10 Best Horror Shows of the 2020s So Far, Ranked
In the age of streaming services, it seems like new TV shows are a dime a dozen, popping up like dandelions everywhere one looks. There’s certainly no shortage of TV shows, regardless of genre, so one will likely never run out of shows that they enjoy watching. With these shows, there’s a lot of garbage, but for every ten travesties, there’s one diamond in the rough.
Horror as a genre is a very versatile genre, and lends itself to the medium of television quite nicely. It has been a popular topic in TV for decades, and it is something that is constantly evolving. This ensures that, even in the 2020s, there are shows and miniseries coming out that will excite horror fans and give them new prospects to enjoy, exploring a wide variety of topics. These are the best horror shows of the 2020s, which are bound to attain legendary status by the time the decade is over.
10
‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ (2020)
Created by Mike Flanagan
The Haunting of Bly Manor is a horror miniseries created by Mike Flanagan, who is known for producing some of the most innovative works of horror ever made, both in the form of movies and TV shows. Bly Manor is a pseudo-sequel to his widely-popular miniseries The Haunting of Hill House two years prior, which was very loosely based on the book of the same name by Shirley Jackson. Bly Manor is actually based on a novella called The Turning of the Screw by Henry James.
The characters in this show, along with the plotline, are entirely different from its predecessor, but that’s okay, because it allows audiences to experience a whole new mystery, new romances, and new drama. Though Bly Manor doesn’t quite pack the same punch as Hill House, it still maintains its signature aura of being scary but not overly traumatizing, establishing itself as one of the better horror shows of the decade.
9
‘All of Us Are Dead’ (2022–)
Created by Chun Sung-il, Lee Jae-kyoo, and Kim Nam-su
Hailing from South Korea, All of Us Are Dead is a zombie apocalypse horror show mixed with a coming-of-age drama story that provides viewers with a truly unique experience. The story begins in a high school in the fictional city of Hyosan, where a science teacher is experimenting in class. This inevitably goes wrong, causing a massive zombie epidemic, which rapidly spreads throughout the school, trapping a small group of students inside.
Using their combined talents and their wits, the students must put aside their differences and put their heads together to find a way out of the nightmare while the city’s authorities scramble to contain and cover up the incident. One of the finest zombie TV shows in recent memory, All of Us Are Dead is an ideal choice for zombie lovers, and manages to stay true to the themes of horror without being too in-your-face scary.
8
‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (2023)
Created by Mike Flanagan
The Fall of the House of Usher is another miniseries by Mike Flanagan, this time based on a short story of the same name by the world’s most famous Gothic writer, Edgar Allan Poe. The show also incorporates some of Poe’s other works, though the inspiration is very loose, and the plot of the show doesn’t entirely follow the plot of the short story. On top of that, they take place in present day as opposed to the 19th Century, when most of Poe’s works occur.
The Fall of the House of Usher comes with a narrative about pharmaceutical companies, and about the nasty happenings that could go on behind closed doors, as well as how this corruption affects the families involved in the company. Mysterious, yet remarkably poignant, The Fall of the House of Usher is without a doubt one of the greatest horror miniseries ever conceived, and is easily one of the best horror shows of the 2020s.
7
‘Archive 81’ (2022)
Created by Rebecca Sonnenshine
Archive 81 is a Netflix original series that, believe it or not, is based on a 2016 podcast. Humble beginnings aside, the series proved to be a very exciting supernatural horror show, one that is equal parts haunting and intriguing. The eight episodes follow Dan (Mamoudou Athie), a film student who is hired by a nameless company to restore corrupted videotapes from 1994. Upon watching the tapes, Dan finds that they all capture a mystery that involves a cult-like secret society and baffling disappearances from three decades ago.
The show was prematurely canceled after just one season, but that doesn’t mean it’s trash. Reviews were excellent, and the show was reportedly streamed for hundreds of millions of hours on Netflix. The abrupt cancellation is kind of unforgivable, but the eight episodes we got make every second count, giving horror fans exactly what they want: a new take on mystery, noir, and of course, supernatural horror.
6
‘Swarm’ (2023)
Created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers
Actor, rapper, and comedian Donald Glover isn’t commonly known for his forays into horror, but with Swarm, he proved himself perfectly capable of staying behind the camera and creating something wonderful. This Amazon Prime original miniseries stars Dominique Fishback as Dre, a woman so obsessed with a world-famous pop star that she embarks upon a bloody killing spree across the country just to get said pop star’s attention and admiration.
