18 new horror shows debuting in fall 2024 for all your frightful needs

After a long, hot summer, fall finally seems to be on the way. That means that network television is coming back from summer breaks, with new and returning series coming in September and October. But it also means that retail stores have started filling shelves with Halloween merchandise, and horror fans are looking for their newest scare.

While horror movies are generally considered the standard, horror television provides an opportunity to stretch out the tension and make audiences really care about the characters before they face new terrors. This doesn't always work, because the gap between episodes can mess with traditional horror pacing, but creators like Mike Flanagan have mastered the balance.

With long-running shows like Evil and What We Do In The Shadows coming to an end, new horror content is needed now more than ever. Thankfully, there is a good mixture coming to our screens, with an option for every horror fan. While the major horror franchise television shows, like Welcome to Derry, have been pushed to 2025, there are plenty of new series on the way. From spooky aesthetic shows like Agatha All Along to true crime horror from Investigation Discovery, there's something for everyone in fall 2024.

Horror's Greatest (Shudder)

Now streaming

For those who love not just watching horror, but analyzing it too, Shudder's new series Horror's Greatest is going to be a must-watch new series. The mini-series features five episodes, each exploring a major theme in the genre such as Japanese horror or how to properly adapt Stephen King's scariest novels.

Although this series itself might not terrify you, it's bound to be an engaging series for those looking to explore the genre and why certain elements affect them more than others. If nothing else, you'll probably walk away with some recommendations for horror movies you need to see (and some that you can probably pass on).

How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body (ID, Max)

September 4

Kicking off Investigation Discovery's new horror/true crime line-up is How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body. As the title suggests, this will be a series all about how murderers and serial killers have attempted to hide their activities. TV Insider gives us a look at the first three episodes, which follow the police investigations of murders in Ohio, Las Vegas, and Philadelphia, where the bodies were found in unusual locations.

Per the press release, the series will feature "never before seen material and recounts in-depth tales of twisted criminal masterminds who go to great lengths and efforts to concoct plans to dispose of their victims."

The Real Murders on Elm Street (ID, Max)

September 9

Horror fans know that Elm Street is a terrible place to live, drawing Freddy Krueger into your nightmares or Ghostface to chase you through your house. But the names weren't always synonymous with horror. As stated in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, "Every town has an Elm Street." Craven actually chose the name because it was so common, as well as because it was the street John F. Kennedy was passing when he was assassinated.

Investigation Discovery is running with that idea, bringing a new series that explores small-town killings that changed Elm Streets across the country. These murders revive that classic horror idea that it could happen anywhere, even where you live. While we don't currently know much about precisely which crimes will be covered, the series will likely include the Little Falls, Minnesota case detailed in Jeremy L. Luberts's book, Murder on Elm Street: A True-Life Crime Story.

Cabin in the Woods (ID, Max)

September 9

One of the most classic tropes in horror is the cabin in the woods, where a bunch of hedonist teens and young adults get chopped up by serial killers or attacked by terrifying monsters. The locaton is perfect, because it's isolated enough for the victims to have to face the threat alone, without outside intervention.

But while there are many perfectly pleasant woodland cabins in the real world, they are just as likely to be sites of real-life horror because, as the show's press release explains, "they allow those with evil intentions to carry out the most heinous of acts in peace and quiet away from prying eyes and ears." The series was produced by horror studio Blumhouse alongside ITV, so audiences can expect it to be just as frightful as the company's fictional horror fare.

Agatha All Along (Disney+)

September 18

Horror television is a broad genre, and Agatha All Along seems likely to play with multiple angles of it, from the psychological horror of being trapped inside your own head to the more campy elements of modern paranormal television. The show is a spin-off from Wandavision, and the trailer seems to tease just as much genre-bending meta goodness.

According to Brad Winderbaum, the show is going to be "really fun, but it's really scary and it gets quite dramatic." While we don't quite know what the show will entail, beyond Agatha trying to find herself and lead a coven of eccentric witches, it seems likely that the show will be Marvel's answer to American Horror Story: Coven. Expect the series to pick fun at other shows about witches, dive deep into Marvel's lore, and throw in some major thrills when you least expect it.

Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal (Hulu)

September 24

Hulu is providing its own cross between horror and true crime with Out There: Crimes of the Paranoral, an eight-episode series following various crimes and killings in the real world that seem to have supernatural elements. Each episode explores one of these cases, explaining what happened, examining the evidence, and attempting to answer whether something paranormal is really involved.

Although the word "paranormal" usually brings to mind ghosts and other haunting spirits, be prepared for a wide range of unusual culprits in this series, including aliens, cryptids, and more. With the full series dropping on September 24, this one has plenty of binge potential for those who can handle the horrors behind these real cases.

Grotesquerie (FX, Hulu)

September 25

Ryan Murphy is back with a new horror series, and it seems like he's mixing the best plots and actors from his previous shows in this one. Small town detective Lois Tryon is getting increasingly paranoid as horrific crimes in town seem to revolve around her. She teams up with a Catholic nun to get to the bottom of what's happening and debate the nature of good and evil.

We don't yet know who or what is behind the crimes, but there is certainly a sense of paranoia that this situation may have supernatural origins. With his previous projects having explored ghosts, demons, witches, and more, it isn't out of the question. The available images have a lot of similarities to American Horror Story: Asylum, one of the fans' favorite seasons of the horror anthology, so it's definitely worth tuning in.

Uzumaki (Adult Swim, Max)

September 28

Adult Swim has been working on an English-language adaptation of the horror manga Uzumaki series for years, but it is finally on the schedule. The manga, often considered Junji Ito's best work, follows a pair of teenagers trying to save their town from a spiral-based curse. However, the people in town become increasingly twisted, in body and mind, as the curse progresses, making it impossible to escape.

