The best horror TV shows 2026 ranked by the community. Horror series work differently from horror films – they have more time to build atmosphere, establish characters and let threats grow slowly. The series that rank highest use exactly that advantage: they do not just frighten, they stay with you. Filter by streaming service or short runtime for more compact formats.
How are the series charts created?
Rankings are based on real user ratings. The more votes a show receives, the more stable its chart position. When you rate shows yourself, your personal recommendations improve too.
Filter series by genre, status and streaming service:
Throughout the passage of time and the shifts in backgrounds, a particular war continues to leave its mark on history, extending its influence into the modern world. There are two major groups involved in the ensuring war. The first group consists of monsters known as Chiropterans who can change the... more about Blood +
As the world is in the middle of an industrial revolution, a monster appears that cannot be defeated unless its heart, which is protected by a layer of iron, is pierced. By infecting humans with its bite, the monster can create aggressive and undead creatures known as Kabane. On the island Hinomoto,... more about Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
A semi-anthology series that centers on returning characters being terrorized by a serial killer in different locations, including a university and a hospital. more about Scream Queens (2015)
18-year-old Nancy Drew thought she’d be leaving her hometown for college, but when a family tragedy strikes and holds her back another year, she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation that uncover secrets that run deep in her hometown of Horseshoe Bay, Maine. more about Nancy Drew
When a mother is separated from her daughter, she embarks on a harrowing journey, stopping at nothing to find her. Thrust alongside a small group of American refugees, she must brave a hostile new world and make brutal decisions during the most deadly summer of a zombie apocalypse. more about Black Summer
A small town is turned upside down in the opener of this series, in which people who were thought to be dead suddenly reappear. more about The Returned (US)
In 2003, a parasitic fungal infection ravaged the planet, turning humans into violent creatures known as the Infected. Twenty years later, hardened survivor Joel is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie to the rebel Fireflies. more about The Last of Us
When it’s time for teenage vampire Juliette to make her first kill so she can take her place among a powerful vampire family, she sets her sights on a new girl in town named Calliope. But much to Juliette’s surprise, Calliope is a vampire hunter, from a family of celebrated slayers. Both find that t... more about First Kill
Ravenswood is a spin-off of Pretty Little Liars. Ravenswood is a town near Rosewood. The town has been suffering from a curse for generations. Five strangers suddenly feel connected by this fatal curse and feel the need to dig in the town's mysterious and horrible history before it's to late for eac... more about Ravenswood
During a 12-hour period when all crime - including murder - is legal, a group of seemingly unrelated characters cross paths in a city in an altered America ruled by a totalitarian political party. While the clock winds down, some will fight, some will hide, others will embrace what it means to purge... more about The Purge
It has been 10 years since Heaven's Gate appeared in South America and Hell's Gate appeared in Japan, veiling the once familiar night sky with an oppressive skyscape. Their purposes unknown, these Gates are spaces in which the very laws of physics are ignored. With the appearance of the Gates emerge... more about Darker Than Black
Humans live in the world of Assiah, demons in Gehenna. The two dimensions are not meant to interfere with each other, but demons still possess creatures in Assiah in spite of this. The humans who can fight these demons are known as exorcists. Rin Okumura is a boy who bears the curse of being Satan's... more about Blue Exorcist
In this supernatural crime series, Seth Gecko and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard "Richie" Gecko, are wanted by the FBI and Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez after a bank robbery left several people, including policemen and Gonzalez's mentor Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, dead. Heading for the Me... more about From Dusk Till Dawn
Get uncomfortable! In the tradition of classic grindhouse movies, BLOOD DRIVE is a new series soaked in high-octane chaos and just barely approved for television. After Los Angeles’ last good cop is forced to join a twisted cross-country death race, his only hope of survival is a dangerous femme fat... more about Blood Drive
Fifteen years after introducing the world to the field of authentic paranormal investigation, "Ghost Hunters" returns to television. The series that terrified and captivated fans for 11 seasons will follow one of the original team leaders, Grant Wilson, and his handpicked group of professional ghost... more about Ghost Hunters
Crime reporter, John Moore meets with psychologist, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler to investigate a serial killer in New York during the late 19th century. more about The Alienist
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles delivers an intense and fictionalized account of actual events and people surrounding Lizzie’s life after her controversial acquittal of the horrific double murder of her father and stepmother in 1892. more about The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
With his days numbered, high schooler Yuji decides to hunt down and consume the remaining 19 fingers of a deadly curse so it can die with him. more about Jujutsu Kaisen
The rogue vampire Arucard is the Hellsing Organization’s deadliest instrument in its mission to protect the British Empire from satanic ghouls and Nazi freaks. He is not alone in his assault on the occult; the master has a servant. Policewoman Seras Victoria accepted Arucard’s gift of dark salvation... more about Hellsing Ultimate
Somerset, England, 1888. A land and a community on the edge of monumental change, on the great hinge between ancient traditional ways and an industrial, scientific future. A land of ghosts and myths, poltergeists and demons - if there was ever a time for those ghosts to rise out of the ground, this ... more about The Living and the Dead
Horror TV shows work differently from horror films. The longer runtime forces the genre to deliver more than shock moments – they must sustain atmosphere, character and threat across multiple episodes. The strongest horror series treat that as an advantage: they build slowly, let the danger grow and give characters time before putting them at risk. That is the difference between cheap fright entertainment and series that actually stay with you.
The genre is broader than its reputation: supernatural horror, psychological horror, creature feature series, gothic drama, folk horror and socially critical horror series that use their monsters as metaphor all fall under the label. What tends to rank highest in the community are series with more than one layer. Use the runtime filter to find horror series with short episodes – a format that works particularly well for late-night viewing.
Discover related charts
Beyond horror TV shows, fans of the genre often appreciate thriller or mystery series for their similarly dark and tense atmosphere.