Be sure to start your Halloween off right with some of these ghoulishly fun series.
Credit: @WalkingDead_AMC
The most frightening day of the year is right around the corner, and it’s time for Halloween lovers everywhere to start preparing with a good old-fashioned fright fest. For those who’ve already exhausted their horror movie inventory, they can shake things up a bit with these top television shows guaranteed to send shivers down the spine.
- Scream (Netflix)
Based on the popular Wes Craven film series, “Scream” is the story of a group of teens coming to grips with their darkest demons in the midst of a series of gruesome murders committed by a revenge-driven, ghost-faced psychopath. While the premise of each season gets a tad repetitive and predictable, the stellar cast of humorous and relatable characters is what will keep viewers coming back for more.
- The Strain (Hulu)
After clichéd vampire romances, like the “Twilight” saga, hit the screen, the world slowly began to turn its back on the classic creature of the night. However, director Guillermo del Toro and author Chuck Hogan have found a way to breathe new life into the tale of the undead bloodsucker with their series “The Strain.” Based off of the popular novel trilogy, “The Strain” paints a picture of New York City in the throes of a rapidly spreading vampiric plague. It is up to a ragtag team of unlikely heroes, including the head of the CDC’s Canary Team, a city exterminator, and an elderly pawn shop owner with a long-held grudge against the creatures, to drive a stake through the heart of the monster creating disease.
- Penny Dreadful (Netflix and Hulu)
The Showtime original series puts a new and exciting twist on classic horror tales, such as “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Set in Victorian London, Sir Malcolm Murray and his associates, the mysterious and enchanting Vanessa Ives and American bad boy Ethan Chandler, dedicate their lives to researching and fighting all that goes bump in the night. Each new mystery they solve brings them closer to the ultimate showdown between the forces of good and a powerful evil that seems to have its sights set on Vanessa.
- American Horror Story (Netflix and Hulu)
The macabre FX series combines classic ghost stories, urban legends, and frightening phobias with facets of everyday life to create a truly eerie and unsettling horror masterpiece. The cleverness of the series stems from its changing plot line. Each season is a new story and features the same cast returning as new characters in a fresh situation. Over the course of seven seasons, the ongoing series has brought in ghosts, mental asylums, creepy carnivals, vampires, and in its current season, the recent presidential election and its frightening impact on society.
- iZombie (Netflix and Hulu)
Based on the popular comic book series, the CW crime dramedy follows medical student turned zombie Olivia “Liv” Moore as she uses her new undead skills to fight crime. As is the zombie way, Liv must eat brains to survive, but her appetite comes with a special surprise. Liv is immediately imbued with the memories of the victim whose brains she’s just ingested. Using this ability to pose as a psychic, she helps the police department crack their most unusual murder cases; most of which, Liv will discover, are zombie related.
- Bates Motel (Netflix and Hulu)
A gloomy prequel to Hitchcock’s most infamous psychological thriller, “Psycho.” “A boy’s best friend is his mother,” and if this adage is true, then Norman Bates and his mother, Norma, are the biggest of BFFs. The five-season series recounts the sad and gruesome events in the life of the Bates family that lead sweet and innocent Norman to enact the events made famous in the 1960 horror flick.
- The Walking Dead (Netflix)
The widely loved AMC drama follows a group of survivors and their intense physical and emotional struggle for survival during the zombie apocalypse. After sustaining injuries in the line of duty, Sheriff Rick Grimes awakens to find that the world he knew is all but gone and the dead now walk the earth. Over the course of the ongoing series, Rick reunites with old friends and enemies, makes and loses new allies, and battles increasingly gruesome members of the undead, all in hopes of finding both a cure for the zombie infection and place to finally call home. Season eight of the popular series premieres on AMC on Oct. 22.
- Supernatural (Netflix)
Combining a mix of paranormal and biblical phenomena, the story of Sam and Dean Winchester, brothers that hunt evil for a living, has been a crowd pleasing favorite since it first premiered in 2005. Following in the footsteps of their father, Sam and Dean traverse the nation in their ’67 Chevy Impala fighting ghosts, goblins, angels and demons, and even death itself. Packed with a talented cast and plenty of action, fright, drama, and comedy, “Supernatural” is the perfect way to kick off the horrific holiday. The highly anticipated thirteenth season of the series premiered on the CW on Oct. 12.
- Ash Vs. Evil Dead (Starz)
A spin-off from the campy 80’s horror film series “The Evil Dead,” this Starz original series features B-movie king Bruce Campbell reprising his role as the unlikely hero Ash Williams. When the most wicked book in the universe, the Necronomicon Ex Mortis, finds its way back into the wrong hands, now retired Ash finds himself once again thrust into a bloody battle with the forces of evil. Like its cinematic predecessors before it, “Ash Vs. Evil Dead” is packed with jump scares, outrageous gore, and plenty of humor, making it one of the grooviest series to
binge this Halloween. And with only ten episodes per season, fans can burn through the two seasons faster than you can say Klaatu Barada Nikto.
- Being Human (U.S. Version) (Netflix)
A ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf are roommates. While this may sound like the set up for a cheesy joke, this is the premise of the unique drama series “Being Human.” Best friends Aidan and Josh, a vampire and a werewolf, both struggling with their monstrous afflictions, move into a new apartment only to discover that it is haunted by its deceased former occupant, Sally. Together, the three keep the streets of Chicago safe from monsters that lurk in the shadows and discover what it means to be truly human. This series is the perfect blend of drama, suspense, comedy, and romance and is a great choice for fans of “Supernatural” or “The Vampire Diaries.”
2. Twin Peaks (Netflix and Hulu)
A true classic never goes out of style. And due to its successful recently concluded third season, “Twin Peaks” is now more popular than ever. Who killed Laura Palmer? This is the question on everyone’s mind when a ghastly murder rocks the small town of Twin Peaks, and it’s up to quirky special agent Dale Cooper to crack the case. What begins as a simple whodunnit, quickly evolves into a bizarre battle with the supernatural. Hailed as one of the greatest cult series of all time, the recent season picks up twenty-five years after the events of the original series, which ended with a major cliffhanger in 1991.
- Stranger Things (Netflix)
If you are not already a fan of this popular Netflix exclusive, boy have you been missing out. A love letter to the 80’s, “Stranger Things” tells the story of a lovable, nerdy foursome and their superpowered new friend. When young Will Byers vanishes under mysterious circumstances, his friends Mike, Lucas, and Dustin are convinced that he has been whisked away to another world by a fearsome creature straight out of Dungeons and Dragons. On their mission to find their missing friend, the boys encounter a girl known only as Eleven, who has psychokinetic powers. Their peculiar new friend may be the key to saving Will, as well as the entire town from malevolent forces. The new season premieres on Netflix on Oct. 27.
