Horroras a genre remains significantly more popular in movies than in TV shows, but that doesn’t mean that small screen projects in the genre are lacking, especially in the 2000s. Now, the popularity of Mike Flanagan’s Netflix projects reaffirms that there’s a market for horror TV. Gillian Anderson became famous for portraying Dana Scully onThe X-Files —a highly successful horror show, but also one of the longest-running ones.Supernaturalhas the title of the longest-running horror show in TV history and is the longest-running sci-fi show afterDoctor Who. So, horror is clearly popular beyond the big screen.
For instance, thecast ofThe Walking Deadhas donespinoff shows since its 11-season run ended in 2022. Meanwhile,all of Kevin Bacon’s horror moviesaren’t great, but he’s inextricably linked with the genre, and his new showThe Bondsmansounds promising. Its premise is similar toBrimstone, asci-fi TV show that should be remadesince it got canceled too soon in 1998. LikeBrimstone, many great 2000s horror TV shows have been forgotten.
1 Season, 13 Episodes
Harper’s Island
Harper’s Island is a horror mystery series revolving around a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island for a wedding. As the festivities begin, the guests are drawn into a series of gruesome murders that echo a seven-year-old killing spree. With each episode, the number of survivors dwindles, intensifying the suspense and paranoia among the remaining characters.
Katie Cassidy, famous for playingArrow’s Laurel Lance, afemale TV show character who deserved a better ending, stars as Trish inHarper’s Island. Trish is getting married in the titular location, and her fiancé’s best friend, Abby Mills, who is the protagonist of the show, finally returns there after 7 years. She had been sent away by her father, a police detective, after his wife was murdered by a serial killer as part of his killing spree.
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Soon after Abby’s dreaded return to her homeland, a new spree of murders begins, and this time, everyone is a suspect.Harper’s Islandis an atmospheric limited series with unexpected twists and turns. The ending scene is quite unforgettable, and while the show garnered significant viewership during its first time on air, especially for its final episode, it is rarely talked about today. A slow burn, it uses its 13-episode run to gradually build anticipation as more and more murders and secrets are revealed.
2 Seasons, 26 Episodes
Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror is a television anthology series that premiered in 2005, featuring episodes written and directed by renowned figures in the horror genre. Each episode presents a standalone story exploring various themes and subgenres, showcasing the creative visions of iconic horror filmmakers.
A uniquely entertaining horror show,Masters of Horroris a must-watch for fans of the genre. Conceived by long-time horror filmmaker Mick Garris, who also directed an episode in each season, the series is like a showcase for famous horror directors.Masters of Horroris an anthology showwhere each episode, practically an hour-long horror film, is directed by a different master of the genre, based on a story and a screenplay of their choice.
Imprint, the finale of the first season, was never aired because of concerns over its disturbing content, despite its mature rating.
Masters of Horrornaturally doesn’t have a specific style to it, but instead contains elements in each episode that are trademarks of their directors. It was a hit when it aired, and some of the episodes even had theatrical releases in various parts of the world. The standout episode from the first season isImprint, directed by Takashi Miike, famous for directingAudition, which features ashocking scene that makes viewers audibly gasp. From John Carpenter to Dario Argento, some great directors worked on the episodes, and the show deserves more recognition.
1 Season, 9 Episodes
Glory Days
Glory Days, released in 2002, follows wunderkind author Mike Dolan, who achieved fame at 21 with a controversial exposé on his Maine town. Returning home four years later, Dolan confronts the town’s hostility as he grapples with writer’s block and the search for inspiration.
Kevin Williamson, who wrote the screenplay forScreamand created Ghostface, a horrormovie character who helped reshape genre expectations, also created a horror show in 2002. Williamson had previously created another iconic and famous sensation –Dawson’s Creek– considered one of the best teen shows of all time. He intended to maintain a similar tone, but for the horror genre. However, he was told to makeGlory Daysa mystery show.
