20 best horror series for Halloween
Halloween is coming and it's time for horror fans to get into the dark mood of the date. What is the best way to do this? Starting to watch one of the horror series on that list!
Even if you are an avid fan of such works, we have made a wide selection of horror series available on TV or in the main apps for watching movies and series.
That is, here you will find Netflix series, Amazon Prime Video or HBO Go, among others. And if you like to watch anime, stay with us as we also have some options between the animation series in the middle of the list.
Now, check out our list of the best horror shows available below!
1. American Horror Story
One of the most traditional American horror series, the series has a different format than the conventional one. Each season is its own story, unrelated to the previous season.
Thus, the format does not look like a kind of horror novel, being able to have as many seasons as necessary, since the stories are independent.
The nine seasons of American Horror Story is available on Amazon Prime Video.
2. Stranger Things
Despite its much lighter tone compared to most horror shows, Stranger Things is still classified as such. It takes place in the 1980s and is full of references of the time – considering that the dynamics of the series are also similar to the films of that time.
A group of children from a small American town called Hawkins mobilize after one of its members has mysteriously disappeared. Halfway through, they find a girl with special powers and welcome her into their group, while investigating the disappearance.
What they do not know is that the city was a military base, which carried out secret experiments to access another dimension, which exists in parallel to ours. Stranger Things has three seasons, with a fourth confirmed for 2021.
Watch the full series on Netflix.
3. Sabrina's Dark World
Another series with references to the past decades, Sabrina's Dark World brings a darker tone to the adolescent series of the 1990s. Still, it also has a lighter tone, compared to the other horror series.
In it, the teenage witch who gives the series its name must use her powers to face demons and evil creatures, while balancing this with her personal dramas and teenage novels.
Even with a synopsis that seems silly for those who like to watch horror series, Sabrina's Dark World is full of deep references about witchcraft and Satanism.
The series has three seasons and is exclusive to Netflix.
4. The Curse of the Hill Residence
While Stranger Things and Sabrina's Dark World are more jolly horror series, The Hill House Curse appeals to the supernatural more heavily.
The series is based on a book written in 1959. In it, we see the story of five brothers who grew up in the haunted mansion, having to return years later after the younger sister's suicide.
It is worth adding that the house is real and is considered one of the largest haunted houses in the United States. With two seasons – the second is called The Curse of Bly Mansion – The Curse of Hill Residence is on Netflix.
5. Ash vs Evil Dead
Do you like horror movies so bloody that they look ridiculous? So Ash vs. Evil Dead is the show you need to follow.
Mixing extremely bloody action and terror, Ash vs Evil Dead does it so brutally that it can make you laugh, feel disgusted or both at the same time. The plot revolves around the retired demon hunter Ash, who must return to active duty after a plague – nothing like the coronavirus – threatens the existence of the human race.
With three seasons, Ash vs Evil Dead is available on Netflix.
6. Kingdom
If you've never seen an Asian horror movie or series, you need to know Kingdom. South Korean, the work is also a suspense.
Embracing the period that we recognize in the West as the Middle Ages and Renaissance, until almost the Industrial Revolution, the plot shows a crown prince responsible for investigating a mysterious pandemic that is plaguing his kingdom.
Unlike what we are going through in real life, the origins of the disease come from evil forces, which the Crown Prince will have to face in order to see his people in peace. We can say that it mixes series of war with terror.
Kingdom has two seasons and is available on Netflix.
7. Slasher
Ideal for those who enjoy classic horror movies like Panic and Friday the 13th, Slasher uses the same maniacal villain shape with an iconic cut weapon.
With three seasons, she accompanies a young man who returns to his hometown after the brutal murder of his parents. The problem: since his return, murders have returned.
Slasher is available on Netflix.
8. Z Nation
Maybe you're tired of zombie-themed horror series. Still, you might want to give Z Nation a chance.
With hints of comedy making fun of the genre itself, the series shows a group of survivors trying to reach New York City, amid a zombie apocalypse. With five seasons, it can be a good mix of horror series with comedy series.
Watch Z Nation on Netflix!
9. Lore
Want horror series inspired by real-life horrors? So Lore may be the series you've been looking for.
The series uses stories that happened in the past centuries to boost its narrative. Like American Horror Story, each of its seasons addresses a different story.
It is interesting to note how Lore shows the destructive potential that one human being can exert under another, making stories of fiction appear light, in comparison to what has already happened.
With two seasons, the series is available on Amazon Prime Video!
10. Servant
One of the most recent horror series, Servant is authored by the famous director M. Night Shyamalan and premiered 2019. In it, a wealthy couple hires a nanny to look after their young son.
