10 Horror Shows You've Probably Never Heard Of

For as enduringly popular as horror is, television wasn’t always an accommodating medium for the genre. Horror stories may regularly feature evil that cannot die, but television networks were skilled at cancelling scary shows before they had a chance to find an audience. There would be an errant success story here and there, but it wasn’t until long-running series like The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit the scene that horror became perceived as lucrative.

Even now, in the age of streaming, numerous horror shows come and go without being noticed or gaining support. The following horror shows fit into that category as ones that only the most dedicated horror fans remember gracing their TVs. From intelligent ghost stories to murder mysteries with high body counts, these are 10 horror shows you’ve probably never heard of.

10 'Nightmare Cafe' (1992)

In Nightmare Cafe, two strangers who died in a watery grave are given a second chance by a mystical diner that has the power to grant wishes and punish evil people. Recently deceased Fay (Lindsay Frost) and Frank (Jack Coleman) become the cook and the waitress of the café, led by the enigmatic owner Blackie (Robert Englund). Each episode would see a new diner enter the café and receive guidance or assistance from Fay and Frank.

Nightmare Cafe is less outright horror and more a science fiction and fantasy hybrid packaged as a horror anthology, but it’s notable for the involvement of master horror director Wes Craven as a co-creator. Tonally, Nightmare Cafe jumps between melodrama, dark comedy, and meta winking at the camera, resulting in a show that defies simple categorization. Low ratings caused NBC to pull Nightmare Cafe after only six episodes, ending an audacious experiment in storytelling on network television.

9 'The Enfield Haunting' (2015)

Although UK viewers are very familiar with The Enfield Haunting, U.S. audiences might not be aware of the three-episode miniseries. Based on the reported events related to the “Enfield Poltergeist,” the series tells the story of a family besieged by malevolent spirits in their Enfield, London, home. Supernatural investigator Maurice Grosse (Timothy Spall) and jaded but respected paranormal investigator Guy Lyon Playfair (Matthew Macfadyen) arrive to help the family, but neither is prepared for the forces they’ll encounter.

In a short period of time, The Enfield Haunting is able to build the characters into three-dimensional people before upping the tension and scares. Much like with the real-life events, The Enfield Haunting doesn’t omit the questionable aspects of the case, inviting the viewer to make their own decisions about the validity of the family’s claims. Grounded, disarmingly creepy, and well-acted, The Enfield Haunting is a horror drama that plays well for those who typically avoid the genre.

8 'Harper's Island' (2009)

A week of wedding festivities on a small island becomes the site for a massacre in Harper’s Island. Airing on CBS in 2009, Harper’s Island followed a wedding party that became a target for a mysterious killer with possible ties to shocking murders from the past. As each attendee falls to the killer, the list of suspects narrows down to a surprising reveal.

Harper’s Island was a unique and unexpected addition to the CBS lineup, as the series featured at least one network-censor-friendly murder per episode. Much like the anthology series Slasher, Harper’s Island took the plot structure of a slasher movie and stretched it out over multiple installments in a move that was ahead of its time. A second season for Harper’s Island that would have introduced new characters didn’t move forward, but that hasn’t stopped the first season from becoming an underrated horror gem.

7 'American Gothic' (1995–1996)

Outside of horror aficionados, there won’t be many who remember the short-lived CBS series American Gothic. An eerie drama spliced with supernatural horror, American Gothic followed Caleb Temple (Lucas Black), a young boy being pursued by his biological father, the town’s corrupt sheriff Lucas Buck (Gary Cole). Episodes would see Buck attempt to manipulate Cole using his supernatural powers, and the boy resisting with the aid of a few townspeople and his ghost sister Merlyn (Sarah Paulson).

There weren’t many shows at the time attempting to tell a long serialized story with horror elements, such as American Gothic, and for that, it’s remembered as being one of the best horror shows of the '90s. American Gothic is worth checking out for Cole alone, as his scene-chewing turn as Buck is a charismatic display of unrepentant evil. The series never had to answer questions like, “How do we explain ghosts aging?” because American Gothic was cancelled after one season.

6 'Dead Set' (2008)

Audiences plan their days around new episodes of Black Mirror, but they might be less familiar with creator Charlie Brooker's BBC zombie miniseries Dead Set. The series tells the story of a fictional taping of the UK Big Brother being interrupted by a small case of the zombie apocalypse. As the body count rises outside, the contestants and production crew fortify themselves inside the set to hold off the inevitable breach.

