:37 making its three short seasons a worthwhile watch
04:40 for any horror fan.
04:41 To be beautiful is to be almost dead, isn't it?
04:45 Number 15, Lovecraft Country.
04:47 Horror has always been considered a refuge
04:49 for marginalized outsiders, but until recently,
04:52 the genre's mainstream representation on screen
04:54 has been troublingly whitewashed.
04:56 Lovecraft Country is in many ways
04:58 the antithesis of this problematic history,
05:00 a horror series that is directly impacted
05:02 by the race of its protagonists at every turn.
05:04 Look what we've been through to get here.
05:06 Monsters, ghosts, a magical treasure hunt,
05:11 curses, the past, the future.
05:14 We can't stop fighting now.
05:15 Set in the segregated American South,
05:17 the show consistently pairs gnarly Lovecraftian
05:20 creature designs with horrific instances of racism
05:22 and implores viewers to decide which is more terrifying,
05:25 humanity or monsters.
05:26 And with historically-influenced stories
05:28 of assault, murder, and even illegal experimentation,
05:30 it's often hard not to choose humanity.
05:32 We've both done monstrous things,
05:34 but that does not make us monsters.
05:37 We could be the people we see in each other.
05:41 We just have to choose to be.
05:44 Number 14, Ash vs. Evil Dead.
05:47 Blood guts and a groovy good time.
05:49 Over two decades after "Army of Darkness" hit theaters,
05:51 Sam Raimi caved to fan demands for more "Evil Dead"
05:54 and finally brought Ash Williams to the small screen.
05:56 - Yo, granny.
05:57 Hope you didn't get geratol.
06:01 Time to dance.
06:04 - Hitting its stride in its second season,
06:05 Ash vs. Evil Dead is as fun as it is frightening,
06:08 expanding on both its cocky lead character
06:10 and its unique mythology in a series
06:11 of darkly comedic half-hour episodes.
06:13 Bruce Campbell propels the series forward
06:15 as its title character,
06:16 stepping back into his iconic role with ease.
06:19 - Well, Cheryl, it's been fun catching up.
06:21 Sorry I gotta kill ya.
06:22 Again.
06:25 - For fans of the film series,
06:26 the show's only real caveat is its untimely cancellation,
06:29 but we're holding out hope that the animated revival
06:31 is still on the table for the near future.
06:33 Number 13, "Bates Motel."
06:35 A boy's best friend is his mother,
06:37 or at least this boy certainly is.
06:39 - I'm sorry I left the other night.
06:41 I just went a little mad.
06:43 We all go a little mad sometimes.
06:45 - "Bates Motel" puts a modernized spin on "Psycho,"
06:47 primarily acting as a prequel to the Hitchcock film,
06:49 with Norman Bates as the show's troubled protagonist.
06:52 Introducing a new cast of characters
06:53 and an old town with dark mysteries,
06:55 the series attempts to explain Norman's mental deterioration
06:58 and turn towards violence leading up to the events of "Psycho,"
07:01 events which the show cleverly subverts
07:03 in a fifth season episode starring Rihanna as Marion Crane.
07:06 - It's hard to be lonely.
07:07 But it's also hard to love people,
07:12 and I think that that's the trap.
07:14 - Trap?
07:17 - Of course, the show's most interesting exploration
07:19 isn't of Marion, but of the codependent relationship
07:22 between Norma and Norman Bates,
07:23 a mother and son often too close for comfort
07:25 who viewers know will eventually become one.
07:28 - You're different, aren't you?
07:30 - I don't know, maybe.
07:31 I think people who are different
07:35 don't know they're different
07:35 'cause they have nothing to compare it to.
07:37 - Number 12, "True Blood."
07:39 The "Vampire Diaries" is entertaining,
07:41 but it pales in comparison to the bloody violence
07:43 and biting satire of "True Blood."
07:45 For starters, "True Blood's" vampire conceit
07:47 has real purpose, acting as a timely metaphor
07:50 for the real-world plight of LGBT people,
07:52 a metaphor which thankfully never feels hollow
07:54 by virtue of the show's numerous queer characters
07:56 introduced throughout its seven-season run.
07:58 - Too often we're governed by criminals and hypocrites.
08:03 Don't you agree?
08:04 But I can tell you're a man of virtues,
08:08 and I applaud the effort you're making
08:09 against the poor and disenfranchised,
08:12 especially the vampires and the gay.
