Usually, I am picky when it comes to horror shows, mostly because I have always been the biggest scaredy-cat. Decades-old horror shows such as The Twilight Zone and Twin Peaks are known as iconic for the genre nowadays, even though I personally never watched them, though, and I don't plan to. However, some titles did catch my attention after all, especially in my teenage years and recently in my 20s, as they were somewhat able to convey what makes this genre so acclaimed worldwide.
But what truly makes a horror show feel horrific enough to whoever is watching it? Definitely, the psychological manipulation and dread that come with it are an important part of it, or the claustrophobic feeling the atmosphere gives to its viewers. So, Collider has compiled a variety of titles worth rewatching. If you prefer, you can consider these to be from the least scary to the most scary ones. Without further ado, grab a blanket, lots of snacks, a non-fearful friend, and get ready to deep dive into the world of horror shows.
10 'The Vampire Diaries' (2009-2017)
Image via The CWConsidered one of the most influential series of the early/late 2000s, The Vampire Diaries is based on the books written by writer L.J. Smith, featuring eight seasons from 2009 to 2017. The last two seasons were mostly to profit off the show's growth in audience (a money grab), because let me tell you, if you can avoid watching them, you will be doing yourself a favor. Don't get me wrong, the first three seasons had it all: the right dose of horror and jumpscares, a fascinating love-triangle, a great foundation for characters' arcs, an out-of-your-mind storyline, a good-looking cast, and phenomenal action scenes (some of the CGI in its fight sequences was silly, though). However, in the fourth season, the show began to go downhill, recycling their characters' personalities back to how they were in the first season, making the development they got previously get thrown out of the window, their moves and dialogue becoming too predictable, alongside the storyline being very boring. The fifth and sixth seasons are still great to watch because the villains were portrayed as scary enough and written so well (Paul Wesley and Chris Wood, you saved those seasons), but the seventh and eighth seasons were abominable (not kidding).
Nonetheless, The Vampire Diaries focuses on the story of two characters, Stefan Salvatore (Wesley), a 162-year-old vampire who returns to Mystic Falls after a century to live a normal life, and 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), whose parents died in a car accident six months prior to Stefan's return to town, and they both fall in love, having in common tragic pasts. But everything changes when Stefan's brother, the troublemaker Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), comes into town to disrupt things and unravels a chain of supernatural events that changes their town forever. This series is one of my top favorites from the 2000s, but it becomes unbearable by the end, so it's a relief to finally let go of these characters.
9 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003)
Image via The WBThe iconic Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a quintessential series that lives on for generations and generations. Yes, it is not considered a horror show per se, but the reason I added this show here is that it features some moments that can be referred to as psychological horror, especially in the later seasons, when the creator Joss Whedon decided to make the show darker and more eerie-themed. Some special examples of this can be seen in episodes such as "Same Time Same Place", from the seventh season, in which our heroine is faced with a skin-eating demon monster-of-the-week that can paralyze its victims and then eats them alive, peeling their skin off slowly to savor it, or "Hush", from the fourth season, in which the Gentlemen (Doug Jones), demons that can be killed by the human voice, consequently venturing into town to steal everyone's voice, so most of the episode is mute, the only thing you can hear at times is a spooky song from a little girl.
Nonetheless, this series follows the beautiful story of Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar in her prime), a girl who has been chosen to become a Vampire Slayer. This means she has to combat vampires, stake them off, and kill any other supernatural being that terrifies her town, Sunnydale. Not without the help of her mentor, Giles (Anthony Head), and her best friends, Willow (Alyson Hannigan), and Xander (Nicholas Brendon). This series is one of the most amazing examples of a supernatural horror series, so watch it as soon as possible if you haven't. Also, it features a very enthralling love triangle!
8 'Scream Queens' (2015-2016)
Image via FoxRyan Murphy's Scream Queens is one hell of a ride. Not metaphorically, but literally. What I mean is that it is considered like a fever dream to me, as it is scary, yes, but the gore and violence are expected by the viewer, which makes the show campy rather than serious. It can be viewed as a drama more than an actual horror series. However, if you cannot handle slasher-type gore, then this show isn't for you.