Eddie Cahill, who was already famous for portraying Rachel Greene’s attractive assistant inFriends, stars as the protagonist.
The mess that resulted from the studio intervention justifies why the show got canceled after a mere 9 episodes.Eddie Cahill, who was already famous for portraying Rachel Greene’s attractive assistant inFriends, stars as the protagonist. He’s a novelist who returns to his hometown after mysterious occurrences are reported there. While the few episodes that aired and are available surely don’t do justice to Williamson’s vision, the show deserves to be talked about, and that might hopefully create interest in a reboot.
7The Chronicle (2001 – 2002)
1 Season, 22 Episodes
Featuring a dragon and a Bigfoot,The Chronicledepicts bizarre sci-fi phenomena, and it’s unfortunate that such a lovely show got canceled after just one season.Mark Sumner’sNews from the Edgenovel seriesserved as inspiration for the show. It adopts a unique blend of comedy and horror, using a monster-of-the-week pattern for its imaginative episodes. It was originally meant to be a lighthearted version ofThe X-Fileswith half-an-hour-long episodes on NBC, but the network passed on it. The SciFi channel then picked it up for hour-long episodes.
1 Season, 5 Episodes
Dead Set
In this horror series, set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, the remaining contestants of a reality television show are unaware of the chaos unfolding outside the studio. As the undead crisis worsens, the housemates must confront the terrifying new reality beyond their confined environment.
In 2011, one of the most popular sci-fi shows of all time aired on Channel 4.Black Mirror, which continues to charm audiences with its uniquely imaginative dystopia-of-the-week structure, is screenwriter and showrunner Charlie Brooker’s Magnum Opus. But before he started working on the anthology, he had created another unique horror TV show in 2008,based on another E4 show —Big Brother.
Six weeks afterBig Brother’s finale aired, the first episode ofDead Setwas released. It follows people who are working on a fictional season ofBig Brother, where a zombie outbreak occurs during the filming of the episodes. In some ways, it is similar toSilo, asci-fi TV show with an excellent mystery element, as the survivors create a make-shift fortress for themselves to hide from the zombies. Brooker’s signature dark sense of humor can be found in the character interactions, which create drama for the survivors as they clash with each other all the time.
FreakyLinks
FreakyLinks is a television series that aired on Fox in 2000, blending horror, mystery, and comedy. The show, reminiscent of The X-Files, follows Derek Barnes as he investigates supernatural phenomena through his website. Its initial run consisted of 13 episodes before later airing on Chiller and Canadian ONE channel.
Haxan Films, the studio behindThe Blair Witch Project, which was followed up by one of theworst movie sequels of all time, created the showFreakyLinks.The show aired on Fox a year after their famous film had been released in theaters. They continued their work in the found-footage genre with the show as well, which features some memorable jumpscares, but it unfortunately got canceled after 13 episodes. It does have a cult following today, but the show deserves more attention and a possible revival as a newThe X-Files.
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After his twin mysteriously dies, Derek Barnes takes over his brother’s website FreakyLinks.com and decides to run it with the help of his friends. The website investigates claims of rumored supernatural phenomena in the world, andFreakyLinksfollows the central trio of characters as they track down such rumorsfor their work. Alongside reporting on supernatural occurrences, they plan to use the site’s resources to track down what happened to Derek’s brother.
1 Season, 3 Episodes
Rose Red
Rose Red is a 2002 miniseries penned by Stephen King, centering on a mysterious, sprawling mansion in Seattle that seemingly grows on its own. A psychology professor, Dr. Joyce Reardon, assembles an investigative team to explore its paranormal activity. The team’s expedition soon turns into a harrowing ordeal as they encounter the house’s dark secrets and restless spirits. The miniseries blends elements of horror and suspense to unravel a rich narrative.
One of the most popular horror TV shows in recent years is Mike Flanagan’s 2018 Netflix Original seriesThe Haunting of Hill House. It is an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name. The same novel was adapted by Robert Wise over half a century before Flanagan’s show came out. That film, titledThe Haunting, inspired Stephen King to write a screenplay forRose Red, which was meant to be a loose adaptation of Wise’s movie.
