Binge-Worthy Halloween TV Shows
By Lily-Anne Waywell 30 October 2021
With the spookiest night of the year just around the corner, InQuire Entertainment is here to suggest binge-worthy Halloween TV shows for all tastes and predispositions.
You
Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley delves into the psychology of stalking in this Netflix thriller series. The show follows Joe Goldberg, a charming bookstore manager, infatuated with literature and… you. Unwilling to compromise on the romantic ideal of ‘the one’, You brings you into the first-hand narrative of Joe’s chase for love as he kills his way through any barriers.
Season 3 dropped just in time for Halloween, so spoil yourself with thirty episodes pre-occupied with the darker side of love.
Watch You on Netflix.
The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House was a frightfully successful horror series for director Mike Flanagan (Oculus and Hush). The show, loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name, explores the inhabitants of a haunted house, and the aftermath that follows. On top of jump scares, psychological trauma, and Gothic tropes, each episode features a hidden ghost… So, the real question is, how many ghosts can you spot?
Watch Haunting of Hill House on Netflix.
American Horror Story
An anthology of everything horror, American Horror Story has been a Halloween staple since 2011. Whether you like your horror gory, psychological, or supernatural, there’s an American Horror Story season for you. Within each new instalment is a fresh story to unfold, set in every eerie location imaginable - a haunted house, an asylum, a run-down hotel, a freak show, even the end of the world! Moreover, the show is teeming with high-quality actors such as X-Men’s Evan Peters, the star of 2020’s Ratched, Sarah Paulson, and Oscar-winner Kathy Bates. Take your pick from the show’s ten spine-tingling seasons and get yourself into the Halloween spirit.
Castle Rock
Stephen King is arguably the King of Horror. Having authored an unbelievable sixty-three novels, it’s unsurprising that Sam Shaw was able to establish a Stephen King multiverse with Castle Rock. Immerse yourself in this dark landscape for the Halloween season, and you’ll be welcomed by Shawshank prisoners, demonic clowns, and crazed murderers.
Watch Castle Rock on Amazon Prime’s Starzplay membership.
The Walking Dead
Image Courtesy of AMC Networks
It wouldn’t be Halloween without a zombie apocalypse. A classic component of the horror genre, zombies have dragged their way into the 21st century through hits such as 28 Days Later, I Am Legend and Shawn of the Dead. But when it comes to TV shows, nothing comes close to stealing the spotlight from The Walking Dead. The show follows Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes, who wakes up from a coma to find that he has arrived just in time for a zombie apocalypse. The show delivers on tension, drama and horror as Rick and his crew of survivors struggle to live in this dark dystopian setting.
Watch The Walking Dead on Disney+.
Stranger Things
Following the disappearance of Will Byers, the town of Hawkins turns upside down... From covert government labs to other-worldly creatures and the power of telekinesis, mystery and tension are at the heart of this 2016 sci-fi drama. Rated 8.7 on IMDB, Stranger Things is a popular, well-praised show - and for good reason. It is coated with great acting, writing, cinematography, and music – not to mention the show’s undeniably charming pop-culture references to the 1980s. Bridging the gap between several television genres, Stranger Things has something for everybody.
Watch Stranger Things on Netflix.
What We Do in the Shadows
Assuming the mockumentary style of hit television shows such as NBC’s The Office, and integrating a Halloween favourite, the vampire, is surely a recipe for success. What We Do in the Shadows is a spin-off series of Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clements’ mockumentary movie of the same name, that follows a group of vampires living in Staten Island. The vampires are hit with a variety of struggles both familiar to audiences (squabbles with housemates, facing romantic rejection) and wildly unfamiliar (controlling familiars and world domination). Halloween doesn’t have to mean sleeping with the lights on.
Watch What We Do in the Shadows on BBC iPlayer (season 1-3) or Disney+ (seasons 1-2).
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a classic. For fifty-eight years, the Doctor has protected humanity from what lurks in the depths of the galaxy. Fan favourites include the weeping angels, cybermen, Victorian werewolves, and the Doctor’s age-old nemesis - the Daleks. Each season has a lot to offer and complements the Halloween season perfectly.
Watch Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a darker remake of the well-known family comedy ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’. The show’s four seasons take a gothic twist on the traditional coming-of-age story, as 16-year-old Sabrina struggles to balance the responsibilities of a witch with the everyday life of a modern teenage girl. And if that wasn’t enough, a variety of supernatural incidents act to complicate Sabrina’s life even further. If you can look past the occasional love triangle and general over-sexualisation of teen dramas, Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka gives a chilling performance in this remake of a 90s favourite.
Watch the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix.
Ghosts
Made by the creators and cast of Horrible Histories, Ghosts follows a young couple who inherit the vast but dilapidated Button House from a distant relative. Crowded by the ghosts of past inhabitants (as most stately homes are rumoured to be) the show observes Mike and Alison’s admirable attempt at cohabitation with the supernatural. Brimming with humour, Ghosts is an extremely entertaining watch for the whole family.
Watch Ghosts on BBC iPlayer.
Sitcom Specials
Image Courtesy of Netflix
October is a busy time. Assignments are looming, and it is hopeless to try and avoid the ever-impending countdown to Christmas. So, if you’re short on time but still want to get your Halloween fix, we’ve compiled a list of Halloween specials from your favourite sitcoms and comedy-drama series:
Friends:
- ‘The One with the Halloween Party’ (S08E06)
How I Met Your Mother:
- ‘Slutty Pumpkin’ (S01 E06)
- ’Canning Randy’ (S06 E07)
- ‘The Slutty Pumpkin Returns’ (S07 E08)
New Girl:
- ‘Halloween’ (S02 E06)
The Office:
- ‘Halloween’ (S02 E05)
- ‘Costume Contest’ (S07 E06)
- ‘Spooked’ (S08 E05)
- ‘Here Comes Treble’ (S09 E05)
Modern Family:
- ‘Halloween’ (S02 E06)
- ‘Open House of Horrors’ (S04 E05)
- ‘Halloween 3: AwesomeLand’ (S06 E06)
- ‘Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook’ (S08 E05)
- ‘The Last Halloween’ (S11 E05)
Brooklyn 99:
- ‘Halloween’ (S01 E06)
- ‘Halloween II’ (S01 E04)
- ‘Halloween III’ (S01 E05)
- ‘Halloween IV’ (S01 E04)
- ‘HalloVeen’ (S05 E04)
Parks and Recreation:
- ‘Greg Pikitis’ (S02 E07)
Community:
- ‘Epidemiology’ (S02 E06)
Superstore:
- ‘Halloween Theft’ (S02 E06)
- ‘Sal’s Dead’ (S03 E05)
- ‘Costume Competition’ (S04 E04)
- ‘Trick-or-Treat’ (S05 E06)
Freaks and Geeks:
- ‘Trick of Treats’ (S01 E03)
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