Nonetheless, Scream Queens focuses on the story of Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts), who rules Wallace University with her clique named 'The Chanels', who are often being compared to the clique from Mean Girls or the Heathers Broadway musical, Sonya Herfmann aka Chanel #2 (Ariana Grande), Sadie Swenson aka Chanel #3 (Billie Lourd), and Libby Putney aka Chanel #5 (Abigail Breslin), all part of the renowned sorority Kappa Kappa Tau (Chanel #4 is mentioned but not shown in the pilot episode). When Dean Munch (Jamie Lee Curtis gives an iconic performance) forces them to recruit non-popular girls to the sorority, the girls have to deal with her decision, as a strange serial killer dressed as the school's mascot begins terrorizing the campus, with bodies of students being found. This show is the perfect definition of hilarious and gory horror. The first season is phenomenal, and this underrated show needs to be appreciated more.
7 'Teen Wolf' (2011-2017)
Image via MTVTeen Wolf can easily be considered one of the most iconic series of the late 2000s. Despite not being a horror show per se (it's denominated as a supernatural fantasy series mostly), during its run, it included lots of horror-themed moments. Beginning from the second part of the third season, the series showed that it was trying to take a more mature turn and dive into the horror genre completely, not just giving small jump scares. So, using that approach gave the effect that the writers wanted to convey to their audience, since the character of Void Stiles (O'Brien) in the third season, and the Dread Doctors in the fifth one, are still a few of my top villains on the show to date. They were simply terrifying.
This series tells the story of Scott McCall (Posey), a normal teenager who is just trying to become popular, get into the lacrosse team of the fictional Beacon Hills High School, especially because he meets the girl of his dreams, Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), and wants to make a good impression on her. Things take a twist when he is bitten by a werewolf in the forest while searching for a body for fun with his best friend, Stiles Stilinski (O'Brien). Additionally, the iconic horror moment in the first season, where the duo finds the Hale family's grave, is something we will never forget (photo above). This series is campy, edgy, and fun to watch if you are into horror and supernatural genres. It treads on the genres mildly, so it's not too scary (except the fifth season, maybe), and the characters' dynamics are phenomenal. They also created a revival movie for this series in 2023 on Paramount+, Teen Wolf: The Movie, but most fans (me included) don't claim it to be canon to the series' universe itself because it was too poorly written, considering that the writers did not give the original characters' developments justice, or got rid of them completely.
6 'Stranger Things' (2016-2025)
Image via NetflixStranger Things, one of the series that gave Netflix its non-ending popularity in the first place. An unforgettable series that forged the lives of many teenagers/adults from 2016 to 2025, giving us a phenomenal, horrific storyline (especially in the first three seasons). However, the fourth, especially the fifth season, lacked the emotional, horrific depth and connections with its characters that the previous seasons had. The writing choices in those last two seasons were simply too rushed, kind of a money grab, too many ideas added all at once, creating a mesh of something confusing and overwhelming. Beginning with the fourth season, characters lacked that wonderful development carefully crafted in the previous seasons (Mike Wheeler, I am looking at you), and the show completely lost its dark, horror aesthetic that was featured before, until the end, with the series finale being one of the most underwhelming ever seen on television.
Stranger Things follows the story of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), in 1980, who disappears mysteriously from the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, so it's up to his friends to look for him, because no one believes he is still alive, but not without unfolding a secret, scientific government project, and discovering an alternative dimension in the process, which is populated by sci-fi-like, supernatural monsters that no human can explain. This series had so much horror potential in its earlier seasons, but then it went downhill terribly. Additionally, even the most recent animated spin-off series, Stranger Things: Tales Of '83, received critical reviews from both critics and fans alike.
