In this current media landscape, where it seems like new genre shows are released every single day, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that there was once a time when horror fans had very little to look forward to when tuning in to the small screen.
These days, it’s more likely that you’re worried about having too many horror shows to watch rather than the opposite, with this overabundance being a major reason why so many quality programs end up lost in the shuffle.
There are other contributing factors as well, such as incompetent networks refusing to market their projects properly and scheduling too many similar projects at once, but the fact remains that plenty of legitimately great horror shows have come and gone over the years. With that in mind, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six scary TV shows that horror fans might have missed, as some of these underrated productions still deserve a second chance at finding their audience!
As usual, this brief list is purely based on personal opinion, so please don’t consider it a definitive guide to underrated horror programming. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own obscure favorites if you think we missed a particularly good one.
With that out of the way, onto the list.
6. Harper’s Island (2009)
From Chucky to Chiller’s Slasher (and even A24’s upcoming Crystal Lake series), we’ve seen countless examples of how the slasher genre can be successfully translated to the small screen. However, what not many horror fans know is that a few of these shows wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for the innovative thrills of Harper’s Island.
This thirteen-episode event series about a destination wedding gone horribly wrong may not have been the ratings juggernaut that CBS intended it to be, but there’s no denying that the show’s whodunnit thrills and Slasher-inspired serial killing paved the way for future horrific programming.
Plus, the whole thing feels like a late-2000s horror flick (complete with a cheesy soundtrack), so what’s not to love?
5. Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (2022)
Likely the most popular property on this list, you’ve almost certainly seen out-of-context clips of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared even if you’ve never actually sat down to watch Joe Pelling, Becky Sloan, and Baker Terry’s demented satire of children’s programming. However, while the original YouTube series was immensely popular, there are still many die-hard fans out there who remain tragically unaware that the show had a second life on UK television back in 2022.
Premiering on All-4, this additional set of episodes is arguably just as humorous/unsettling as the YouTube originals, so it’s a shame that it was overlooked by most horror-comedy enthusiasts. Thankfully, it’s now a lot easier for international viewers to stream the full series, so there’s really no excuse to avoid revisiting this kid’s show from hell!
4. The River (2012)
While he’s best known as the creator of the Paranormal Activity franchise, Oren Peli has been involved in several other innovative horror properties, both big and small. And one of the filmmaker’s most underrated projects happens to be ABC’s first and only foray into Found Footage programming, 2012’s criminally underseen The River.
A supernatural mystery series set deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, this short-lived show had the potential to become the next Lost if only mainstream audiences could have warmed up to the Found Footage gimmick – and if the network had invested a bit more money into the special effects.
That being said, the show’s single season is still worth watching if you’re into tropical terror and Latin American folklore!
3. The Kirlian Frequency (2017-2021)
An animated anthology show combining the supernatural thrills of classics like Tales From the Crypt and The Twilight Zone with a retro horror aesthetic, this Argentinian production was something of an international hit back when it was first released. Unfortunately, copyright issues led to the series falling into obscurity once it was unceremoniously removed from Netflix.
This is a real shame, as Cristian Ponce’s two-season passion project remains one of the spookiest examples of animated horror on TV, as well as proof that mainstream audiences can overcome subtitles if a foreign program is entertaining enough!
2. Todd & The Book of Pure Evil (2010-2012)
In the decade or so that I’ve been writing about horror, I’ve only ever met one other fan of Todd & The Book of Pure Evil that wasn’t introduced to the show by my own insistent recommendation. This has always baffled me, as this high-school horror comedy feels like one of the only worthy successors to Buffy as well as a prescient blueprint for Starz’s later success with Ash vs Evil Dead.
Featuring heavy metal humor and more deconstructed genre tropes than a Scream movie, Todd & his friends should be fan-favorite characters in the horror community by now.
Of course, the gang’s condition as underdogs isn’t all that surprising when you consider the show’s tagline: “Fighting evil with mixed results.”
1. Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi (2012-2023)
While he’s best known for Noroi: The Curse (one of the greatest Found Footage movies of all time), Japanese filmmaker Koji Shiraishi is a surprisingly prolific auteur. Unfortunately, many of Shiraishi’s projects never make it abroad, with restrictive distribution deals meaning that many fans aren’t even aware of chilling gems like Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi.
A sprawling anthology series composed of several feature-length mockumentaries where paranormal investigators tackle everything from the Slit-Mouthed Woman to absurd yokais, this criminally underseen dive into Japanese urban legends is a delightful treat for genre fans – if you can manage to track down these elusive episodes online.
