13 scary shows to stream this Halloween season
It's the most wonderful time of the year because Halloween is just 11 days away! Spooky season is the best time to enjoy horror movies and shows as we all try to get into the spirit. With a long list of streaming services and so many series out there to pick from, it might be overwhelming knowing where to start. That's where we come in!
Ready for scares this Halloween? Let's break down 13 scary shows worth checking out this October, including both old and new titles.
Servant
- Release years: 2019-2023
- Created by: Tony Basgallop
- Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Nell Tiger Free, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint
- Streaming on: Apple TV+
One of my favorite TV shows of the last decade is Servant, a psychological horror story that takes place in Philadelphia. Following a married couple with a newborn baby, their family falls under distress when they hire a nanny to come live with them. Though at first, the nanny seems sweet and innocent, it doesn't take long to realize there's something up with her. The secrets of her troubled past begin to come out as one major secret the couple is holding onto bubbles up to the surface.
Servant is very creepy, very unpredictable, and an addicting binge-watch.
The Haunting series
- Release years: 2018-2020
- Created by: Mike Flanagan
- Starring: Kate Siegel, Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas
- Streaming on: Netflix
Starting with The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan's The Haunting anthology series will go down as one of the best Netflix Originals of all time. The series ran for two seasons, with The Haunting of Bly Manor releasing two years later. Both shows are adapted from classic works, following haunted houses that mess with the people inside of them. Featuring ensemble casts, both series deal with topics of unconventional families, love, loss, and the supernatural. They feature profound storylines that will keep you engaged from start to finish.
And, of course, both series are super creepy. The Haunting of Hill House has a jump scare that horror fans still talk about years later.
American Horror Story
- Release years: 2011-present
- Created by: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk
- Starring: Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Frances Conroy, Denis O'Hare
- Streaming on: Hulu
No, not every season is a winner, but the fact that American Horror Story has been on for 13 years (and counting!) is pretty awesome. Another anthology, each season of AHS tackles a different theme full of frightening storylines. From ghosts and serial killers to clowns and witches, if there's a horror theme out there, chances are this show has covered it. Unfortunately, that's probably why the show has decreased in quality in recent seasons, but that doesn't take away from how strong the original seasons are.
Some of the best seasons of American Horror Story include Murder House, Asylum, and Coven, the first three of the series. The best part about the show is that because each season is its own standalone story, you can pick and choose based on the topics that interest you. There are some really great moments and storylines throughout these past 13 years.
Interview With the Vampire
- Release years: 2022-present
- Created by: Rolin Jones
- Starring: Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Bailey Bass, Delainey Hayles
- Streaming on: Netflix (season 1), AMC+ (seasons 1 and 2)
Based on the beloved gothic horror series of the same name, Interview With the Vampire is the best scary show you're not watching. The show follows a man living in 20th Century New Orleans, who, in a desperate attempt to start a new life, agrees to become a vampire. The story then chronicles his life as an undead creature, including his toxic romance with the vampire who turned him and what happens when he finally leaves.
Though Interview With the Vampire includes horror elements, at its core it's a tragically beautiful love story that'll leave you feeling incredibly emotional. And the performances are fantastic. A third season is in the works but does not have a release date yet.
Castle Rock
- Release years: 2018-2020
- Created by: Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason
- Starring: Melanie Lynskey, André Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Lizzy Caplan, Elsie Fisher, Barkhad Abdi
- Streaming on: Hulu
The third anthology series on this list is one of the most underrated — Castle Rock. The Hulu Original adapts various stories by Stephen King, weaving together different plot points and characters to create something brand-new. It's an ambitious strategy, and fortunately, it really works. As a huge fan of King's works, this two-season show was a blast for me to watch. Another awesome element to the series is that actors like Sissy Spacek and Tim Robbins, known for their roles in iconic King movies, appear.
As evidenced by the title, Castle Rock takes place in King's fictional town, incorporating fun Easter eggs from his works throughout the episodes.
True Blood
Release years: 2008-2014
Created by: Alan Ball
Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell
Streaming on: Max
One of my favorite shows of all time — not just in the horror genre — is True Blood, HBO's sexy vampire drama that's always worth a rewatch. Based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, the show follows a telepathic waitress whose life is turned upside down when a vampire walks into her restaurant. A couple of years after synthetic blood was invented, vampires now walk among humans — though that doesn't mean they're fully accepted.
In True Blood, we get to watch a romance between human and vampire bloom as other dangerous threats come between them.
Stranger Things
- Release years: 2016-present
- Created by: Matt and Ross Duffer
- Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp
- Streaming on: Netflix
There's a reason Stranger Things has become such a phenomenon since debuting eight years ago. The sci-fi series, which takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s, does a fantastic job connecting viewers with its characters while also keeping us engaged through suspense and gripping action. There's just something special about this show that's hard to replicate, though Netflix has tried.
