7 Great Horror Shows That Everyone Forgot About

Nowadays, it feels like horror on TV is all about evil entities, supernatural creatures, or haunted houses with stylish cinematography. However, the truth is that among big TV productions like The Haunting of Hill House or American Horror Story, for example, a lot of equally creative, bold, and even trailblazing shows have been buried by time: productions that were praised back then but never got the recognition they deserved. Some flew under the radar, others just aged without ever getting a real shot at being rediscovered. And not always because they lacked quality; sometimes it was just bad timing or poor marketing.

Here are 7 of the best horror TV shows that time has pretty much swept away from conversations around the genre.

1) Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful seemed to have everything it needed to become a major reference in the horror genre: it had stunning visuals, really strong performances, and classic characters from Gothic literature all tied together in a super ambitious story. The show follows figures like Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and a mix of supernatural creatures in a dark Victorian London, all connected through the journey of the mysterious Vanessa Ives. But even with Eva Green delivering one of the best performances of the decade, the series ended up falling short. Maybe it was the lack of consistency over time, but also the fact that it was just too niche for a broader audience.

Today, Penny Dreadful barely gets mentioned, even though it was really well received when it first aired. As horror, it’s brilliant – it had real aesthetic value and aimed to bring back the gothic vibe with a personal, artistic twist (even with its flaws). Basically, this was one of those shows that critics loved more than the general audience did, and that’s probably why it slipped through the cracks of people’s memory.

2) Channel Zero

Few series have translated the horror of the internet to TV as well as Channel Zero, but the truth is its production never quite hit the mark because it felt like they never really knew what to do with it. As an anthology, each season was based on a different creepypasta, going for visually striking and conceptually bold horror, but it ended up seriously underrated and mostly forgotten (even by those who watched it). Maybe because it wasn’t well promoted, it’s rare to find someone who even remembers it existed.

The interesting thing is that Channel Zero could easily be compared to American Horror Story: besides the anthology format, it never relied on jump scares, always preferring to build discomfort through atmosphere, symbolism, and story. Sadly, it’s a show that any serious horror fan should’ve had on their radar and remembered with way more respect.

3) Masters of Horror

Masters of Horror, in short, was a great idea that just didn’t come together the way it should have. The plan was to bring together legendary genre directors like John Carpenter, Dario Argento, and Tobe Hooper, giving each full creative freedom to direct an original episode. The show had everything to become a modern classic, but the results were all over the place. Some episodes are pure horror gems, with strong concepts and solid execution. Others feel unfinished or kind of generic, like time and budget got in the way of something truly memorable.

What made the show stand out was exactly seeing what these big names could do without the usual studio pressure. But maybe because there wasn’t a common thread linking the episodes and because the quality bounced around so much, Masters of Horror never really became something unforgettable or timeless.

4) Slasher

Slasher has all the things fans of the genre love: masked killers, creative kills, a constant air of mystery, and that anthology format that lets each season tell a different story. But despite all that, the show never got close to the success other horror titles found on TV. Part of that might be because it’s Canadian and kept switching platforms, making it hard to find and get noticed. As a result, it never became memorable enough to stick around.

The gore in Slasher is really well done, and the pacing usually works. Its biggest issue was a lack of better promotion to get the attention it deserved. While other shows managed to stand out on streaming services, this one stayed on the sidelines, even with solid scripts and a clear respect for the slasher formula. It’s definitely a hidden gem – a show that fans appreciate, but most people barely know about or remember.

5) Scream: The TV Series

Everyone knows Scream as an iconic horror franchise, but did you know it had a TV show? Scream: The TV Series follows a group of friends as a masked killer starts murdering people in the town of Lakewood, consequently bringing secrets to light. For many who watched it, the show does well at what it aims to do: instead of the sarcastic tone from the movies, it takes a more teen drama approach with suspense. But little by little, it lost direction, and it’s no surprise that its third season tried a complete reboot with a new cast, though the audience had already lost interest.

This is another case of a show with great potential that got forgotten because it lost its way and, when compared to the movies, doesn’t hold up to their legacy. Very few people even remember Scream: The TV Series existed, and honestly, it’s the kind of show that might have worked better with a different name.

6) Friday the 13th: The Series

Another attempt to bring a huge franchise to TV – or at least, that’s what people thought. Friday the 13th: The Series had the bad luck of carrying a name that set impossible expectations. Launched in the late ’80s, many assumed it would be connected to Jason Voorhees, but the plot actually revolves around two cousins investigating cursed artifacts linked to an antique store. For viewers back then, that disconnect from the films was a tough pill to swallow.

The show was procedural, focusing on a new dangerous object each episode, with a tone closer to supernatural mystery than graphic horror. It’s not a bad show, quite the opposite, actually, so much so that it’s gained cult status in certain niches today. Still, it’s rarely remembered on its own merits. Friday the 13th: The Series mostly ended up as a curiosity, which is a real shame.

7) One Step Beyond

Everyone knows the impact The Twilight Zone had on TV, but before it came One Step Beyond – and nobody really remembers that one, because it’s basically a ghost in horror history. The series dramatized supernatural events “based on real stories,” with a style almost like a documentary. Each episode was introduced by director and host John Newland and tackled topics like premonitions, ghost sightings, and strange coincidences. The horror was more psychological, built on suggestion. It did well back in the day, but today it’s rarely brought up (even by horror fans).

Part of why it’s so forgotten is because One Step Beyond never had the same visual flair or storytelling punch as the bigger anthologies. It always felt like the “shy, conservative cousin” of The Twilight Zone, even though it was a solid show. Sure, it has historical value and deserves to be rediscovered, but it’s easy to see why most people just forgot about it.

7 Horror TV Shows That Were Way Ahead of Their Time