Everything would be natural if the child, even with months of life, had not gone through a disturbing event that the protagonist should pretend to treat naturally.
Servant is available on Apple TV.
11. Channel Zero
Channel Zero is another series in the anthology format, that is, with each season telling a different story. With four seasons, each season is based on a creepypasta, horror stories and urban legends published on the internet.
Channel Zero is available on Amazon Prime Video.
12. 50 States of Fright
Using the 50 American states as a base, 50 States of Fright is also one of the horror series that uses stories inspired by real-life events or tales. What sets it apart from the series shown so far is that the goal of the series is to tell at least one urban legend from each US state.
However, for now the series is one of the few on the list not to count on any of the streaming services operating in Brazil.
13. Hannibal
Hannibal takes place in the same universe as the film The Silence of the Lambs, but before the events of the film. The series features an FBI detective with a peculiar skill: being able to reproduce in his head even the worst murder crimes.
On the other hand, there is an explanation for this ability, since the policeman maintains a relationship with the psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter, the villain of the iconic film.
Despite the indisputable quality of the series and it was part of the Netflix catalog, currently the series is not available on streaming services like Amazon Prime or HBO Go.
14. The Walking Dead
One of the biggest phenomena of international TV, The Walking Dead needs no introduction most of the time. If you still don't know the series inspired by the comic books of the same name, The Walking Dead follows the story of a group of survivors, who find themselves in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
Despite the fatal threat, the show's focus is not on the undead, but on human beings themselves and how they come to relate, considering the inevitable threat. One of the points that the series raises is that, in extreme situations like these, we ourselves can become the greatest danger to others.
With 10 seasons and derived series, it is possible to watch nine seasons of the series both on Netflix and on Globo Play and Amazon Prime Video.
15. Marianne
A famous writer decides to end the horror story that propelled her to fame. Only the witch Marianne, its protagonist, is not very happy to see that her story will end.
With that, events that took place in the book begin to appear in the real world, making the character herself the threat of the series. Marianne ended with just one season, but don't let that fool you: the story is one of the most successful of its kind on Netflix!
16. Castlevania
If you were waiting for the part where we would approach the animations, you just arrived. Castlevania is an animated series inspired by the eponymous video game series.
Mixing elements from some of the main games in the series, Castlevania tells the story of the famous Count Dracula, who decides to take revenge on humanity after his wife was burned as a witch. On the other hand, the last representative of the Belmont family joins a mage and the vampire's own son to contain the threat.
Castlevania was so successful that the series is in its third season. It is available on Netflix!
17. Devilman Crybaby
Despite being an animation, Devilman Crybaby brings a dense plot, besides not skimping on the buckets of blood that run through the land. Mixing elements from fantasy series, the animation depicts an Earth in which an ancient race of demons returns to the planet and wants to take it back from humans.
With the hope of saving his world, the protagonist Akira merges with one of these demons, becoming the Devilman. Thus, he maintains his human soul, but with the powers of a demon. It looks like a normal anime, if the author's artistic trait does not favor extreme moments and twists that definitely do not make it a friendly design for the little ones.
Devilman Crybaby is available on Netflix!
18. Black Summer
Going back to the horror series with real actors, we have Black Summer. Also following the zombie apocalypse genre, the series follows the drama of a mother who is separated from her daughter in the midst of the catastrophic event.
But she will not be the only one, joining a group of survivors seeking information or rescuing loved ones who were lost in the event. The series has two seasons available on Netflix.
19. Santa Clarita Diet
One of the most popular series on Netflix, Santa Clarita Diet follows the genre “terrir”. That is, horror with comedy.
Starring Drew Barrymore, in the series we follow the routine of an apparently normal American family. However, something goes wrong with the couple's wife, lived by the actress: she becomes a cannibal!
What happens next? You can find out in the three seasons of the series, exclusive to Netflix.
20. Adolescent Werewolf
Similar to what we see in Sabrina's Dark World, Teen Werewolf mixes teen drama with hints of the supernatural and terror. In his story, we accompany Scott McCall, a teenager who decides to explore the forest in search of a corpse, but ends up bitten by a werewolf.
In addition to the common transformations in this period, shortly afterwards the young man also begins to gain the characteristics of monstrosity, doing everything to hide it and try to have a normal life.
With 6 seasons, Teenage Werewolf – or Teen Wolf for intimates – is available on Netflix!
What are your favorite horror series?
Now that we recommend several terrifying series to watch during the Halloween period, it’s your turn to recommend: indicate in the comments what are your favorite horror series? Comment with us!