After a mysterious girl appears in town, Stranger Things follows a group of friends who must stop the supernatural threats she comes with. The fifth and final season is expected to be released sometime in 2025, which will no doubt be huge.
Yellowjackets
- Release years: 2021-present
- Created by: Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson
- Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Ella Purnell, Samantha Hanratty
- Streaming on: Paramount+, Netflix (season 1)
A horror series starring an all-female ensemble cast? Sign me up! Yellowjackets is an awesome, unique survival story about a girls' soccer team who survives a plane crash. The series goes back and forth between two timelines, showing us what happened out in the wilderness and how the ladies have been able to cope (or not) 25 years later. There are things the girls did when they were stranded that they can never forgive themselves for, and yes, that includes cannibalism.
The performances in Yellowjackets are outstanding and the plot is enough to keep you up at night. The third season is currently in the works and is set to premiere sometime in 2025.
The Last of Us
- Release years: 2023-present
- Created by: Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann
- Starring: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Merle Dandridge, Anna Torv, Gabriel Luna, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Montreal Woodard, Melanie Lynskey
- Streaming on: Max
The Last of Us is one of the best — if not the best — video game adaptations of all time, based on the Naughty Dog game of the same name. Following a hardened survivor who's lost his teenage daughter, the show takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where undead humans roam the earth. Protagonist Joel is tasked with transporting a girl across the country. Why? She might just be the cure to the infection. Like all of the titles on this list, yes, The Last of Us can be very scary. But it's so much more than that. It's an emotional story about an unlikely pairing who change each other's lives.
The Last of Us season 2 comes to HBO sometime in 2025.
The Watcher
- Release years: 2022-present
- Created by: Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan
- Starring: Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Coolidge, Margo Martindale, Richard Kind, Isabel Gravitt, Luke David Blumm, Mia Farrow
- Streaming on: Netflix
Inspired by an article written for The Cut about a real-life mystery, The Watcher tells the story of a person who stalked a wealthy family in New Jersey and was never found. Yes, it's frustrating that the family never figured out the mystery and likely never got closure, but the series is very, very creepy. It's not the best in quality on this list, but if you're looking for scares, you'll get it here. After moving into a new home, the Brannocks begin receiving strange and threatening letters. It only escalates from there.
Though the story of The Watcher season 1 has concluded, the Netflix series will return for a second season. At the time of this writing, we don't know what the next installment will cover.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
- Release year: 2021
- Created by: Sara Goodman
- Starring: Madison Iseman, Brianne Tju, Ezekiel Goodman, Sebastian Amoruso, Ashley Moore, Bill Heck
- Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Based on the book of the same name — which was previously adapted for the memorable film series — I Know What You Did Last Summer is a fun and modern twist on the story we all know and love. Taking place in Hawaii, the short-lived show follows a group of teenagers who kill one of their friends one night after hitting her with their car. As they try to move on with their lives, what they don't know is they actually killed their friend's twin sister.
This adaptation received generally negative reviews, which likely led to its cancellation. But honestly, I think it's enjoyable if you don't take it too seriously. And the kills are enough to keep any horror fan engaged.
Teacup
- Release year: 2024
- Created by: Ian McCulloch
- Starring: Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman, Kathy Baker, Chaske Spencer
- Streaming on: Peacock
The last two on this list are the latest additions, both releasing this month in time for spooky season. Teacup follows a happy family living on a farm who become increasingly alarmed after they start to experience strange occurrences on their land. Not only are animals acting weird and dying, but they also encounter a mysterious person who tries to warn them of what's coming. What's out there, and will it truly harm the family and their neighbors? No matter what it is, it seems scary.
Teacup consists of 10 episodes which are being released two at a time on Peacock. The final two episodes will be released on Halloween.
Hysteria!
- Release year: 2024
- Created by: Matthew Scott Kane
- Starring: Julie Bowen, Bruce Campbell, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Anna Camp, Nikki Hahn
- Streaming on: Peacock
Peacock is at the top of their game this Halloween season with not just one but two new horror series! Hysteria! is a particularly spooky show about a disappearance in town in which a high schooler went missing — all that was left was a creepy pentagram drawing. The series explores the very real Satanic Panic phenomenon from the 1980s and how the town navigates its new fears. Is it all in their heads, or do they really need to worry about the occult coming for them?
All eight episodes of Hysteria! were released at once on Friday, Oct. 18, meaning you can binge the whole series right now.
One season horror shows you can binge now. One season horror shows you can binge now. dark. Next
What scary show(s) will you be watching in the days leading up to Halloween?