5 'Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina' (2018-2020)
Image via NetflixAnother horror series that made this genre compelling enough for me is Netflix's hit TV series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I originally had the misconception that this series was similar to the 90s sitcom, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and the original Archie comics story, because it has the same characters in it, but it's the total opposite. In fact, it is actually based on a comic book released in 2014 of the same name, created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack, which gives a more mature version of the story, heavily relying on heavier themes such as cannibalism, satanic rituals, and the occult. So, the Netflix series does exactly the same, with its phenomenal CGI and storyline that will blow your mind.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina tells the story of Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), who finds out she is half-mortal and half-witch. She lives in a town named Greendale, and with the help of her friends and family, she stands against the supernatural forces that threaten her and the town to be erased from existence. This series' darker themes truly reminded me of Paramount+'s Yellowjackets, since they have very similar ones, but the story is completely different.
4 'Pretty Little Liars' (2010-2017)
Image via FreeformWith this series not being a totally horrific series per se, Pretty Little Liars, created by I. Marlene King, is based on the book series written by Sara Shepard. What makes this series good enough to be classified as a horror series is the fact that it capitalizes on making sure that the viewer is afraid of the unknown that social media can give. The threat given by the villain of the series, cryptically named A throughout the series, is something horrific in each episode. Honorable mention can be given to the horror that the show gave in the episodes of the Dollhouse arc between the end of the fifth season and the sixth season, in which the main leads get kidnapped by A and locked in doll-house replicas of their own bedrooms. Furthermore, the series did a great job with the Halloween episodes in the series, giving that mysterious and eerie feeling to the viewer, which can be considered as scary enough to be categorized in horror.
Pretty Little Liars tells the story of four friends, Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario), Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), and Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), who get terrorized by a cryptic figure named A on social media, after the kidnapping and death of their friend group's leader, Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse). This show can be considered largely a blueprint for teenage horror series, in my opinion. Its jump scares, horrific moments (sometimes gory), are a perfect foundation for the darker themes this series explores.
3 'Supernatural' (2005-2020)
Image via The CWOne of the most beloved 2000s series of all time, Supernatural, created by Eric Kripke, is a series that tackles various monster-of-the-week episodes, just like Buffy the Vampire Slayer did before, especially in the earlier seasons (from the first to the fifth, definitely), but then going downhill, losing its previous dark, gritty, gory aesthetic and turning into a comedic-relief, constantly battling angels and gods, with the plot being too repetitive and characters' moves too predictable. The truth is that fans stayed attached to this series because of the phenomenal acting of its main leads and because they got attached to its characters.
Supernatural follows the story of Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), two brothers whose mother was killed by a supernatural entity when they were very young. Since their father disappears in the pilot episode, the two brothers adventure across the United States to hunt paranormal creatures, monsters, and much more, while on the search for their father's whereabouts. This series is widely known because of its iconic, phenomenal, and scary monsters, mostly attached to true legends and supernatural lore that everyone knows here in the States, making them terrifying enough for you not to fall asleep at night, so it is considered a horror series to me.
2 'Hannibal' (2013-2015)
Image via NBCNow onto one of the scariest series I have ever witnessed, Hannibal, created by Bryan Fuller, which is based on the universe of the famous movie The Silence of the Lambs. The thing that makes this series so eerily beautiful is definitely the dark and aesthetic scenes of the crimes in the series (one seen in the photos above, for example), as well as the psychological manipulation between the two main leads of the series, which showcases the thought that only these two can understand each other too well, more than anyone around them.
Hannibal is a prequel series that tells the story of the famous fictional serial killer, Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen), and his manipulation of Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), a very smart FBI profiler, who has a fundamental gift: being able to mentally relive the process of how the perpetrator killed the victim accurately, giving distinct details to the police, as they are looking for the Chesapeake Ripper. This series can fluidly blend surrealism with reality, as Will's mental state distorts throughout the series, confusing the viewer and their perspective on life, going insane along with him. Mikkelsen's portrayal as Hannibal is different from the movie's actor, but no less effective: his calmness as he manipulates, his forged sense of control while killing, is something that is very much intimidating for the viewer, so it can be considered as powerful as the original. Dancy gives an enthralling performance as Will, his character's mental illness becoming a crucial point of the storyline, because, again, it intersects with reality and surrealism at the same time. Simply an unreliable narrator. This series was able to tell psychological horror in ways other series couldn't.