For those who like their horror served with dry comedy, Dead Set mocks the cutthroat and superficial aspects of the entertainment business while unleashing zombie carnage. While it may seem like zombies have attacked every possible setting in every possible time period, Dead Set’s angle of it happening during the filming of a live show, and a recognizable one at that, still feels like a fresh concept years after its release.

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5 'Brimstone' (1998–1999)

The '90s would see Fox introduce many high-concept shows that wouldn’t normally have a chance in the prime time slot, one of which was the horror mystery procedural Brimstone. The series follows Zeke Stone (Peter Horton), a New York City police detective whose soul ends up in hell due to murdering the man who assaulted his wife. When 113 souls escape from Hell, the Devil (John Glover) offers Zeke a chance to recapture the damned souls in exchange for his freedom.

Brimstone would have a much easier time finding an audience in a modern era of streamers tailored toward niche audiences, but the moody series didn’t have the same opportunities in the late '90s. Brimstone was a genre-bending piece of addictive television, combining noir sensibilities with horror and fantasy into a case-of-the-week format that could have continued for years. Instead, Fox cancelled the series after 13 episodes.

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4 'Psychoville' (2009–2011)

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Before Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton created one of the best anthology series of the 21st century with Inside No. 9, they introduced a bizarre cast of characters in the horror comedy Psychoville. In the series, a seemingly unrelated group of people receive an anonymous letter that reads “I know what you did.” Each episode takes viewers one step closer to learning what shameful act unites the strangers and who wants to make them pay.

Shearsmith and Pemberton have an uncanny ability to combine humor and horror in a way that can make the audience uncomfortable and laugh at the same time. This is on full display in Psychoville, where characters such as the aspiring serial killer David (Pemberton) and his doting mother Maureen (Shearsmith) deliver deadpan hilarity while also testing viewers’ ability not to cringe at their closeness. Not only does Psychoville feature a compelling mystery alongside the unforgettable characters, but the series also has future Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya in an early but prominent role.

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3 'Outcast' (2016–2017)

Based on the comic book of the same name by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta, Outcast tells the story of Kyle Barnes (Patrick Fugit), a withdrawn man who has firsthand experience with demonic possessions. While still sorting through his own trauma and social exile, Kyle agrees to help Reverend John Anderson in his attempts to exorcise demons from those who become possessed. In these efforts, Kyle learns he may have a special ability that can change the tide of their struggles.

From the first episode until the last, there is a thick atmosphere of dread that lingers in every scene. Outcast is a horror show unafraid of using disturbing imagery during its depictions of possession, and it’s done with such a grounded presentation that those moments of horror cut deep. Although well-acted and brimming with long-term potential, Outcast didn’t find an audience on Cinemax and was cancelled after two seasons.

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2 'Channel Zero' (2016–2018)

The underwatched anthology series Channel Zero should have something interesting to offer any type of horror fan. Using the online short story forum Creepypasta as its inspiration, Channel Zero uses each season to adapt one popular story. The source material is brief by design, allowing Channel Zero to expand the short story's mythos and concepts thoroughly in six-episode seasons.

Channel Zero didn’t pull strong ratings on the Syfy network despite its quality, but favorable reviews from a growing audience have helped it earn a reputation as one of the best horror shows of the 2010s. The stories vary from a children’s television show that only a few children are able to see, to an imaginary friend with lethal capabilities, but each season has an otherworldly and detached feeling that is rarely found in televised horror.

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1 'Marianne' (2019)

One of the best new horror shows to come out within the last ten years is the creepy and unsettling Netflix series Marianne. Victoire Du Bois stars as Emma Larsimon, a popular horror writer who plans to retire her fan favorite character. However, a shocking reunion with someone from her hometown leads Emma to confront terrors she assumed only existed on the page.

While hardcore horror fans are aware of the French series, many other Netflix subscribers most likely missed Marianne when it debuted on the streamer. Low viewership numbers didn’t give Netflix enough confidence to grant the show a second season, but Marianne has since developed a cult following with fans quick to spread the word of its greatness. Although there were exciting opportunities to explore in a second Marianne season, the first season wraps up well enough that no one should feel left hanging when it’s over.