Top 12 Scary TV Shows

Our family loves all things scary. So if we need a new show to watch, odds are, something scary is going to be something we can all agree on. Here are some of our favorites, just in time for Halloween! Hopefully watching some of these can get your family into the Halloween spirit.

12. Black Mirror This is a series all about how the things we create can backfire and come to control our lives in unexpected and scary ways. My daughter introduced me to this show after watching with some friends at school, and it is truly terrifying to see how badly wrong things could go. According to IMDB,

Set in a world only minutes from our own, “Black Mirror”, a UK and USA non-hosted anthology series; unveils how modern technologies can backfire and be used against their makers, every episode set in a slightly different reality with different characters combating different types of technologies. The series ran from 2011 until 2019.

11. Death Note The anime series Death Note is based on a Manga of the same name, and is about a book where you can write someone’s name and strike them down dead. The book is accompanied by a spirit called a Shimigami, who does the book’s bidding. I watched this with my daughter when she was going through her anime phase. If you wonder how a cartoon show can really be scary, just watch.

According to IMDB,

After an intelligent yet cynical high school student begins to cleanse the world from evil with the help of a magical notebook that can kill anyone whose name is written on it, international authorities call upon a mysterious detective known as “L” to thwart his efforts.

10. Haven This series is crafted by none other than the master of mystery, Stephen King. So you know before watching that it is going to be scary. It starts off with small mysteries, but leads into something more sinister unfolding beneath the surface of a small town. A must watch for any Stephen King fan.

According to IMDB,

She has no past. She has no family. She was raised in an orphanage. So she lives for what she does best: be an FBI agent. That’s why Audrey Parker is sent to a distant Maine village called Haven, to investigate the crime of a prison fugitive. What she does not know is that her past is connected to that village, that old threats from the past are coming back, and she is about to be a central piece on everyone’s life… or death.

9. Charmed This 90’s WB Drama is the story of three sisters who discover that they are witches. As they learn more about their powers, they face more and more dangerous evils. Charmed is a great look into the world of witchcraft, and shows that not all witches are the enemy.

According to IMDB,

The three Halliwell sisters discover that they are descendents of a line of female witches. Each has a special ability (stopping time, moving objects, seeing the future), and they can also combine their abilities into the “Power of Three” to fight demons, warlocks, and other evils.

8. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina In this reboot of the 90’s series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, there is a much more chilling vibe to the story of this young girl who is half witch and half mortal. Usually I am not a fan of remakes, but this one is remarkably good, and much scarier than the original.

According to IMDB,

Reimagines the origin and adventures of “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult, and witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Exorcist,” this adaptation finds Sabrina Spellman wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and the daylight world humans inhabit.

7. Wednesday This is a great new show from Netflix, and another remake that is much scarier than the original. It follows the story of a teenage Wednesday Addams as she goes off to boarding school. Even in a school of outcasts, there is murder, mystery, and quite a bit that isn’t right in this small town.

According to IMDB,

A sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.

6. Tales from the Crypt In this 1990’s drama, you will watch a different story in every episode. It isn’t a continuous story, and the only thing these tales have in common is that they are all rather chilling. Explore all things mysterious in this favorite that all of us 90’s kids grew up watching.

According to IMDB, Half-hour stories with many themes, including; horror, twists, black-magic, and science fiction Introduced by a puppet called “The Crypt Keeper.” A cross between The Twilight Zone (1959) and modern horror movies. Not suitable for the very young or squeamish.

5. The Vampire Diaries This is the story of two vampire brothers, and the town that they grew up in. Even though most of the vampires shows that came out in the 2000’s were less than scary, the Vampire Diaries provides plenty of suspense and returns vampires back to the monsters that we have all always known and loved.

According to IMDB,

After centuries of quarreling, Stefan and Damon Salvatore return to their original town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Stefan, the selfless, brave, guilt-ridden brother, meets a high school girl named Elena Gilbert whom he instantly falls in love with ;while Damon, the gorgeous, dangerous and selfish vampire, is after his brother’s girl to pay him back for making him turn into a vampire in 1864.

4. The Walking Dead When the Walking Dead premiered on AMC, it became an instant phenomenon with viewers. The story of a zombie apocalypse and its aftermath shows what happens to survivors as the world’s infrastructure begins breaking down. Every episode has a new adventure, with surprises around every corner.

According to IMDB,

Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes gets shot and falls into a coma. When awoken he finds himself in a Zombie Apocalypse. Not knowing what to do he sets out to find his family, after he’s done that, he gets connected to a group to become the leader. He takes charge and tries to help this group of people survive, find a place to live and get them food. This show is all about survival, the risks and the things you’ll have to do to survive.

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer This is a classic 90’s TV show based on the movie of the same name. Joss Whedon made his breakout debut with this series. It is a great look at all the things that go bump in the night. Young Buffy Summers goes from being a cheerleader to being a vampire slayer overnight and faces down increasingly more dangerous evils.

According to IMDB,

“In every generation there is a chosen one… she alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer.” Buffy Summers knows this tale by heart, and no matter how hard she tries to be just a “normal girl”, she can not escape from her destiny… Thankfully, she is not alone in her quest to save the world, as she has the help of her friends, the hilarious (and surprisingly quite effective) evil-fighting team called “The Scooby Gang”. Together, Buffy & co. will slay their demons, survive one apocalypse after another, attend high school and college… and above all, understand that growing up can truly be Hell sometimes… literally.

2. American Horror Story Each season of American Horror Story takes a look at a different tale of terror. My daughter introduced me to this one as well, and it is super creepy. Every episode will take you on twists and turns that you would never expect. Sure to scare you out of your mind and keep you on the edge of your seat.

According to IMDB, Physical and psychological horrors affect a decomposing family, workers and residents of an insane asylum, a coven of witches, a cast of circus freaks, the employees and guests at a struggling hotel, a family who moved into a mysterious farmhouse, the members of a small suburb in Michigan, the surviving members of the Apocalypse and the counselors of a creepy summer camp in this haunting anthology series, focusing on the themes of infidelity, sanity, oppression, discrimination, addiction and exploitation.

1. Supernatural In the 15 seasons that it ran, Supernatural followed the story of two brothers who hunt vampires, ghosts, demons and everything scary that you can imagine. And even some things you never would have imagined. As you watch the story unfolding, it will make you rethink everything you ever knew about the things that go bump in the night.

According to IMDB, John Winchester raised his two sons Sam and Dean to hunt and kill all things that go “bump in the night” after his wife Mary was murdered by an evil supernatural being when the boys were little. 22 years later the brothers set out on a journey, fighting evil along the way, to find their recently-missing father; when they finally do he reveals he knows what demon killed their mother and has found a way to track and kill it. Meanwhile, Sam develops frightening abilities such as seeing visions of people dying before it actually happens. These visions are somehow connected to the demon that murdered his mother and its mysterious plans that seem to be all about Sam. When their father dies striking a deal with that very same demon, the brothers determine to finish his crusade. But disturbing revelations about Sam’s part in the demon’s apocalyptic plan are presented when John’s dying last words to Dean are revealed.

Hopefully, you will enjoy watching all of these scary TV favorites as much as we have and they will get you into the Halloween spirit. There is a lot to watch here, and it will last you long after Halloween has passed.