More than just the weather will send a shiver up your spine this month. As we near Halloween, the best horror television series ever will chill you to the bone.
To determine the best horror TV series of all time, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience reception from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon. Horror shows were ranked based on average IMDb user ratings as of mid-October 2023. Only shows with at least 2,500 audience votes were considered. In the case of a tie, the show with the greater number of audience votes was ranked higher. The cast information is from IMDb.
Over-the-air channels, cable television, and streaming services have all tapped into the public’s seemingly insatiable desire to be frightened. With 32 of the series having debuted in this century, it’s obvious that that appetite remains unslaked.
TV audiences have sought the macabre and the unexplained since at least the golden age of television, with shows such as “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” “The Outer Limits,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” and of course “The Twilight Zone.” “Dark Shadows” was a daytime soap opera about vampires whose main character, Barnabas Collins, developed a cult following.
Many of the series were inspired by movies with the same characters, such as “Bates Motel” (“Psycho”), “The Exorcist,” and “Hannibal” (“Silence of the Lambs”) — the first two film versions of which number among the best horror movies of all time.
Asian movies are well represented on our list, with films that include the manga-themed movies “Berserk” and “Mushi-Shi” as well as “Kingdom” and “The Untamed.”
Some of the series on the list have leavened the shock impact with comedy, and some could be a bit flakey. British series “The League of Gentlemen” and “Inside No. 9” played up the black comedy angle, as did “What We Do In the Shadows.” “The Addams Family” and “Ash vs. Evil Dead” took campiness to another level. (Click here for the 50 Best Horror Movies of All Time.)
Here are the 50 best horror TV series of all time:
50. The Exorcist (2016-2018)
Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Television
Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Television
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 30,606
- Cast: Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Kurt Egyiawan, Hannah Kasulka
49. The Terror (2018-2019)
Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics
Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 48,674
- Cast: Jared Harris, Derek Mio, Tobias Menzies, Kiki Sukezane
48. Preacher (2016-2019)
Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics
Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb user votes: 79,005
- Cast: Dominic Cooper, Joe Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Ian Colletti
47. The Uncanny Counter (2020-2023)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 10,059
- Cast: Byeong-gyu Jo, Joon-Sang Yoo, Se-Jeong Kim, Yeom Hye-ran
46. BrainDead (2016)
Source: Courtesy of CBS
Source: Courtesy of CBS
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 11,807
- Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Danny Pino, Aaron Tveit, Tony Shalhoub
45. Millennium (1996-1999)
Source: Courtesy of Fox Network
Source: Courtesy of Fox Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 11,898
- Cast: Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Terry O’Quinn, Brittany Tiplady
44. Gargoyles (1994-1997)
Source: Courtesy of Syndicated
Source: Courtesy of Syndicated
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 17,928
- Cast: Keith David, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Jeff Bennett, Frank Welker
43. The Addams Family (1964-1966)
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 21,124
- Cast: John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Coogan, Ted Cassidy
42. Tales from the Crypt (1989-1996)
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 26,207
- Cast: John Kassir, Roy Brocksmith, Miguel Ferrer, Cam Clarke
41. Paranormal (2020)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 73,844
- Cast: Razane Jammal, Karla Maatouk, Philip Shahbaz, Ahmed Amin
40. American Horror Story (2011-present)
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 334,246
- Cast: Lady Gaga, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson
39. When They Cry: Kai (2007)
Source: Courtesy of Geneon Entertainment
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Geneon Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 2,662
- Cast: Yukari Tamura, Mai Nakahara, Mika Kanai, Satsuki Yukino
38. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2017-2022)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,009
- Cast: Joel Hodgson, Felicia Day, Patton Oswalt, Rebecca Hanson
37. American Gothic (1995-1998)
Source: Courtesy of CBS
Source: Courtesy of CBS
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,757
- Cast: Gary Cole, Lucas Black, Paige Turco, Brenda Bakke
36. Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,216
- Cast: Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Alexandra Isles, Nancy Barrett
35. Spawn (1997-1999)
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 9,641
- Cast: Keith David, Richard Dysart, Dominique Jennings, Todd McFarlane
34. The Returned (2012-2015)
Source: Courtesy of FreMantleMedia: North America
N/A
Source: Courtesy of FreMantleMedia: North America
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 21,037
- Cast: Anne Consigny, Clotilde Hesme, Frédéric Pierrot, Céline Sallette
33. Bates Motel (2013-2017)
Source: Courtesy of A+E Networks
Source: Courtesy of A+E Networks
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 114,071
- Cast: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Nicola Peltz Beckham
32. The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics
Source: Courtesy of American Movie Classics
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 1,049,000
- Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan
31. Douluo Continent (2021)
Source: Courtesy of Tencent Video
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Tencent Video
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 3,368
- Cast: Zhan Xiao, Kai Wang, Qing Liu, Xuanyi Wu
30. Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (2010-2012)
Source: Courtesy of Aircraft Pictures
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Aircraft Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,035
- Cast: Alex House, Maggie Castle, Bill Turnbull, Melanie Leishman
29. Eerie, Indiana (1991-1992)
Source: Courtesy of Hearst Entertainment
