Spooky season is upon us! Time for things that go bump in the night and TV shows full of thrills and chills for Halloween. Here are some picks of shows that I’ve enjoyed and recommend watching when you’re looking for creepy, yet entertaining TV show anthologies.
Creeped Out
In this TV series, each episode is a series of spellbinding, enchanting, and intriguing tales curated by a figure called “The Curious” that will bring chills to its viewers. Each character must navigate their way through the unexplained throughout the episodes.
Creeped Out is a good anthology series with two seasons on Netflix. It reminds me of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? which I used to watch all of the time except these stories are aimed at a newer generation. The stories are eerie and have just the right amount of spookiness! It’s good for viewers of all ages and the tales give off that campfire fire story feel.
Goedam
When night falls on the city, shadows and spirits come alive in this horror anthology series centered on urban legends from South Korea.
This Netflix series episodes are extremely short as Goedam focuses on the bit-sized horror aspect of the anthology, which means sometimes the stories scares heavily rely on jump scares. In this collection of stories, some were a hit or miss for me, but as a whole, I enjoyed this show. The viewing experience will be a bit different depending on your scare level. Because you know that something bad will happen, the stories waste no time launching into the action of each plot. One of the episodes that stuck out to me is Destination! It was my favorite episode overall and it left me feeling unsettled.
Yamishibai
In this animated series, a mysterious, yellow-masked Storyteller whose origin is unknown appears at dusk where children gather and recite sinister tales based on Japanese urban legends, which his young audience eerily intakes. To tell each story He incorporates a kamishibai, a traditional paper-scrolling device, to add visuals to tell each tale.
Each episode in this anthology series is based on Japanese urban legends/folklore and only runs about four minutes long. Though the episodes are super short I still find the stories to be spine-chilling. I usually don’t like horror shows that rely on jump-scares, but they felt genuine/well-placed along with the eerie music. I’ve watched Seasons One and Two and have enjoyed them thoroughly. The use of a paper-style animation to reflect the kamishibai storytelling effect is really cool!
The Terror
This show is adapted from Dan Simmons’s 2007 novel by the same name for the first season, but each season follows a brand new story. The first season focuses on the story of the real-life HMS Terror, a specialized warship, and how it was trying to complete a trip through the Artic and was never heard from again. Season Two, The Terror: Infamy, centers on a series of bizarre deaths that haunt a Japanese American community, and a young man’s journey to understand and combat the malevolent entity responsible.
With a fantastic cast and lots of spooky supernatural elements, both seasons of this show were very entertaining to watch! The horror is a slow build-up especially when the crew becomes stranded and they realize that something lurks outside the ship they reside in. The plot, period costumes, authenticity, rich culture, and spook factors are done incredibly well, and watching this series is an immersive experience. While there were some jump scare moments a lot of the horror was subtle and really built up in the last couple of episodes. It’s a carefully crafted show where the suspense really pulls the reader into the overall narrative.
Lore
Just like the popular podcast of the same name, this TV series uncovers real-life events that spawned people’s darkest nightmares. The series blends animation in with excellent storytelling and narration.
Just like the podcast, the TV adaptation gives off the same creepy vibes. Based on historical events, the show goes into detail about the subject of each episode with very detailed visuals. I liked that it doesn’t stray too far from its source material and that it uses mixed media forms to tell each story. Some episodes are pretty creepy! If you enjoy the podcast, you may want to give this TV version a view.
What are some of your favorite Horror anthologies to watch during the Halloween season? Let us know in the comments.
