HorrorTV shows often sadly become the victims of premature cancelation, with many brilliant series ending before they’re given the chance to truly hit their stride. As a genre, horror is quite niche, with thebest horror moviesseeing praise from a dedicated viewership that sometimes rarely branches out to other categories. This can present difficulty for horror TV shows, which struggle to convince networks and streaming services of their worth.
Horror TV series often get canceled early for a variety of reasons. Declining viewership or ratings can be just as deadly to spooky shows as they are to more traditionalTV series that were canceled early. In the modern age of streaming, platforms are able to justify cancelation with all sorts of nebulous internal metrics as well. Rarely, a horror show will even find an early and permanent final season due to extenuating circumstances such as behind-the-scenes controversy.
10Hannibal
Canceled after 3 seasons
Hannibal Lecter is one of the greatest fictional villains of all time, a licensed psychiatrist who commits depraved acts of cannibalism while maintaining an appreciation for the finer things in life. A prequel series that examined Lecter’s active days as a serial killer before finding himself behind bars was an intriguing concept, and one that NBC’sHannibaltackled brilliantly. Mads Mikkelsen somehow manages to match Anthony Hopkins' iconic performance as Dr. Lecter, slyly turning his victims into fine dining experiences that look shockingly delicious.
Hannibalenjoyed critical acclaim at the time of its syndication, with many critics citing the performances as a particularly standout strength. Yet after only 3 seasons, NBC made the decision to cancelHannibaldue to low viewership. The literal cliffhanger ending the series landed on left so much more to explore. It’s possible thataHannibalrevivalcould finally continue the story of a young Hannibal Lecter.
9Marianne
Canceled after 1 season
Foreign-language series seem to have a particularly high standard to meet on Netflix to be allowed to renew for a second season, a barMariannewas sadly unable to clear. The series centers on an author, Emma Larsimon, who soon discovers that the characters and events from her novels are somehow breaching into reality, plaguing her real life. The most dangerous among them is the titular witch, Marianne, who seems hell-bent on taking revenge on her creator by targeting her loved ones.
Mariannewas a tense and satisfying series with a strong overarching mystery, accruing some glowing reviews. Sadly, Netflix ended up pulling the plug onMarianneafter only a single season that was just beginning to hit its narrative stride, citing a low completion rate, particularly among audiences in the show’s native country, France. Due to this claim,Mariannewas cruelly canceled just as it was starting to get good, ending on a dissatisfying point in the story.
8Chucky
It’s surprising that moreclassic 80s slasher movie villainshaven’t gotten in on the TV game with series all to their own, but the pint-sized killer Chucky managed to break the mold with his own self-titled series on SyFy.Chuckycontinued the horror-comedy stylings of theChild’s Playseries with wit and excitement, re-introducing the serial killer Charles Lee Ray to a doll body that comes into the ownership of New Jersey teen Jake Wheeler. The series follows Chucky on his many rampages, frustrated and confined to his doll body.
Tragically, the high budget of Chucky’s very existence as a living doll proved to be too much to justify over time for the SyFy channel, with traditional cable ad revenue not having the same pull it once did. Thus,Chuckywas canceled after a short 3 seasons, though theChild’s Playfranchise likely has many more stories to tell.Chuckyexecutive producer and original character creator Don Mancini acknowledged the viral #RenewChucky campaign that followed in the wake of the series' termination.
7The River
As far as movies are concerned, found footage horror films are quite common, with the format being a popular subgenre ever since the success of 1999’sThe Blair Witch Project.The genre hasn’t seen as much use in the realm of TV, however, though ABC’sThe Rivermade a bold, frightening attempt. The show centers on a boat expedition to rescue a missing explorer deep in the uncharted waters of the Amazon River, where horrific entities and depraved experiments await to torture the mission’s team.
While it could get silly at times,The Riverwas an underrated and genuinely terrifying series that never got the recognition it deserved. Reviews weren’t strong enough to impress ABC to continue the series further than one season, missing out on furhter spine-chilling horror. Even more humiliating, Netflix considered picking upThe Riverafter the ABC cancelation, only to ultimately decline.
6Channel Zero
Canceled after 4 seasons
The digital age has been the center of many incredible horror stories locked away to casual audiences, a gap thatChannel Zerointended to bridge. Another casualty of the SyFy channel,Channel Zeroemulates theseasons ofAmerican Horror Storyas an anthology horror series, with each season taking place in a new setting and following a new group of characters. Each series is loosely based on a popular creepypasta, a sort of online scary story circulated on the internet with the aim of being passed off as real.
