5 best horror TV shows guaranteed to terrify you this October

The evenings are getting darker, the summer heatwaves are a distant memory – Halloween is almost here.

October is the spookiest time of the year, and it’s perfect for getting wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, turning off the lights and binge watching a terrifying horror TV series.

There’s nothing quite like a good scare, is there? That feeling of creeping dread, the tingle down your spine, the sweat in your palms – ok maybe not that last one – can’t be beat.

Halloween is less than four weeks away – just 27 ghoulish nights to go, which sounds like plenty of time to delve into some dark shows to get you in the… spirit.

Here are some truly horrifying TV shows that – if you’re a fan of things that go bump in the night – you need to check out.

The Haunting of Hill House 

If you like feeling horribly anxious and enjoy spotting hidden ghosts, then I can’t recommend The Haunting of Hill House enough. 

This nightmarish Netflix series is based on Shirley Jackson’s book of the same name and was directed by horror mastermind Mike Flanagan. A twisty-turny series, the show follows the Crain family as they deal with the horrors that lurk in their new home and try to escape from the paranormal entities that lurk within.  

To say The Haunting of Hill House is scary would be a massive understatement. It’s genuinely disturbing at times, and one of the few shows that had me hiding behind a cushion waiting for the horrors to end.  
 
Still, it’s not all chills and thrills; the series has a deeply satisfying story that’s as complex as the ghosts are horrifying.  

Don’t take my word for it, though. Quentin Tarantino has called it his favourite Netflix show ever, and that’s a man who knows a great story when he sees one.  

The Haunting of Hill House can be streamed on Netflix now

From  

From is kind of like Lost’s younger brother who’s going through a goth phase. What does that tortured metaphor mean? Well, like Lost and similar series, From is a mystery box show, but one that’s full of horrible monsters like the worst jack-in-the-box imaginable. 

If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching, the show follows the Matthews family after they have the bad fortune to drive through a small, unnamed town while on a road trip across the US. Unfortunately, once they drive in, they find themselves trapped – alongside several other residents – and besieged by weird creatures. 

Shows like this, which are slow builds and rely on teasing the audience, are naturally very reliant on their cast to keep viewers engaged, and I think the From cast is exceptional.  

In fact, I’d go so far as to say they’re the show’s secret weapon – especially Harold Perrineau, who plays the town’s poor put-upon sheriff.  

If the summer heat’s getting you down, might I recommend The Terror, a series set in the frozen wilderness of the North Pole. 

All three seasons of From is available to stream on NOW

The Terror 

Based on Dan Simmons’s 2007 novel of the same name, the show follows the crews of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror as they explore the Arctic Archipelago in the hopes of completing the first crossing of the Northwest Passage. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, things don’t go to plan, and the ships find themselves trapped in the tundra. The Terror documents how both crews try and survive in the icy wasteland as tempers fray, and a mysterious creature makes its presence known. 

A dark tale wrapped in the clothes of prestige drama (presumably to keep warm), The Terror is a haunting and entertaining story about the thin line between civility and barbarity. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94% is a must-watch for those who love chilling stories.  

The Terror is available to stream on ITVX

Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Just under 24 hours ago, Netflix launched Monster: The Ed Gein Story, just in time for Halloween.

Ryan Murphy’s franchise is back for a third run, this time featuring Charlie Hunnam in the lead role delving into the true story of Ed Gein.

The synopsis reads: ‘From Psycho to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to The Silence of the Lambs, Gein’s macabre legacy gave birth to fictional monsters born in his image and ignited a cultural obsession with the criminally deviant.

‘Ed Gein didn’t just influence a genre — he became the blueprint for modern horror.’

The eight-part series will explore the killer’s life and crimes, as well as his wider influence on popular culture.

Charlie told Tudum: ‘This is going to be the really human, tender, unflinching, no-holds-barred exploration of who Ed was and what he did. But who he was being at the centre of it, rather than what he did.’

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available to stream now on Netflix.

Alien: Earth

Alien: Earth has been making waves online, with plenty of people hailing it a ‘masterpiece’.

The first season finale of the sci-fi horror dropped on September 24, meaning the whole eight episode run is available to binge.

Set in the iconic Alien universe in 2120, two years before Ridley Scott’s original 1979 film, Alien: Earth explores a terrifying future ruled by mega-corporations.

Science, greed, and survival all collide in this terrifying tale focused on Wendy, a young girl with a terminal illness whose mind has been transferred into a synthetic adult body.

Wendy leads a group of Lost Boys – hybrid synthetics – after a research vessel crashing, unleashing an alient threat on Earth.

It’s got a whopping 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s definitely worth giving it a go for something different this October.

Alien: Earth is available to stream on Disney+.

Teacup 

Teacup might sound like the type of thing you’d pop on for the kids while you made dinner, but I can’t recommend showing this to children.  

The series follows a group of neighbours who one day find a strange man in a gas mask painting a blue line across their farmland. When they try and cross this line… well, let’s just say bad things happen. 

Shocking and more than a little confusing, Teacup is a surprisingly gory series, which means it won’t be for everyone, but if the sight of blood and bone gets your pulse racing, then this may be the series for you. I must admit that the show does lose some steam towards the end, but I’d say the first five or so good, you won’t be disappointed when the series takes a turn from overt horror to science fiction.  

I’m not the only fan of the show either. On Reddit, SMNZ75 wrote he thought they did a fantastic job of ‘taking what was pretty much a sci-fi book and making a great horror series’. 

Teacup is available to stream on Paramount Plus

The Outsider 

Last but not least, we come to The Outsider because every horror list has to have something written by Stephen King on it; otherwise, he comes to your house at night and gives you nightmares.  

Anyway, completely made-up stories about the greatest horror author of our time aside, The Outsider boasts an impressive cast including Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Julianne Nicholson, and Jason Bateman. 

The series tells the story of Detective Ralph Anderson (Mendelsohn) as he investigates the murder and mutilation of a young boy. While Ralph initially believes local coach Terry Maitland is the guilty man, he soon discovers something far more sinister at play.  

A nightmarish version of NCIS, The Outsider is a dark take on the police procedural we’ve come to know and love that’ll delight those with a fondness for the macabre. The real reason to watch, though, is Cynthia Erivo’s performance; she’s wicked in this.  

As you’d imagine, I’m far from the only one to think that as well, with Vulture’s Jan Chaney calling her ‘superb’ in her review.   

The Outsider is available to buy now on Sky Store

This article was originally published in June.

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