08:15 - For horror fans, "True Blood" also provided
08:17 a much-needed reprieve from the Twilight-inspired
08:19 teen vampire phenomenon of the time,
08:21 frequently depicting mature themes
08:23 and unrestrained depictions of beastly brutality.
08:26 Sure, the show's later seasons have been called trashy
08:28 by dissenters, but sometimes trashy can be fun,
08:30 and that's certainly the case here.
08:32 - Why would we seek equal rights?
08:37 You are not our equals.
08:46 - Number 11, "The Walking Dead."
08:48 Zombies are grotesque.
08:49 Their flesh is slowly rotting to reveal the bones underneath,
08:52 and their lifeless eyes seem to stare at nothing
08:54 as they stumble towards their next victim.
08:56 So how did "The Walking Dead" manage to break
08:58 into the mainstream and get 10 million viewers
09:00 hooked on its apocalyptic narrative?
09:02 "Night of the Living Dead" director George Romero
09:04 has hypothesized that it's because "The Walking Dead"
09:06 was TV's most gruesome soap opera.
09:08 - You want me to bring a baby into this
09:11 to live a short, cruel life?
09:13 - How can you think like that?
09:14 - We can't protect the son we already have!
09:17 - Love triangles, fake-out deaths, big personalities,
09:20 and a healthy dose of teen angst
09:22 all compelled audiences to continue watching,
09:24 even as the show's quality declined.
09:26 It's as melodramatic as it is morbid,
09:28 and always undeniably entertaining to watch play out.
09:31 We wouldn't have it any other way.
09:32 - I'm sorry.
09:33 I'd known the world was ending,
09:36 I'd have brought better books.
09:37 - Number 10, "Supernatural."
09:39 We get it.
09:40 If you were on Tumblr in the days of the Mish apocalypse
09:42 or just happened to see posts about "Superhell"
09:44 following the show's finale,
09:45 "Supernatural" probably seemed like one big joke,
09:48 but there's a reason it stayed on air for 15 years,
09:50 and it wasn't because of internet memes.
09:52 - You know what this is?
09:56 - Mimes.
09:56 Evil mimes.
10:00 - Yeah, or vampires.
10:02 - Vamp mimes.
10:04 - "Supernatural" is everything you could want
10:05 in a horror TV show.
10:06 It has monstrous villains designed to haunt your nightmares
10:09 and often refrains from unnecessary romance plots
10:12 that would distract from the show's mysteries.
10:14 It also, importantly, has a good sense of humor
10:16 and a likable cast of characters
10:17 making it easily approachable to newcomers of the genre.
10:20 The perfect gateway horror show.
10:22 - I would have gotten away with it
10:23 if it wasn't for those meddling kids.
10:25 - Ooh!
10:26 He said it!
10:27 He said the line!
10:28 Scooby-Dooby-Doo!
10:32 - Number nine, "The Last of Us."
10:35 From "Super Mario Bros." to "Uncharted,"
10:37 a long series of critical failures caused some to question
10:40 whether a good video game adaptation was ever possible.
10:43 Fortunately, "The Last of Us"
10:44 has turned the tide in a major way.
10:46 - Swear to me that everything you said
10:47 about the Fireflies is true.
10:54 - I swear.
10:55 - The show tells the story of a smuggler named Joel
10:57 who's entrusted with the care of a teenager
10:59 with an incomprehensible immunity during a deadly pandemic.
11:02 The unlikely pair's journey often mirrors
11:04 that of their video game counterparts.
11:05 But it's when the show adds on its source material
11:08 that it goes from good to great.
11:09 Even the villains of "The Last of Us"
11:11 are afforded extra depth in its small-screen adaptation,
11:13 building up a three-dimensional world
11:15 that becomes impossible to tear yourself away from.
11:17 - He would be horrified by the things I've done.
11:20 And if you've come to tell me,
11:24 that Michael wouldn't want me to hurt Henry,
11:26 that he would want me to forgive,
11:30 I know that, too.
11:33 - Number eight, Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
11:35 - Good evening.
11:36 I'm Alfred Hitchcock.
