12 Best Horror TV Series

By Vlad Zakh · August 25, 2026

United States

The Haunting of Hill House and American Horror Story sit at opposite ends of the genre, one patient and grief-driven, the other maximalist and anthology-based. Penny Dreadful and Hannibal show how far horror TV can push into genuine art-house territory.

Marianne (2019) 01

Marianne (2019)

IMDb ★ 7.6

A French horror series that deserves far more attention than it's gotten internationally.

The Terror (2018) 02

The Terror (2018)

IMDb ★ 7.4

A period horror anthology built on isolation and dread rather than jump scares.

Servant (2019) 03

Servant (2019)

IMDb ★ 7.5

Claustrophobic, slow, and one of the more purely unsettling recent horror shows.

Chucky (2021) 04

Chucky (2021)

IMDb ★ 7.8

Leans into camp without losing the genuine menace that made the films work.

The Exorcist (2016) 05

The Exorcist (2016)

IMDb ★ 7.3

An underrated series adaptation that deserved a longer run than it got.

Midnight Mass (2021) 06

Midnight Mass (2021)

IMDb ★ 7.6

A slow-burn, dialogue-heavy horror miniseries that pays off in a genuinely brutal finale.

Stranger Things (2016) 07

Stranger Things (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.6

Horror-tinged nostalgia that balances real scares with genuine warmth.

The Walking Dead (2010) 08

The Walking Dead (2010)

IMDb ★ 8.1

Redefined what a sustained zombie-apocalypse series could look like on television.

Penny Dreadful (2014) 09

Penny Dreadful (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.8

A gothic monster mash-up with real atmosphere and a genuinely committed cast.

Hannibal (2013) 10

Hannibal (2013)

IMDb ★ 8.3

Gorgeous, disturbing, and one of the most artistically ambitious horror shows ever produced.

American Horror Story (2011) 11

American Horror Story (2011)

IMDb ★ 8.1

A different genre playground every season, and still one of the most influential horror anthologies on TV.

The Haunting of Hill House (2018) 12

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

IMDb ★ 8.1

One of the most genuinely emotional horror shows ever made, grief disguised as a ghost story.

Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

I've been watching and cataloguing films for over 15 years. I built Movieix around the lists I wished existed: real picks from real viewings, organized by who's in them, where they're from, and what mood you're actually in tonight.