With Halloween just around the corner, it’s probably time to start hanging up the decorations and getting your costume all prim and perfect for Halloween night. More important than that? Really getting into that spooky Halloween feeling.
When it comes to horror, movies probably have a pretty big monopoly on the genre. However, in the age of television, many have taken a leap of faith and worked on bringing horror to the small screen. More importantly, they’ve done it pretty brilliantly. And it’s the perfect time to start binge watching some of these shows in order to get into the Halloween feeling just before the holiday rolls around.
5. Scream
When MTV announced that it was turning the popular movie franchise Scream into TV series, there were, understandably, a lot of doubts from fans and non-fans alike. There were many questions about how well the genre of the slasher movie would translate to drawn out episodes. Would it become too much of a drag? Too long? Would the thrill of the slasher movie have to be sacrificed to translate it to a television show?
Thankfully, these doubts were short-lived because Scream certainly delivered in its translation of the slasher genre into a TV series.
Scream follows the story of a fictional town called Lakewood, which has covered up a dark past of horror and murders. Tied up in all this is our protagonist, Emma Duval, who is all too unaware of the things that her past seems to hold. But after the murder of one of her best friends, Emma begins to receive strange phone calls that let her know that not only does this murderer plan on sticking around, but all these deaths have everything to do with Emma.
The show just finished its second season (with a Halloween special soon to be aired) so it’s the perfect time to start binge watching. It has some great scary moments and some really well-done death scenes. But the best thing about it? If you’re like me and want to figure out who the killer is as you follow along with the story, Scream gives you plenty of hints throughout, but also doesn’t make it too easy. Each reveal held enough surprise whilst still making perfect sense in the storyline. Hopefully, Scream continues to keep up this trend.
4. Hannibal
In my opinion, Hannibal is probably one of the best shows on modern television. A prequel to the original books by Thomas Harris, or the popular movies starring Anthony Hopkins, Hannibal follows the story of Will Graham as he helps Jack Crawford investigate gruesome murders. It shows us Hannibal Lecter as the psychologist who helps Graham and Crawford, who aren’t aware that Lecter is a murderer and cannibal himself.
Hannibal isn’t exactly slasher-movie horror but it does feature some pretty gruesome scenes. (and yes, I’ll admit, one episode, in particular, gave me nightmares). More than that, there is a creepy undertone that runs through the show at the best of times. Not only is it fuelled by Mikkensen’s brilliant portrayal of Hannibal, but also by Will Graham’s ability to enter into the minds of murderers.
Hannibal is a psychological horror of the best caliber. But more than that, it’s brilliant storytelling and acting, all wrapped up in a show that is visually stunning.
3. Les Revenants
Les Revenants, or The Returned, follows the story of a small French town that suddenly sees some of its dead come back, with no memory of how they have died, or what has happened to them since. As these “returned” try to come to terms with their new reality, other strange things begin to occur in the town too.
Les Revenants is a brilliantly spooky show. Everything from the small town setting to the “returned” characters carries an underlying creepiness to it. It also helps that the mystery of the story is incredibly captivating, and the way everything unfolds is brilliant. The show probably won’t give you nightmares, but might give you some serious goosebumps.
2. American Horror Story
American Horror Story doesn’t have an overarching plot but instead follows a new story every season. Each story adopts a typical horror setting and tells a story that features around this. So far the show has featured a haunted house, an asylum, a witch coven, a hotel, and a carnival. It’s “anthology” style sets it apart from other shows. It also means that it’s easy to dip in and out of the show, instead of committing to watching multiple seasons in one go.
I think American Horror Story is pure nightmare fodder. If you’re like me, as in easily susceptible to being scared shitlesss, you probably shouldn’t go near it. But also, if you’re like me and apparently kind of masochistic about watching horror, you should definitely watch it.
1. Scream Queens
Scream Queens is another take on the slasher genre, except instead of being purely horror, the show is a horror-comedy. It’s similar to American Horror Story in its “anthology” type seasons, though it does have continuance from season to season, with recurring characters.
This show’s combination of horror and comedy is well balanced. It depicts gruesome slasher-style murders while featuring some of the most over-the-top and outrageous characters. These characters are really what make the show, in my opinion. From Chanel Oberlin, played by Emma Roberts, who is the vain sorority queen, all the way to Dean Munsch, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who is the slightly cooky Dean that sleeps with her students.
If you’re looking to watch some horror, but also something a little bit light-hearted, Scream Queens is definitely the show for you.
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