Source: Courtesy of Hearst Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 6,087
- Cast: Omri Katz, Justin Shenkarow, Mary-Margaret Humes, Francis Guinan
28. Helluva Boss (2019-Present)
Source: Courtesy of FXX Network
Source: Courtesy of FXX Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 7,024
- Cast: Brandon Rogers, Richard Steven Horvitz, Vivian Nixon, Erica Lindbeck
27. The Outer Limits (1963-1965)
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 9,018
- Cast: Bob Johnson, Ben Wright, William Douglas, Robert Culp
26. Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990-2000)
Source: Courtesy of Nickelodeon Productions
Source: Courtesy of Nickelodeon Productions
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 15,794
- Cast: Ross Hull, Daniel DeSanto, Raine Pare-Coull, Jodie Resther
25. The Kingdom (1994-2022)
Source: Courtesy of October Films
Source: Courtesy of October Films
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 19,967
- Cast: Ernst-Hugo Järegård, Kirsten Rolffes, Ghita Nørby, Søren Pilmark
24. Penny Dreadful (2014-2016)
Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks
Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb user votes: 128,071
- Cast: Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Reeve Carney
23. Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999-2002)
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 49,062
- Cast: Marty Grabstein, Thea White, Peter Fernandez, Simon Prebble
22. Kingdom (2019-Present)
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 51,488
- Cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Kim Sungkyu, Kim Hye-jun
21. Castlevania (2017-2021)
Source: Courtesy of Netflx
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Netflx
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 74,967
- Cast: Richard Armitage, James Callis, Alejandra Reynoso, Theo James
20. The Originals (2013-2018)
Source: Courtesy of The CW Network
Source: Courtesy of The CW Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb user votes: 143,819
- Cast: Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt, Phoebe Tonkin
19. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975)
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
Source: Courtesy of American Broadcasting Company
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb user votes: 5,876
- Cast: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Jack Grinnage, Ruth McDevitt
18. The League of Gentlemen (1999-2017)
Source: Courtesy of BBC Video
N/A
Source: Courtesy of BBC Video
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb user votes: 11,904
- Cast: Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Jeremy Dyson
17. Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-2018)
Source: Courtesy of Starz
Source: Courtesy of Starz
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb user votes: 78,327
- Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Lucy Lawless
16. Supernatural (2005-2020)
Source: Courtesy of The WB Television Network
Source: Courtesy of The WB Television Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb user votes: 468,507
- Cast: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Misha Collins
15. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962-1965)
Source: Courtesy of CBS
Source: Courtesy of CBS
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,998
- Cast: Alfred Hitchcock, Hinton Pope, Jimmy Joyce, Lew Brown
14. Mushi-Shi (2005-2014)
Source: Courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment
Source: Courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 14,208
- Cast: Yûto Nakano, Travis Willingham, Kôjun Itô, Jennifer Seman
13. Inside No. 9 (2014-Present)
Source: Courtesy of BBC Studios Comedy Productions
N/A
Source: Courtesy of BBC Studios Comedy Productions
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 18,885
- Cast: Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, Derek Jacobi, Aimee-Ffion Edwards
12. Twin Peaks (2017)
Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks
Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 72,805
- Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Michael Horse, Chrysta Bell
11. Hannibal (2013-2015)
Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company
Source: Courtesy of National Broadcasting Company
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb user votes: 268,164
- Cast: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne
10. Mob Psycho 100 (2016-2022)
Source: Courtesy of Adult Swim
Source: Courtesy of Adult Swim
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 40,797
- Cast: Setsuo Ito, Takahiro Sakurai, Chris Niosi, Akio Ôtsuka
9. What We Do in the Shadows (2019-Present)
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb user votes: 93,338
- Cast: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén
8. Primal (2019-Present)
Source: Courtesy of Adult Swim
Source: Courtesy of Adult Swim
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 18,406
- Cast: Aaron LaPlante, Laëtitia Eïdo, Fred Tatasciore, Imari Williams
7. Berserk (1997-1998)
Source: Courtesy of Anime Works
Source: Courtesy of Anime Works
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 47,643
- Cast: Marc Diraison, Nobutoshi Canna, Carrie Keranen, Kevin T. Collins
6. Stranger Things (2016-Present)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Home Video
Source: Courtesy of Warner Home Video
- IMDb user rating: 8.7/10
- IMDb user votes: 1,281,326
- Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, David Harbour
5. The Storyteller (1987-1989)
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 4,838
- Cast: John Hurt, Brian Henson, Frederick Warder, David Greenaway
4. The Untamed (2019)
Source: Courtesy of Tencent Penguin Pictures
Source: Courtesy of Tencent Penguin Pictures
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 8,686
- Cast: Zhan Xiao, Sanmu Liu, Yibo Wang, Zhuocheng Wang
3. The Last of Us (2023-Present)
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)
N/A
Source: Courtesy of Home Box Office (HBO)
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10
- IMDb user votes: 461,110
- Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv, Gabriel Luna
2. Attack on Titan (2013-2023)
Source: Courtesy of Adult Swim
Source: Courtesy of Adult Swim
- IMDb user rating: 9.0/10
- IMDb user votes: 443,173
- Cast: Josh Grelle, Bryce Papenbrook, Yûki Kaji, Yui Ishikawa
1. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
Source: Courtesy of CBS
Source: Courtesy of CBS
- IMDb user rating: 9.1/10
- IMDb user votes: 89,625
- Cast: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, James Turley