11:38 And tonight I'm presenting the first
11:40 in a series of stories of suspense and mystery
11:43 called, oddly enough, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
11:47 - With revolutionary works like "Rope" and "Rear Window"
11:50 already under his belt,
11:51 Alfred Hitchcock made the move from film to television
11:53 with the anthology series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
11:56 The show was hosted by the master of suspense himself
11:58 and features thrilling tales of betrayal,
12:00 murder, and obsession with the occasional clever twist.
12:02 - I didn't want to kill her.
12:04 It's just that she wouldn't leave me alone.
12:09 - In spite of his success in the field, however,
12:11 Hitchcock actually only directed
12:13 a handful of the series' episodes,
12:14 often depending on the work of acclaimed directors
12:17 like Robert Altman, Ida Lupino, and William Freakin
12:19 to make up the show's 36-plus episode seasons.
12:22 This decision, along with the show's frequent use
12:24 of preexisting stories,
12:25 allowed for a healthy mix of mysteries and moral tales
12:28 that kept the show's audience captivated for 10 seasons.
12:31 - Personally, I think it's here on the premises.
12:33 - Well, for all we know,
12:37 it might be right under our very noses.
12:39 (laughing)
12:43 - Number seven, Hannibal.
12:45 An FBI profiler,
12:46 Will Graham is an expert in the psyche of serial killers.
12:49 Unfortunately, he fails to realize his own psychiatrist
12:51 is a cannibalistic murderer until it's too late.
12:54 - Whenever feasible, one should always try to eat the root.
12:57 - Free-range root.
13:01 - Would you join me at the table?
13:07 - Based on Thomas Harris' novels,
13:09 Hannibal portrays an elaborate game of cat and mouse
13:11 between its title character and protagonist,
13:13 increasing in intensity with each season.
13:15 While its unique kills
13:16 and hauntingly beautiful cooking scenes
13:18 are visual treats,
13:19 the show's true power is always in its portrayal
13:21 of this complex central relationship.
13:23 Will and Hannibal play off each other
13:24 in a way that's immediately enthralling,
13:26 with each being fascinated by the other's way of thinking.
13:29 They pick each other's brains apart
13:30 until there's nothing left.
13:32 - I know who I am.
13:33 - No.
13:35 All sense of who you are has been distorted by your illness.
13:39 - Number six, American Horror Story.
13:41 Riding off of the success of Glee,
13:43 Ryan Murphy took a turn towards the macabre
13:45 with American Horror Story.
13:46 - Surprise, bitch.
13:47 I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me.
13:50 - An anthology series, American Horror Story
13:52 focuses on a new story each season,
13:54 often reusing a core cast of actors for its leading roles.
13:57 Evan Peters and Sarah Paulson
13:59 are its most frequent collaborators,
14:00 and alongside the rest of the show's
14:02 phenomenal recurring cast,
14:03 they act as genre chameleons,
14:05 switching from darkly comedic
14:06 to harrowingly dramatic characters with ease.
14:08 - You are the only man for me,
14:11 'cause you're like us,
14:12 different, but special.
14:17 - The first three seasons of the show
14:18 are often considered its best,
14:20 providing a stable foundation of thematically varied
14:22 but equally well-written stories.
14:24 But with famous guest stars,
14:25 surprising musical numbers, and witty satire,
14:28 you really can't go wrong
14:28 with any of this series' terrifying tales.
14:30 - It's ironic,
14:31 but I never knew how to live until I died.
14:35 - Number five, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
14:44 For Buffy Summers, high school is hell, literally.
14:47 - Who are you?
14:48 - I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and you are?
14:53 - In the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
14:55 the titular protagonist learns that her school
14:57 is built on top of a portal known as the Hellmouth,
15:00 and it's up to her to save the world
15:01 from the mystical forces it unleashes.
15:03 As the show's title implies,
15:04 this primarily results in fights with vampires,
15:06 but demons, werewolves, and other malevolent creatures
15:08 are also fair game.
15:09 - You are the chosen one.
15:10 You alone can stop them.
15:13 - Who?
15:15 - The vampires.
15:16 (eerie music)
15:19 - Huh?
15:21 - With frightening foes and plenty of interpersonal dramas,
15:23 Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the best high school horror
15:26 turned young adult horror that TV has to offer.
15:28 Of course, if you're in the mood
15:29 for something a bit darker,
15:30 the show's spinoff, Angel,
15:32 is an equally worthy alternative.
15:34 - Are you still?
15:35 - Yeah, there's not actually a cure for that.