Stephen King had originally hoped Steven Spielberg would be interested in making the movie based on his pitch forRose Red, but within 4 years of his pitch, the remake film came out, and the plans had to be scrapped.
After the movie was remade in 1999, King’s screenplay was expanded into a teleplay and turned into a three-episode-long limited series in 2002.Rose Redfollows Dr. Joyce Reardon, played by Nancy Travis, who is known for her role as Vanessa Baxter in the sitcomLast Man Standing. Reardon leads a team of scientists who attempt to record data at the titular mansion, so they can prove the existence of paranormal phenomena. They awaken a vengeful spirit and deaths follow as a consequence. Fans of Flanagan’sHauntingseries should check out this forgotten show.
Night Visions
Night Visions is a horror anthology series released in 2001, featuring two half-hour stories per episode that delve into themes of the supernatural and the darker aspects of human nature. Each story explores eerie and unsettling narratives, providing a variety of chilling tales within a single series.
The obscurity of some older TV shows and movies can be attributed not to a lack of interest, but simply a lack of accessibility. Fox’s unique horror showNight Visionsis one such series. Apart from the rare occasional rerun on a niche channel, all that remains of it are old VHS recordings.Henry Rollins was the uncredited host of the anthology showthat aired thirteen hour-long episodes, each consisting of two half-an-hour segments.
Some brilliant directors, including Tobe Hooper and Joe Dante, worked on it.
Each segment would deal with a certain kind of macabre experience, from murderous bears and the afterlife to serial killers and unhinged individuals. The show featured a stacked cast of brilliant actors, including Timothy Olyphant, Pam Grier, Malcolm McDowell, Bill Pullman, and Natasha Lyonne, who also starred inRussian Doll, anothershort and excellent sci-fi TV show to bingein a day. Several great directors, including Tobe Hooper and Joe Dante, worked on it, and hopefully, somedayNight Visionswill be reappraised, so everyone can access it.
Kingdom Hospital
Kingdom Hospital is a supernatural drama series created by Stephen King. Set in a haunted hospital in Lewiston, Maine, the story follows Dr. Stegman (Bruce Davison) and other hospital staff as they encounter bizarre and unexplainable events that suggest malevolent forces at play. The show, known for its eerie atmosphere, combines elements of horror and medical drama to explore themes of mortality and the supernatural.
Lars von Trier is known for making disturbing and dystopian cinema that explores the extreme depths of depravity in humanity. Hot off the success ofEuropain 1991, Trier createdThe Kingdomin 1994, naming David Lynch’sTwin Peaks, abeloved TV show that should never be rebooted, as one of his inspirations. The show aired a second season in ‘97, and a third in 2022.
Stephen King wrote the teleplay for the American remake of the show in 2004. King had initially conceived it as a miniseries, but it was later developed into a 13-episode-long show, that unfortunately wasn’t renewed for another season. The titular Kingdom Hospital is a hospital built to replace an older one that burned down, on the site of a mill that served the military during the Civil War. Spirits haunt the premises and a psychic woman goes there to seek out a cynical doctor so she can uncover the truth behind the haunting.
1Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006)
1 Season, 8 Episodes
Stephen King adaptations aren’t always promising, even when the author himself is present. One of theauthors who often writes his own movie and TV adaptations, King created the anthology show based on stories from his collection,Nightmares & Dreamscapes. Three of the episodes are adaptations of stories outside the collection, but the rest are based on stories from it.
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While it can be a mixed bag at times,Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen Kingis a fascinating collection of stories that fans of the author’s work will undoubtedly appreciate. It features some remarkable talent in front of the camera and behind it, and was even nominated for five Emmy Awards in 2007, of which, it won two.William H. Macy, who was nominated for an Emmy for his rolein one of the episodes, delivers a standout performance, but the show also features other great actors like William Hurt and Ron Livingston.
