The scariest sci-fi shows and where to stream them this Halloween

Yes, spooky season is upon us. That means it’s time for haunted houses, trips to the pumpkin patch and watching lots and lots of scary stuff on TV. And if scary sci-fi TV series are your jam, then be thankful, because there are so many spooky, scary things on television to watch this Halloween.

On this list, we’ve got a variety of great shows for you to watch. From the old to the new, very scary to definitely scary, there’s plenty out there on television for just about every horror fan.

So, here are our top five recommendations for scary shows to watch, plus some amazing honorable mentions at the bottom of this list as well.

Scariest sci-fi shows to stream

1. American Horror Story 

Seasons: 10
Where to stream: Hulu
Why you should watch: Nothing beats the weird worlds that are created from the minds of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. This series is spooky, campy, and every bit dramatic. And it’s no wonder that the series has been around on FX for so long. For the most part, if you want to skip seasons, that’s no problem since this is an anthology series. Each season is set in a new location with new characters (though the cast is sometimes the same). But no matter what, from murder houses, to witches to aliens, there’s definitely a little bit of something for everyone.

2. Stranger Things

Seasons: 3
Where to stream: Netflix
Why you should watch: For something that’s very much sci-fi when it comes to horror, Stranger Things has become the godfather of this genre on TV. Taking place in the ’80s, the town of Hawkins, Indiana, experiences a strange turn of events as schoolboy Will Byers goes missing. As the entire town (including his group of friends) go searching for him, they find something incredibly strange and scary has taken over the town. Even after the story in season 1 gets wrapped up, the mystery builds up from there as they uncover the backstory behind the monster’s occurrence. And with season 4 on the horizon, you won’t want to be left out of the loop!

3. Lovecraft Country

Seasons: 1
Where to stream: HBO Max
Why you should watch: This Emmy-nominated series is like nothing else on television. Lovecraft Country is set in Jim Crow America. And with the cast being predominantly Black, they deal with not only the horrors of racism at the time but also the mythic monsters of legend that seem to plague them around every corner. In it, Atticus Freeman tries to solve the mystery behind his father’s disappearance. But it opens him up to a world filled with monsters, magic and even time travel. Every episode of this series is uniquely different, and you never know what you’re going to get ’til you watch it.

4. Black Mirror

Seasons: 5 + an interactive special
Where to stream: HBO Max
Why you should watch: If monsters and magic aren’t your thing when it comes to scary situations, but more grounded, apocalyptic horror is, look no further than Black Mirror. For the most part, almost every Black Mirror episode takes something from our everyday lives in technology… and then imagines the worst scenario possible. What if you could record everything you see? What if robo-dogs were sent to hunt humans? Not every episode of Black Mirror is scary, but you’ll certainly find plenty of episodes that imagine the doom, gloom and terror that could strike society in this modern age.

5. The Twilight Zone (1959)

Seasons: 5
Where to stream: Hulu
Why you should watch: If you want something that’s way more old school than the other choices on this list, you have to give The Twilight Zone a try. (We’re recommending the original over the Jordan Peele revival.) Rod Serling appears in each episode as the narrator of the story that’s about to unfold. And you can’t help but feel the eeriness settle in as the world in each episode is turned on its head. There are certainly some classics, such as “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” But you really can’t go wrong with any of these imaginative episodes.

Honorable mentions

• The Outsider (HBO Max)
• Penny Dreadful (Showtime)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Hulu)
• Supernatural (Netflix)
• X-Files (Hulu)
• Twin Peaks (Hulu)

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