27 best horror shows to watch (and 14 shows you should skip)

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NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 18: (L-R) Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy and Bryan Fuller attend the 2nd annual Paleyfest New York presents: “Hannibal” at Paley Center For Media on October 18, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images) /

Horror shows: Hannibal

Seasons: 3
Created by: Bryan Fuller
Starring: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams and Gillian Anderson
Streaming: Hulu

All these years later, it’s still tough to believe that Hannibal aired on NBC, given its content. Like the title suggests, Hannibal was based on the famed cannibal Hannibal Lecter, specifically on the characters and stories featured in Thomas Harris’s novels. The three-season show focused primarily on the relationship between FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Dr. Lecter (Mads Mikkelson).

Lecter was always destined to become Graham’s enemy, yet he is also one of the only people who understand Graham and how his mind works. The show begins with Graham’s recruitment to investigate a serial killer operating in Minnesota. But over time, Graham starts working with forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lecter to catch killers, despite being unaware that Lecter is secretly a cannibalistic serial killer.

Lecter becomes fascinated by Graham’s ability to empathize with monsters and starts to wonder if he can push Graham into becoming a killer himself. Despite only running for three seasons, Hannibal has garnered a massive cult following and has even gone on to earn so much acclaim that many consider it to be one of the greatest horror shows of all time.

Verdict: WATCH

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