5 best horror TV shows guaranteed to terrify you this October

The evenings are getting darker, the summer heatwaves are a distant memory – Halloween is almost here.

October is the spookiest time of the year, and it’s perfect for getting wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, turning off the lights and binge watching a terrifying horror TV series.

There’s nothing quite like a good scare, is there? That feeling of creeping dread, the tingle down your spine, the sweat in your palms – ok maybe not that last one – can’t be beat.

Halloween is less than four weeks away – just 27 ghoulish nights to go, which sounds like plenty of time to delve into some dark shows to get you in the… spirit.

Here are some truly horrifying TV shows that – if you’re a fan of things that go bump in the night – you need to check out.

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If you like feeling horribly anxious and enjoy spotting hidden ghosts, then I can’t recommend The Haunting of Hill House enough. 

This nightmarish Netflix series is based on Shirley Jackson’s book of the same name and was directed by horror mastermind Mike Flanagan. A twisty-turny series, the show follows the Crain family as they deal with the horrors that lurk in their new home and try to escape from the paranormal entities that lurk within.  

To say The Haunting of Hill House is scary would be a massive understatement. It’s genuinely disturbing at times, and one of the few shows that had me hiding behind a cushion waiting for the horrors to end.  
 
Still, it’s not all chills and thrills; the series has a deeply satisfying story that’s as complex as the ghosts are horrifying.  

Don’t take my word for it, though. Quentin Tarantino has called it his favourite Netflix show ever, and that’s a man who knows a great story when he sees one.  

The Haunting of Hill House can be streamed on Netflix now

From is kind of like Lost’s younger brother who’s going through a goth phase. What does that tortured metaphor mean? Well, like Lost and similar series, From is a mystery box show, but one that’s full of horrible monsters like the worst jack-in-the-box imaginable. 

If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching, the show follows the Matthews family after they have the bad fortune to drive through a small, unnamed town while on a road trip across the US. Unfortunately, once they drive in, they find themselves trapped – alongside several other residents – and besieged by weird creatures. 

Shows like this, which are slow builds and rely on teasing the audience, are naturally very reliant on their cast to keep viewers engaged, and I think the From cast is exceptional.  

In fact, I’d go so far as to say they’re the show’s secret weapon – especially Harold Perrineau, who plays the town’s poor put-upon sheriff.  

If the summer heat’s getting you down, might I recommend The Terror, a series set in the frozen wilderness of the North Pole. 

All three seasons of From is available to stream on NOW

Based on Dan Simmons’s 2007 novel of the same name, the show follows the crews of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror as they explore the Arctic Archipelago in the hopes of completing the first crossing of the Northwest Passage. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, things don’t go to plan, and the ships find themselves trapped in the tundra. The Terror documents how both crews try and survive in the icy wasteland as tempers fray, and a mysterious creature makes its presence known. 

A dark tale wrapped in the clothes of prestige drama (presumably to keep warm), The Terror is a haunting and entertaining story about the thin line between civility and barbarity. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94% is a must-watch for those who love chilling stories.  

The Terror is available to stream on ITVX