For horror fans, Halloween isn’t just a holiday – it’s a state of mind. While most studios, networks and streaming platforms are fine with dropping most of their new horror content in the month of October, that’s just not enough to satisfy our jones for new tales of terror. I recently listed some of the new and upcoming horror movies to keep watch for – both this month and the weeks and months to follow – and it’s about time we did the same for TV series as well.
October brought us some excellent new and returning horror shows to networks and streamers, from a new season of Chucky to some chilling premieres like Interview with the Vampire, and there are still plenty more rolling out in the coming weeks. But right now, I’m going to focus on six new horror series that are coming your way soon (as of this writing), and tell you why we’re so stoked for their arrival.
Get ready to set your reminders and mark your calendars for the next round of highly-anticipated horror TV series and miniseries – listed here by their premiere dates and where to find them – and of course, we’ll continue to update this list as new series announcements come in, so keep watch and beware!
While most recent media coverage of Oscar-winning genre superstar Horror del Toro is leaning toward his upcoming stop-motion animated adaptation of Pinocchio (which, I have to say, looks pretty amazing), don’t let the hype overshadow this Halloween-friendly anthology of eight hour-long stories – originally bearing the title 10 After Midnight – with a much more adult-focused tone.
One of the episodes (“Lot 36”) is based on an original story by del Toro himself, but the collection also includes adaptations of two H.P. Lovecraft tales (“Dreams in the Witch House” and “Pickman’s Model”) and award-winning short stories from a wide range of horror and science fiction authors including Michael Shea (“The Autopsy”), Henry Kuttner (“Graveyard Rats”) and Emily Carroll (“The Outside”). The episodes are helmed by equally celebrated genre directors like Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), Vincenzo Natali (Cube) and David Prior (The Empty Man).
Not to be confused with the semi-satirical postmodern slasher movies of the same name, this new horror series skips the meta-angle and goes straight to the heart of what makes urban myths, regional legends and creepypasta tales so appealing to scare-hungry audiences. While definitely not the first show to tackle this topic, this project seems to split from the usual docudrama approach adopted by shows like Lore in favor of a narrative approach, which could help to draw fans of straight fictional horror anthologies as well as lovers of paranormal documentaries.
Urban Legend is one of several “Ghostober” Discovery programs being released throughout the Halloween season presented by Executive Producer Eli Roth.
This intriguing British series revolves around Lucy Chambers (Jessica Raine, The Woman in Black), a woman tormented by frightening visions and unexplained time-jumps, who awakens every night at exactly 3:33 am – the middle of “The Devil’s Hour,” a time during which, according to legend, evil spirits and other supernatural entities are able to interact with the natural world.
The cast features “12th Doctor” Peter Capaldi as an enigmatic man named Gideon, apprehended by police due to his possible connection with a series of murders. Gideon claims to have time-warping powers, and confides to Lucy he has clues to the mystery behind these bizarre phenomena tormenting her every night. Desperate to save herself and her emotionally troubled son, Lucy turns to Gideon for help… but he may in fact be manipulating her as part of his own sinister plan. This one looks incredibly dark and doomy, and I’m looking forward to finding out what Capaldi brings to his ominous character.
After previously tackling complex metaphysical mysteries in the excellent underrated German series Dark, showrunners Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar are turning back the clock to the title year for this enigmatic ensemble drama, while simultaneously keeping one foot firmly planted in current events from Brexit to the Syrian refugee crisis. The story focuses on a shipload of European migrants bound for the United States, driven off course by a series of unexplained phenomena. When they encounter another similar ship reported lost at sea, they soon become entangled in an eerie mystery that may be connected to events and secrets in the characters’ pasts. Not much else is known about the overall plot, but given the elaborate and complex storylines of Dark, expect to give your brain a serious workout on this one.
It’s kind of amazing that Tim Burton hasn’t had a crack at the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky misadventures of The Addams Family until now. But based on the trailers and clips we’ve seen so far, it looks like Burton’s macabre sensibilities will sync up nicely with this spinoff series. The title casting of Jenna Ortega – now a genre superstar thanks to her memorable roles in Scream and X – couldn’t be more fitting, and it’ll be a blast to see her embrace Wednesday’s sinister sensibilities. The story follows Wednesday Addams’s first year at Nevermore Academy, a school for paranormally-gifted students, where she uses her budding psychic abilities to investigate a series of murders, as well as a mysterious link to a curse that has plagued the Addams Family for decades.
With Burton go-to composer Danny Elfman handling the score, we also get some familiar faces in the supporting cast – including Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Gomez & Morticia, and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester. Big-screen Wednesday portrayer Christina Ricci – her career on a new high thanks to her role in Yellowjackets – is also onboard.
Arguably the most eagerly-awaited new horror series of the past year, this adaptation of the hugely popular post-apocalyptic video game series not only looks to have a massive budget, but looks remarkably loyal to the source material. It also features The Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal, in the role of Joel – a smuggler with a dark past tasked with escorting fourteen-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones) out of the quarantine zone and across a plague-devastated United States, now overrun by mutants and well-armed survivors. Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) also joins the cast as Joel’s brother. Rumor has it Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who play Joel and Ellie in the game, will also make guest appearances.
Reportedly the largest television project ever produced in Canada, the series features big-time talent behind the cameras as well, including the game’s original writer, Neil Druckmann. We don’t have an official launch date for this one yet, and most details are pretty hush-hush for now, but we’ll be on the lookout for new info and let you know when it drops.