It’s that time of year. The leaves are beginning to change. The air is growing crisper. That pumpkin spice latte on the counter is looking really tempting. And that means it’s time for the best kind of season — horror season. That’s right, we’re sidestepping spooky and going straight into screaming.
Jokes aside, three new horror shows are coming out this year and are sure to be hits for anyone who loves the genre. From prequel shows that will give us more lore than ever before to adaptations that seem phenomenal, here are the shows you need to check out.
Below
- Releases on Oct. 8, 2026, on Netflix.
Below is a new miniseries from Netflix that is the kind of horror that makes us never want to step into the ocean again. Ever.
The show, starring Josh Hartnett, is set in Snook’s Arm, a town in Newfoundland, Canada, where residents fear a sea creature that drags people out to the water. A fisherman tries to keep his family safe as everything he knows and loves is taken away from him, bit by bit.
When I tell you that the moment I watched this trailer, I instantly knew I never wanted to go in the water again. There’s something so terrifying about the sea, you know? We’ve only explored such a small percentage of the ocean, so who knows what the heck is out there? My theory is that prehistoric creatures live deep below, where humans can’t reach.
That’s the kind of sea creature we see in Below. Things that can take out entire houses on the water. It’s terrifying and the perfect show to watch in October, when no one wants to go towards the ocean at all. Fun! The series also stars Mackenzie Davis and Charlie Heaton.
Carrie
- Releasing on Oct. 7, 2026 on Prime Video.
I bet you didn’t think you’d ever see another adaptation of Carrie, but now Mike Flanagan is bringing his vision to life with the latest miniseries on Prime Video.
The adaptation is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. It follows a young teenager named Carrie who finds out that she has telekinetic powers while being bullied at school and at home. She deals with her controlling mother, Margaret, and her religious zealotry.
I know we always talk about the Carrie movie, and that there’s no need for another. But honestly, I think this is a great idea. Flanagan’s Carrie, just from the trailer we’ve seen, looks fantastic. Why? Because it gives us a different look into how the story would go today.
The inclusion of social media and how that, in and of itself, can be a huge inciter of violence and pain is a brilliant way to make this a cautionary tale for modern-day teenagers. Plus, with only eight episodes, it’s the perfect series to binge in a day or two once it drops.
The series also stars a decent amount of new and familiar faces. If you’ve watched some of Flanagan’s other shows, like The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and more, you'll recognize plenty of faces, including Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, and others. Plus, Summer H. Howell gives a fantastic performance as Carrie, having seen some of the episodes early.
Crystal Lake
- Releases on Oct. 15, 2026, on Peacock.
Lastly, we have the series no one asked for, but it seems interesting: Crystal Lake.
This new limited series stars Linda Cardellini as the famous Pamela Voorhees, the woman behind it all in the first Friday the 13th film. The series takes place about a year after Jason drowns at Camp Crystal Lake and shows how Pamela becomes the version of herself we know in the first film. We see her struggle to cope with the loss of her son as bodies begin to turn up in her town.
I mean, it’s a slasher series. You know exactly what you’re getting into when you watch this show, especially if it's set in the Friday the 13th film series. However, I do think it’s fun to explore the complexities of a mother in grief and how this can sometimes translate into a rage so furious you can’t control it. This might give a little more insight into why she did what she did and make the first film feel even more grounded (even as the later movies turned a little wacky).
I’m the kind of person who thinks Linda Cardellini can do no wrong on television, since most of her shows have been absolute hits. But I’m curious to see where this series goes.
You can catch all these shows when they come out in October. It’s time for spooky season!
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