For her role as Dre, Fishback was actually nominated for an Emmy for Best Lead Actress, which is an award that she most certainly deserved, but was sadly robbed of. Apart from that, Swarm received an additional Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing, which goes to show how easily it can keep its audience invested. Short, sweet, yet profoundly creepy, Swarm is an underrated gem on Amazon that is sure to make anyone’s skin crawl, even the most steadfast of horror fans.
5
‘The Outsider’ (2020)
Developed by Richard Price
Now, who doesn’t love a good Stephen King adaptation? One of the most legendary horror authors in human history, King has seen numerous works adapted to both the big and the small screens, but the recent release of The Outsider has proven to be a real hidden gem that never got the attention it really deserved. The miniseries is arguably one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever, so it’s kind of a shame it isn’t talked about more often.
Like many Stephen King stories, the narrative presents the viewer with a mystery right out of the gates, focussing on the mysterious death of a young boy in a sleepy Georgia town. As detectives investigate what initially seems a straightforward case, things get more complicated when the case becomes supernatural. With rave reviews and numerous awards under its belt, The Outsider is simply a must-see for any fan of horror television, or any fan of Stephen King, for that matter.
4
‘Chucky’ (2021–2024)
Created by Don Mancini
Chucky has been a household name in horror since his feature film debut in the 80s. The foul-mouthed doll with a propensity for murder has seen some highs and lows throughout his theatrical run, but the recent television revival proved to be just the kick in the pants he needed in order to separate himself from other kitschy 80s slasher films. The Chucky TV series fully embraces its ridiculousness, intentionally becoming a horror-comedy rather than just a gory murder fest.
The show was created by Don Mancini, the very same person who penned the original films, and the doll is voiced by Brad Dourif, who reprises his role as the killer doll from the previous films. Chucky felt like it ended too soon for some, but definitely didn’t overstay its welcome, and had all the right ingredients to create a new horizon for the IP, as well as a much-needed comeback, proving that the people who curated the first film with such love and care still have the passion for their creation.
3
‘Squid Game’ (2021–2025)
Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk
Squid Game is a South Korean Netflix series that took the world by storm during quarantine in 2021. The dystopian horror-thriller show follows a group of unfortunate individuals who are presented with a chance to make copious amounts of money by participating in a reality game show, with the challenges being adult versions of playground games that many play as children. But once the contestants arrive at the facility, they quickly become aware that the penalty for losing is death, and that with each person who dies, the grand prize increases in value.
Though the show really fell off in its second season and it’s doubtful the coming third will be able to successfully up the ante, the first season is an absolute masterpiece of television. It’s intriguing, mystifying, and downright messed up, able to make people uncomfortable, yet unable to look away as they eagerly await to see what happens next. There’s also a lot of brilliant political undertones and societal narratives that make it not just entertaining, but eye-opening, which has helped it become one of the most memorable shows of the 2020s.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2024
- Network
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Netflix
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Lee Jung-jae
Seong Gi-hun / ‘No. 456’
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Jeon Young-soo
Game Guide
2
‘The Last of Us’ (2023–)
Created by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin
The Last of Us is based on the award-winning video game of the same name, which takes place during a zombie apocalypse. The difference is that these zombies haven’t been created by some sort of virus, but rather from a mutated form of a very real fungus known as cordyceps. In this barren wasteland, a smuggler named Joel (Pedro Pascal) receives a routine assignment to take a young girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to the resistance group known as the Fireflies, only to discover that Ellie is immune to the cordyceps.
Joel and Ellie’s dynamic gradually grows to that of father and daughter, though their missions still take precedence over their other wants and needs. Normally, video game adaptations can be real sour, but this HBO original series has been met with marvellous reviews, likely due in part to it being co-created by one of the directors of the video game. With a second season on the way, The Last of Us has established itself as quite possibly the greatest video game adaptation of all time, and most certainly one of the greatest horror shows of the 2020s.
1
‘From’ (2022–)
Created by John Griffin
From takes place in a remote United States town, one that falls under the shadow of some strange supernatural force that cannot be explained. Whoever enters the town finds themselves permanently trapped within it, stalked at night by various creatures that prowl the surrounding woods. Amidst the chaos and the unexplained phenomena, the town’s mayor, Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), is determined to figure out what’s going on and how to stop it.
This sci-fi horror series has received nothing but positive reception, with critics commending it for its direction, narrative, complexities, and unique concept, able to deliver a wholly original story without losing its audience for even a second. It’s got all the right parts of a perfect mystery series, along with elements of cosmic horror and science fiction—there’s really no show quite like From, and that’s what makes it the best horror series of the 2020s without a shadow of a doubt.
