When it comes to horror television over the decades, fans have been spoiled with choices. All corners of television and streaming have featured a wealth of frightening shows, sometimes blending genres with classic chills and concepts to craft memorable productions that stand the test of time. Classics like Dark Shadows and The Outer Limits live alongside modern favorites like Ghosts and iZombie, offering a sampling for all viewers. It’s the perfect representation of the progressive openness of the horror genre, giving fans plenty to chew on and analyze through a lens of terror.
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The top of the heap shouldn’t be much of a surprise by those standards. On Rotten Tomatoes, the all-time best in horror television doesn’t necessarily correlate to a high percentage on the Tomatometer or the audience score, as incorporates additional analysis to its rankings (“best of” lists, etc.), as well as editorial considerations like the longevity and/or impact of a series.
Check out the Top 10 Horror TV shows, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
The Last of Us
While it only has one season (Season 2 premieres on April 13th), The Last of Us is firmly at the top of the list. Holding a 96% critics score and 88% audience score, the adaptation of the Playstation video game series has been lauded for remaining true to the original plot while tweaking and changing where an interesting plot point can play around. Season 2 promises to keep this up, while moving onto plot additions first seen in the game’s sequel.
Stream The Last of Us on Max.
The Haunting of Hill House
Technically, this spot is reserved more for the works of Mike Flanagan, which started with Haunting of Hill House on Netflix. It had been fresh on Netflix at the time of RT’s original list, showing a 93% and 91% rating, respectively. Fall of the House of Usher was Flanagan’s latest series in 2023, landing a 90% critic score and an 80% fan score.
Stream The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix.
From
A newcomer series that originally began life as a YouTube Red project, From is a mysterious horror and science fiction series on MGM+. From premiered in February 2022 on Epix and quickly grabbed an audience among the network’s rebrand the following year. Across three seasons From has a 96% Rotten Tomatoes rating and a 79% audience rating.
The series deals with a U.S. town that traps those who enter it, as well as the current residents. Harold Perrineau from Lost stars as the “self-appointed sheriff” and mayor of the town, attempting to help them navigate the terrors in the woods and escape.
Stream From on MGM+.
American Horror Story
The long-running horror anthology from Ryan Murphy and the folks at FX wrapped up its twelfth season in 2024, setting up a potential final season to close out the extension the network gave the show in 2020. It was named the top show on the Rotten Tomatoes list in 2018, though it’s slid a few spots, looking at today’s statistics. It currently sits at 77% fresh after 12 seasons (the highest is AHS: 1984 at 88%), and 66% audience rating.
Stream American Horror Story on Hulu.
Stranger Things
The Netflix hit is still going strong on Rotten Tomatoes as it heads into its fifth and final season. There is no set release date outside of 2025, but Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has teased what comes next for the franchise and promised the final season won’t leave a “dry eye” in the audience. Through four seasons Stranger Things has a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 90% audience score.
Stranger Things 4 dropped in two parts, starting in May 2022 and continuing on July 1, 2022. The three-year wait between that season and the preceding third season didn’t diminish its impact, so expect similar with the final season.
Stream Stranger Things on Netflix.
The Walking Dead
While the original The Walking Dead is still on the list, the franchise continues to go strong and hold additional spots. The original series has been replaced by several spinoffs, such as The Ones Who Live, starring Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira as Rick and Michonne from the original show. This year will bring a second season of Dead City, the spinoff starring Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan), as well as the next chapter in the Book of Daryl Dixon and Carol. With all that in play, this franchise is sure to continue holding court near the top of the list. Across 11 seasons the flagship series has a 79% Tomatometer score, with the highest being Season 5 at 90%.
Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix.
[RELATED: 10 Best Episodes of The Walking Dead]
Supernatural
The fifth entry on Rotten Tomatoes’ original list, Supernatural, has fallen well out of the top ten. An unsuccessful prequel series and a series finale five years ago would help explain this drop, but you can’t deny it still has popularity with fans and critics. The original CW hit series landed a 93% on the Tomatometer, while it holds a 73% audience rating.
Stream Supernatural on Netflix.
What We Do in the Shadows
Another series that recently aired its final episode, the television adaptation of the Taika Waititi mockumentary vampire film was a perfect mix of classic horror and absurdity. It didn’t make the original RT list due to its premiere coming a year later, but it has claimed a high spot after a six-season run on FX. It currently holds a 96% Tomato rating and a 92% audience rating, and should be at the top of your list for a binge watch.
Stream What We Do in the Shadows on Hulu.
Evil
The Paramount+ and CBS successor to series like The X-Files and Kolchak the Nightstalker, Evil seemed like a winner for the network in the long term. The show was canceled after its fourth season but has seemed to pick up some post-cancellation love after arriving on Netflix. The first three seasons are streaming there, while Season Four is a fixture on Paramount+, for now. Evil rocks a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 85% Audience score.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A top ten series for Rotten Tomatoes in 2018, Buffy has taken a few steps down after creator Joss Whedon was wrapped up in controversy. So while it isn’t as high in the latest list, it still has a firm hold on the audience. It holds an 85% fresh rating from RT critics, while users have given it a 92% approval number.
Stream Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Hulu.
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