While there were concerns that an adaptation couldn't do the series justice, fans seem pleased by the teasers, which show a profound dedication to capturing Ito's art style. The anime is expected to have four episodes, which will explore the different angles of the curse, from the humorous to the grotesque.

Teacup (Peacock)

October 10

From James Wan, the powerhouse behind the Saw, Insidious, and Conjuring franchises, comes a new series that explores how humanity deals with horrors that tear them out of the driver's seats of their lives. Loosely based on the book Stinger by Robert McCammon, audiences can expect it will focus on what people do when trapped with a killer more powerful than anything they've faced before.

While he is keeping the details about the show's plot to himself, Wan did share this summary of its genre: "a puzzle-box mystery, an edge-of-your-seat thriller, a can’t-but-must look horror story, a family drama, a science fiction epic." The first two episodes will be dropping on October 10th, hoping to hook you in for the remaining episodes throughout October.

Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Based on the novel by Renée Knight, Disclaimer tells the story of a journalist who receives a book that is based on her life, revealing secrets that could disrupt her entire life. While we don't know much more about the series, reviews of the book explain that, along with being a chilling psychological thriller the story grapples with trust, family, and guilt.

The series is fully written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the award-winning writer and director of Children of Men, Gravity, and Roma. It's a passion project for both Cuarón and star Cate Blanchett, who promise an intricate, complicated story that will keep audiences on their toes.

Passenger (BritBox)

October 18

Technically, Passenger premiered in March, but it's coming to the US on BritBox this October. Set in an isolationist small town, the story follows big city detective Riya Ajunwa as she tries to solve unusual local crimes and determine if there's a greater threat behind them. Going by the trailer, the missing link might just be a video game that's been making its way through town.

The crime drama taps into plenty of horror angles, asking whether the culprit is a human killer, a supernatural beast, or even an unknown horror living in the woods beyond Chadder Vale. Based on the first two episodes, The Guardian's Lucy Mangan says the story "keep[s] the mundane and the mystical in nice balance, each one enhancing the potential horror of the other."

Hysteria (Peacock)

October 18

Hysteria is set in the 1980s, playing on the concept of the Satanic panic. A metal band in small-town suburbia enjoys the thrill of using dark, occult imagery to shock and scare the people around them, but when strange crimes begin happening, their look makes them prime suspects. Based on the teaser, the show intends to balance some healthy scares with social commentary on generational differences and a bit of tongue-in-cheek playing with an audience that knows horror conventions.

This show seems to be aimed at horror lovers, with a cast full of horror movie veterans, most notably including the Evil Dead franchise's Bruce Campbell. While it's unclear whether there actually is a supernatural threat, the series will be full of paranoia, showing what ordinary people can be compelled to do when they believe evil is following them.

Before (Apple TV+)

October 25

Apple TV has been making incredible content lately, and it seems like they are all-in on thrillers this fall. Before follows a grieving child psychologist who forms a relationship with a boy who has "a haunting connection to [his] past." While there isn't much more information about the plot, the press release has referred to it as a "supernatural mystery," perhaps alluding to something unnatural in the bond between man and child.

The description immediately brings to mind The Sixth Sense, a connection that will likely be alluded to or explicitly rejected as the series progresses. Only time will tell whether one or both of the main characters is secretly a ghost, or whether Before has a new supernatural twist in store.

Other horror projects this fall

These series and specials are expected to air at some point before the end of 2024, but do not currently have release dates.

Scare Tactics

Jordan Peele is resurrecting the hidden camera horror prank show Scare Tactics, which originally ran on Syfy from 2003 to 2013. In its original run, the show would put people in terrifying situations, adding horror conventions to the filmography to add to the effect for audiences. The first season of the revival is expected to debut sometime this fall on USA Network.

Hello Stranger

Hello Stranger is an interactive story told from the perspective of Cam, a man who lives his entire life inside his smart home. A masked stranger that Cam met online takes over the controls of the house, forcing him to win three games in order to survive. Viewers control how Cam responds to each game, with only one way to get out alive.

Sweetpea

Sweetpea follows Rhiannon, a young woman who has been ignored and rejected throughout her life. When her life spirals fully out of her control, she resolves to take power back, is a revenge story that is simultaneously terrifying and empowering. This British series starring Ella Purnell is coming to the US and Canada through Starz, which will be airing all six episodes this October.

Tales From The Void

Based on stories from r/NoSleep and other online horror communities, Tales from the Void is an anthology of terrifying stories from the darkest corners of the Internet. The first season will feature six of these live-action creepypastas, which will be available to watch through the Screambox streaming service. Bonus: They're actually open for submissions to feature in season two!

Generation Z

Generation Z is a new British series that explores what would happen when the zombie apocalypse starts at a retirement home. As a group of teenagers tries to survive, they examine generational conflict through the extreme circumstance of having to fight and kill their own grandparents, as well as the other seniors in town.

This year, horror fans have a lot to look forward to when it comes to television. Rather than being a source of vaguely supernatural teen dramas or subpar horror movies-turned-shows, there are several offerings that were built with TV in mind, using the format to bring out the horror inherent in their stories and make viewers scared to watch new episodes in the dark.

Best of all, there is variety, making it possible for those who like one side of the genre or another to pick what they enjoy, while ignoring the sub-genres that bore them (or frighten them too much). Those looking for their horror in manageable doses might find Agatha All Along or Generation Z to their tastes, while those willing to go all-in on body horror and gore will probably enjoy Uzumaki or Teacup.

Whatever your taste is, this fall's lineup is bound to have some of it. So put on your witch's hat, check that your doors are locked, and make sure to look under your bed before settling into a television season packed with thrills and chills.