1 'American Horror Story' (2011-)
Image via FXThe scariest show I have ever witnessed in my life. Yes, I barely got through a few episodes of this show and never fully finished it, but I am certain that this series can be considered the best horror anthology of this century. This series is able to blend most genres of horror efficiently: visceral gore, Gothic horror, and psychological horror. So, the way the killings are shown, the demonic entities, the disturbing creatures, all make this show unforgettable (in a bad way), giving nightmares to everyone watching it (that's what happened to me).
Furthermore, the catch is the fact that it is an anthology series, meaning each season has a standalone story that follows different characters, and in each season, the same actors play different characters as well, which highlights their versatility and range as actors by portraying these multiple roles. American Horror Story was created by Murphy (again), who also brought to life Glee and Scream Queens, with the first season telling the story of a family that has moved to a new house, but what they don't know is that the house is haunted by a demonic presence that will drive all of them insane, till it devours them alive. Pretty chilling, if you ask me.
Collider Exclusive · Horror Survival Quiz Which Horror Villain Do You Have the Best Chance of Surviving? Jason Voorhees · Michael Myers · Freddy Krueger · Pennywise · Chucky
Five killers. Five completely different ways to die — if you're not smart enough, fast enough, or self-aware enough to avoid it. Only one of them is the villain your particular set of instincts gives you a fighting chance against. Eight questions will figure out which one.
🏕️Jason
🔪Michael
💤Freddy
🎈Pennywise
🪆Chucky
TEST YOUR SURVIVAL →
01
Something feels wrong. You can't explain it — you just know. What do you do? First instincts are the difference between the survivor and the first act casualty.
ALeave immediately. I don't need to understand a threat to respect it. BStay quiet and observe. If I can see it, I can understand it. If I can understand it, I can avoid it. CStay awake. Whatever this is, I am not going to sleep until I feel safe again. DConfront it directly. Fear grows in the dark — I'd rather know what I'm dealing with. ECheck everything, trust nothing. The threat might be closer than I think — and smaller.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Where are you most likely to find yourself when things go wrong? Setting is everything in horror. Where you are determines which rules apply.
ASomewhere remote — a cabin, a campsite, off the grid and away from people. BA quiet suburban neighbourhood where nothing ever happens. Except tonight. CIn my own head — the most dangerous place of all, depending on what's already in there. DWherever children are — because something about this place attracts the worst things. ESomewhere ordinary — a house, a toy store, a place where the last thing you'd expect is a threat.
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03
What is your most reliable survival asset? Every survivor has a quality the villain didn't account for. What's yours?
APhysical fitness — I can run, I can swim, I can outlast something that relies on brute persistence. BSpatial awareness — I always know the exits, the hiding spots, the fastest route out. CPsychological resilience — I've faced my worst fears before. They don't have the same power over me. DEmotional steadiness — I don't panic. Panic is what gets you caught. EScepticism — I don't underestimate threats because of how they look. Size is irrelevant.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through? Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.
AThe unstoppable — something that will not stop, cannot be reasoned with, and is always getting closer. BThe invisible — a threat I can feel but can't locate, watching from somewhere I can't see. CThe psychological — something that uses my own mind and memories against me. DThe unknowable — something ancient, shapeless, that feeds on the fear itself. EThe mundane — a threat so ordinary-looking that no one will believe me until it's too late.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
You're with a group when things start going wrong. What's your role? Horror movies are brutally clear about who survives group situations and who doesn't.