15:40 - Number four, The Haunting.
15:42 With only two seasons, The Haunting
15:43 is one of TV's shortest horror anthologies,
15:45 but it's also one of its best.
15:47 The first entry, titled The Haunting of Hill House,
15:49 initially presents itself as a typical ghost story,
15:51 but quickly unravels into an atmospheric exploration
15:54 of grief and trauma.
15:55 In just 10 episodes, audiences are invited
15:57 not only into a haunted mansion,
15:58 but into the layered lives of its residents
16:00 through harrowing flashbacks
16:02 and modern day visits from beyond the grave.
16:03 - I don't need to hear your excuses.
16:06 - I'm not making excuses.
16:07 - I saw one.
16:08 (screaming)
16:10 - The second season, Bly Manor,
16:11 is similarly complex in its approach
16:13 to a specter-based story,
16:14 this time telling a tale of sapphic love
16:16 born from mutual understanding.
16:18 It's at once devastating and charming,
16:20 and sure to leave an impact on anyone who watches it.
16:22 - You said it was a ghost story.
16:24 It isn't.
16:26 - No?
16:27 - It's a love story.
16:30 - Number three, The X-Files.
16:32 The truth is out there, and the truth is,
16:33 The X-Files is one of the most terrifying
16:35 horror shows on TV.
16:36 - Whereas I can respect and admire your passion,
16:39 they will use it against you.
16:42 - Mulder, the truth is out there, but so are lies.
16:47 - Although the show is most commonly associated
16:49 with the Greys, a race of admittedly goofy-looking
16:51 little grey aliens, the extraterrestrials
16:54 are far from the only creatures encountered
16:55 by Mulder and Scully on their quest for the truth.
16:58 One of the show's most horrifying creations,
16:59 the Fluke Man, is introduced in the show's second season,
17:02 while its fifth season shows off a real monster of a boss.
17:05 Ironically, though, some of the show's
17:06 most spine-chilling stories have human adversaries.
17:09 From menacing kidnappers to backwoods families,
17:11 The X-Files often shows humans, not beasts,
17:13 to be the most dangerous monsters of all.
17:15 - It's insane.
17:16 - Sometimes the only sane response
17:18 to an insane world is insanity.
17:20 - Number two, Twin Peaks.
17:22 David Lynch is nothing short of an innovator,
17:24 and Twin Peaks is his masterpiece.
17:26 - There's a sort of evil out there.
17:27 Something very, very strange in these old woods.
17:32 - The genre-defying series is campy,
17:35 melodramatic, and refreshingly surreal.
17:37 It tests its audience's patience
17:39 with the unprecedented length of its murder mystery plot,
17:42 and intrigues them with its strange cast of characters.
17:44 It's also a tonal rollercoaster with funny quips
17:47 giving away to some of the most unsettling sequences
17:49 captured on film.
17:50 - I've got good news.
17:52 That's the mule what is going to
17:57 come back in style.
18:04 - After it aired, TV was never the same.
18:05 The series' significant impact on pop culture
18:08 eventually led to its revival,
18:09 with "The Return" airing almost three decades
18:11 after its second season finale.
18:13 With the additional season, Lynch proved
18:15 he still had what it takes to make an impact,
18:17 solidifying the show's themes and going out with a bang.
18:19 - Kiss me.
18:20 Once we cross, it could all be different.
18:28 - Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
18:31 and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
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18:42 Number one, "The Twilight Zone."
18:46 Picture this, a television series that debuted in 1959
18:49 inspiring a theme park ride 35 years later.
18:52 Now imagine that the same show is rebooted multiple times
18:54 in 1985, 2002, and 2019.
18:57 You don't have to travel to another dimension
18:58 for this to be a reality.
19:00 That show is "The Twilight Zone."
19:02 - My name is Talkie Tina,
19:04 and I don't think I like you.
19:07 - In the decades following the popular anthology series "N,"
19:10 its groundbreaking narratives would remain
19:11 in the popular imagination,
19:13 inspiring the next generation of horror.
19:15 And it isn't all talking dolls and robot baseball players.
19:17 Many episodes of the show have metaphorical meaning,
19:20 subtly or not so subtly,
19:21 commenting on current events
19:23 and the complexities of human nature.
19:25 - And the pity of it is that these things
19:28 cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone.
19:33 - Did you enjoy this video?
19:34 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo,
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