At only 6 episodes apiece,Channel Zerowas quite efficient with its time.Channel Zeroenjoyed some great reviews, but eventually was canceled by SyFy for unknown reasons. It’s a shame the series was never able to continue adapting more famous creepypastas into gripping horror episodes.
5Santa Clarita Diet
One of Netflix’s most appallingly shocking cancelations, the story ofSanta Clarita Dietis a damning argument against big streaming services as a trustworthy content platform. The brilliant horror-comedy posits Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as a realtor power couple whose lives are upended when Barrymore’s character Sheila dies and comes back to life as a ravenous zombie. Sheila, her husband, and her daughter all have to work together to maintain her hunger levels on the worst human victims they can find while uncovering the mystery of her condition.
Santa Clarita Dietreaped the benefits of clever writing and a star-studded cast, with each season gaining successively higher critical ratings. This made it all the more shocking that Netflix decided to can the series, with only the vaguest of financial constraints ever being given as a reason. It’s a shame the series was prematurely axed just as the mystery of Sheila’s undeath was beginning to be unraveled.
4Ash Vs Evil Dead
Another amazing horror comedy that couldn’t escape cancelation,Ash vs Evil Deadis a fantastic revival series that deserved better. Putting Bruce Campbell back in the shoes of Ash Williams for the first time in decades, the TV show continued the story of theEvil Deadseries, putting an older (but not much wiser) Ash in charge of a new crusade against the Deadite menace, led by Lucy Lawless' mysterious Ruby. Due to declining ratings over time, Starz limited the show to just three seasons.
Luckily, the showrunners ofAsh vs Evil Deadwere able to see the writing on the wall in season 3, pivoting the series to a satisfying, if slightly rushed, conclusion by the end of the last episode. Bruce Campbell has gone on record blaming Starz’s obscurity for the show’s failures. AnanimatedAsh vs Evil Deadrevivalis confirmed to be in development, hinting that Ash’s story might yet continue into the dystopian future of the finale.
31899
1899is yet another prime example of Netflix often biting off more than they can chew with the production of budget-heavy series. Taking place in the eponymous year, the mixed-language German horror series took place aboard one of the many immigrant vessels headed to America during the long journey to the new world. Along the way, theKerberos’crew and passengers hoping for a better life are beset by strange visions, mysterious occurrences, and terrifying abandoned ghost ships that slowly turn the voyage into a nightmare.
Netflix ended up reneging on their multi-year deal with1899’s producers, canceling the series despite critical praise. The streaming company claimed that the production costs regarding1899’s unique period setting were too much to justify when compared to the series' completion rate. Though creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar initially had two more seasons planned, the many plotlines of1899sadly weren’t given a chance to pan out.
2The Midnight Club
On Netflix, evenhorror creators as highly-esteemed as Mike Flanaganaren’t immune to the whims of higher-ups when it comes to cancelation. Another horror anthology TV series,The Midnight Clubserves as an adaptation of the novel of the same name, centering on a hospice facility full of terminally ill young adults who band together to tell each other scary stories. As the group continues to swap spooky tales, real supernatural events begin to plague their waking lives.
Flanagan had initially intended forThe Midnight Clubto last for two seasons. However, Netflix abruptly canceled the series only three months after its initial premiere, leaving many of the show’s final mysteries unresolved. Controversially, some have speculated that Netflix’s cancelation was less motivated by internal data and more by Flanagan’s then-recent deal with Amazon Prime Video, with the announcement of the latter taking place the very same day as the former.
1Lovecraft Country
As influential as the works of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft have been in the modern day, his writings are undeniably tainted with a fierce racism deemed intense even by the standards of the 1920s.Lovecraft Countrysought to acknowledge and incorporate this controversy into its imaginings of Lovecraftian horror, combining cosmic dread withGet Out-style narratives that rightfully depict prejudice as a terrifying force all of its own. The series followed Korean War veteran Atticus Freeman on a cross-country search for his missing father.
A second season, titledLovecraft Country: Supremacy,was initially planned to continue the story, only for HBO to cancel the series prematurely. While the production costs of the show was the streaming giant’s official explanation for the decision, James Andrew Miller’s controversial bookTinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiersaccused showrunner Misha Green of running a toxic set that led to action by HBO’s higher-ups. Combined with starJonathan Majors' controversial assault allegations,Lovecraft Countrysurely wasn’t long for this Earth despite its grippinghorrornarrative.