AThe one who says "we need to leave" first — and means it, even when no one listens. BThe one who stays quiet, watches the others, and figures out the pattern before anyone else does. CThe one who holds the group together when panic sets in — because someone has to. DThe one who asks the questions nobody wants to ask — because ignoring them gets people killed. EThe one who takes the threat seriously when everyone else is laughing it off.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
What's the horror movie mistake you're most likely to make? Honest self-assessment is a survival skill. Denial is not.
AGoing back for someone — I know I shouldn't, but I can't leave them behind. BAssuming I'm safe once I've found a hiding spot. That's when it finds me. CFalling asleep when I absolutely cannot afford to. Exhaustion is its own enemy. DLetting my curiosity override my instincts — I always need to understand what I'm dealing with. EDismissing the threat because of how it looks. That's exactly what it wants.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What's your best weapon against something that can't be stopped by conventional means? Every horror villain has a weakness. The survivors are always the ones who find it.
AThe environment itself — I use the terrain, the water, the geography against it. BPatience — I wait, I watch, and I strike at the one moment it doesn't expect. CLucidity — if I can stay in control of my own mind, it loses its primary weapon. DCourage — facing it directly, refusing to run, taking away the fear it feeds on. EImprovisation — I use whatever's at hand, however unconventional. Creativity over brute force.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
It's the final scene. You're the last one standing. How did you make it? The final survivor always has a reason. What's yours?
AI kept moving. I never stopped, never hid for too long, never let it corner me. BI figured out the pattern before anyone else did — and I used it against the thing following it. CI stayed awake, stayed lucid, and refused to give it the one thing it needed most. DI stopped being afraid of it. And the moment I did, everything changed. EI took it seriously from the start — and I never once made the mistake of underestimating it.
REVEAL MY VILLAIN →
Your Survival Odds Have Been Calculated Your Best Chance Is Against…
Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.
Jason Voorhees
Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.
- He moves in straight lines toward his target. He doesn't strategise, doesn't adapt, doesn't outsmart. He simply pursues.
- Your ability to keep moving, use the environment, and resist the panic that freezes most victims gives you a genuine edge.
- The Crystal Lake survivors were always the ones who stopped running in circles and started thinking about terrain, water, and distance.
- You think like that. Which means Jason, for all his indestructibility, would face someone who simply refused to be where he expected.
Michael Myers
Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it's too late for anyone who isn't paying close enough attention.
- But you are paying attention. You notice the shape in the window, the car parked slightly wrong, the silence where there should be sound.
- Michael's power lies in the invisibility of ordinary suburbia — the fact that nothing ever looks wrong until it already is.
- Your spatial awareness and instinct to map every room, every exit, and every shadow before you need them is precisely the quality Laurie Strode had.
- You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are someone who already suspects something is wrong — and acts on it.
Freddy Krueger
Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.
- You are harder to destabilise than most. You've faced uncomfortable truths about yourself and you haven't looked away.
- The survivors on Elm Street were always the ones who understood what was happening and chose to face it rather than flee from it.
- Freddy's greatest weakness is that his power evaporates in the presence of someone who refuses to give him the fear he feeds on.
- Your psychological resilience — the ability to stay grounded when reality itself becomes unreliable — is exactly the quality that keeps you alive here.
Pennywise
Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.
- The Losers Club didn't survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
- You ask the questions others avoid. You look directly at what frightens you rather than turning away.
- That directness — the refusal to let fear fester in the dark — is Pennywise's worst nightmare.
- It chose the wrong target when it chose you. You are exactly the kind of person whose fear tastes like nothing at all.
Chucky
Chucky's greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it's already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.
- You don't have that gap. You take threats seriously regardless of how they present — and you never make the mistake of underestimating something because of its size or appearance.
- Chucky relies on surprise, on the delay between recognition and response. You close that delay faster than almost anyone.
- Your instinct to treat every unfamiliar thing with appropriate scepticism — rather than dismissing it because it seems absurd — is the exact quality that keeps you breathing.
- Against Chucky, not laughing is already winning. You are very good at not laughing.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
Release Date October 5, 2011
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Tuberculosis Karen / Mamie Eisenhower
English (US) ·