The Best Original Horror TV Shows to Stream Right Now

This show, based on the comic book of the same name (the art in the titles is by the comic artist Robert Hack), was meant to be a companion to Riverdale on The CW, but moved to Netflix before it even got off the ground. In it, Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men fame plays Sabrina Spellman, half human, half witch, all teenager. She's not like the goodie-goodie, cheesy Sabrinas of decades past. This is more like True Blood with grim teens, where the main character happens to be a betrothed of the Dark Lord.

To be honest, Stranger Things is not really all that scary—but maybe that's just me. I long ago became somewhat inoculated against 80s-style spookiness in the Speilbergian tradition, even if there's a good modicum of Stephen King thrown in. If that combo terrifies you, this show will turn your guts to jelly. Three seasons are streaming; season four is coming in 2022.

For seven seasons on HBO starting in 2008, True Blood told the story of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her blood-sucking immortal paramours, and all the super-natural denizens of Bon Temps, Louisiana. And while there may have been a lot of times it jumped the were-shark and then almost/mostly recovered, it still had plenty of moments of sheer, out-and-out gross-out vampirism that were unforgettable. (That time the King of Louisiana went on the news and (SPOILER) ripped out the newscaster's spine? Legendary!) But, you could probably skip the last two seasons and feel complete.

Netflix doesn't only make originals in English. Dark is the streamer's first in German, and it's three seasons in. The show is all about the fractures in a town when children start to disappear. Throw in some time travel and you encounter problems that go far beyond the confines of a troubled German town.

This anthology show for Stephen King fans is on horror-only streaming service Shudder. Creepshow was originally a film with five stories in it, all by King (including one starring King!), but later sequels had less and less King content. The new show, from The Walking Dead effects master, producer, and director Greg Nicotero, does feature at least one King short story adaptation (Gray Matter); others are adapted from tales by masters like Joe R. Lansdale, Bruce Jones, and King's son, Joe Hill—who as a child also played a part in the original Creepshow movie. Three seasons are streaming.

Showtime's Penny Dreadful almost sounds like Monster Squad on the surface, as it's clear early on that vampires, werewolves, and yes, Frankenstein's monster (and Frankenstein himself) are all here. In fact, it feels almost like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen done right for the screen, at least for a while. It all rests on the back of Eva Green as the heroine and Rory Kinnear as the monster who calls himself John Clare (eventually), who pack in more talent and pathos than you can imagine. It ended a bit abruptly after three seasons—fans didn't know it was over until it said "the end" on the finale—but you can't keep a brand name like that down. Showtime revived it last year with Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, also starring Kinnear.

For decades, fans of Stephen King have known of Castle Rock, Maine. It dates back to The Dead Zone in 1979, and is the setting of so many of his stories that it gets its own Wikipedia page. So, to create an anthology show, Hulu teamed up with JJ Abrams/Bad Robot, and now gets to interweave all sorts of King-ery from Sheriff Pangborn (Scott Glenn) to members of the Torrance family (The Shining) to inmates at Shawshank Prison to a feature role for Annie Wilkes herself from Misery. Big stars, scary stories, in a world you know won't disappoint.

It's a crying shame that HBO cancelled Lovecraft Country after just a single season, but it still stands as one of the most unique and effective horror series of the 21st century. As Atticus Freeman travels the United States of the 1950s seeking his father, he encounters some even deeper darkness. Watch it on HBO Max.

One of the most legendary horror manga ever has an animated adaptation that will seriously squick you out. In Parasyte: The Maxim, young Shinichi is an ordinary teen until an alien creature bonds with his right hand and brings him into a deadly and disgusting invasion. Watch it on Netflix.

Another anthology? Yes, because they're easy to do horror with—since by definition, most horror ends pretty horribly for everyone. Lore is based on the podcast of the same name, acting as a documentary about such topics as ice pick lobotomies, belief in werewolves, serial killers like Burke and Hare, and more. Two seasons are streaming.

In Room 104, each episode is about different people staying in the same room at a hotel. It's not strictly speaking a horror show, as each episode is a different genre. Even the way 104 is created isn't consistent—one episode was shot entirely with an iPhone. But if you want the scares, check out the premiere episode, Ralphie, and see what you think about children with imaginary friends who stick around for life, plus episode three, The Knockandoo. Even when the show is not outright scary, that room is still creepy AF.

Few ghost stories have been as re-told as Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. This one is as loose as the rest, but has 10 episodes to do it right. Mike "Oculus" Flangan is the writer and director of all the episodes. The second "season" is The Haunting of Bly Manor (based on The Turn of the Screw), with a new cast.

Swamp Thing was the unlikely series that launched DC into a more mature era, with top-shelf writer Alan Moore transforming the muck monster into something much deeper and weirder. The 2019 show made for the short-lived DC Unlimited streaming service is now available on The CW's website.

Halloween is right around the corner, and HBO Max, Netflix, Shudder, and other streaming services are happy to serve up some of the best scary movies around.