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The 2020s started almost three years ago, and so much has happened that sometimes it is hard to keep track. When the world is in turmoil, horror stories tend to emerge and reflect the contemporary situation, ironically giving solace to people who desperately need it. It may be a haunted house, monsters in the dark, or even more mundane things, but regardless of what it is, horror gives people comfort and a place to let go of the worries of the real world. So, it is no surprise that, even though 2022 hasn't ended yet, there is already some great horror material on television produced in this decade.
It is hard to choose the best ones since the decade is far from over. Even this year, there are some highly anticipated horror releases, such as Cabinet Of Curiosities and The Fall of the House of Usher. However, there are already some substantial indicators that this might be one of the strongest decades of TV horror productions in history. That might be jumping the gun, but with so many talented filmmakers focusing on scary stories, it may become true really fast.
The 2020s have been one of the toughest decades to live in, in a very long time. Here are some of the best horror TV shows so far, to give yourself a break from real-world horrors and focus on fictional ones.
7 Calls
An underrated, great AppleTV+ show, Calls is based on a French series with the same name. The innovative part of the show enhances the creepiness of the stories told: there are no narrative visuals. Each episode is a phone call, with the audio accompanied by helpful visual queues and hypnotic equalizers all depicting what the characters are saying in unique ways. It is a nod to the radio shows that used to be so popular and proves how oral storytelling is still so effective even in the era of digital film.
6 Hellbound
Hellbound is a South Korean television miniseries that has taken horror fans by storm. A social commentary on religion (a theme that has been quite popular at the start of this decade) with terrific and innovative imagery – especially the monsters. Yeon Sang-ho, the director of one of the best zombie movies ever made, Train to Busan, is the creator and showrunner of the series. The topic explored is not something unseen, but the focus it gives on the darkness of humanity makes the viewer trapped in watching it until the end. This series explores the very definition of sin and how it is used (in various degrees and ways) to shame people. Hellbound has a lot of gore, so sensitive viewers beware.
5 All of Us Are Dead
All of Us Are Dead was released at the beginning of this year and is already considered one of the best depictions of zombies on television. It is safe to say that South Korea has some great zombie stories, and its tradition makes its way to a gory but, at the same time, innovative show. The series explores the use of mainly one location and the limitations it brings especially the claustrophobic feeling of not being able to leave. The story is fast-paced, dark, and exciting, but the relationships are the core of the show: how much they care about each other is what breaks the viewers' hearts when things start to fall apart.
4 Haunting of Bly Manor
The great Mike Flanagan proved that he knew how to transport a scary story from three centuries ago to nowadays and make it terrifying in The Haunting of Hill House. He did it once again in the second installment of The Haunting series, The Haunting of Bly Manor. The hidden ghosts, the chilling plot, and the romance are intricately connected, creating a powerful story about love and loss. Mixing genres, especially romance and horror, Flanagan created a miniseries for those who like scary stories and root for a couple to beat all odds and be together. The audience follows as a troubled au pair goes to work in a mansion, but the people there have a darker past than she might have anticipated.
3 Midnight Mass
Midnight Mass was a powerful surprise for fans; when it was announced as well as in the trailer, a fundamental part of the narrative was kept a secret: this is a vampire story. Flanagan's take on this blood-sucking creature gives a nod to the original vampires, such as Nosferatu. Midnight Mass is disturbing, dramatic, and an overall sad tale about an island that is taken over by something far more dangerous than vampires: fanaticism. A social commentary on religion (without ever being critical of faith itself) and an indictment of the excuses people make to justify their acts, this is one of the filmmaker’s most complex stories – and where his brilliance as a filmmaker really shines.
2 Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is one of the biggest shows in Showtime history: the first season breaking the record for the most watched show in six years. The series is as brutal as the plane crash the characters have to endure. It has a dynamic structure and knows when to hint and when to actually give information about what happened to that group of girls. A mix of a survival tale and a detective narrative, this show gained audiences worldwide, and people can't wait to see what really happened when the female high school soccer team got lost in the woods after a terrible plane crash and was found 19 months later.
1 The Outsider
An adaptation of the 2018 book by Stephen King, the king of horror, the HBO miniseries The Outsider is one of the best series available to watch today - and some may argue one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made. The writers and directors were able to transport the heavy and intense atmosphere of King's pages with perfection to the screen, as well as his complicated characters and intricate plot. The show is a bit slow at the beginning, but the pace quickly becomes entrancing, and the audience becomes hypnotized to know how the gruesome murder in the small town occurred.