This year has been a surprisingly great one for horror television shows. Between new seasons of From, Interview with the Vampire, and True Detective, there has been no shortage of great returning shows. Next year is looking bright, too, with series like It: Welcome to Derry, Mayfair Witches season 2, and more set to premiere.
But before we get into 2025, it's time to pay tribute to some of our favorite horror series of 2024, including the latest in the Creep franchise, Evil's final bow, and more.
The Creep Tapes
Mark Duplass returns as his strangely charming yet deeply deranged serial killer, Peachfuzz, who operates by luring unsuspecting filmmakers into various secluded locales to torment them for hours in a deliciously wicked lead-up to their eventual brutal murder. The show plays out much the same as the movies, created by director Patrick Brice and Duplass himself, with every episode featuring a different "tape" and thus a fresh victim.
In some ways, the series feels like a sketch comedy with a dark streak. While some reviewers were critical of the show's repetitive nature, it's undeniably captivating to watch Duplass do his thing as the titular "creep." The Creep Tapes is one of those shows that will work for you perfectly or it won't, and that all comes down to how much you enjoy watching Duplass do his thing. For me, the answer is very much. Keep the tapes coming.
True Detective: Night Country
The latest season of True Detective, from showrunner Issa López (Tigers Are Not Afraid), is a significant departure from previous seasons, notably in that it is the first season to feature two female leads in stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, but also because of its drastic change of setting. Night Country follows in the tradition of acclaimed arctic horror stories like The Thing and The Terror.
Set in a remote Alaskan town in the middle of winter, Night Country sees the leading detectives investigate the disappearance of eight scientists from a research station with a severed tongue left at the scene, the only clue as to what happened. Along with receiving critical acclaim, Night Country has become the most-watched season of the entire series.
Evil season 4
A show that will likely be heralded as one of the most underrated in years to come, Evil sadly ended earlier this year despite consistently landing on the Nielsen Top 10 chart thanks to shared licensing between Paramount+ and Netflix. But I digress.
Though the beloved series ended in 2024, at least fans were lucky enough to get a proper ending from showrunners Robert and Michelle King. After unceremoniously axing the series, the streamer set aside a budget for the creators to wrap up lingering storylines with a bite-size fifth season consisting of four episodes. It was nice to spend at least a little more time with our favorite trio and to give them a proper goodbye.
Dead Boy Detectives
It pains me to add Dead Boy Detectives to this list only because it's a stark reminder that Netflix canceled the series after just one season. Set in the same universe as The Sandman, Dead Boy Detectives follows a pair of ghost teens, Charles and Edwin, who stay behind in the mortal realm rather than move on to the afterlife so they can solve supernatural mysteries and help people.
Dead Boy Detectives was a sweet, quirky show that likely would have run for many seasons during the height of The CW. Unfortunately, the show didn't garner enough views to keep it going, nor, I'm sure, did the very serious allegations against comic book co-creator Neil Gaiman help matters.
From season 3
If you're not watching From then what are you doing? This is the mystery show to binge-watch right now. As puzzling and compelling as series like Lost and Dark, From welcomes us into a warped small town where those who enter can never leave.
Across three seasons, we've learned that there are far more complex reasons behind why these specific people are trapped in this place, with the end of season 3 giving us some of the most significant and satisfactory answers thus far. Based on how the third season concludes, From is shaping up to be one of the best horror/sci-fi shows out there, and I cannot wait to see what's next.
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School
So long, Pretty Little Liars, I feel like I barely got to spend time with this new cast, and Max comes along and gives them the ax. The horror reboot was a nice way to reinvigorate the franchise and easily the best of all the spin-off series the parent show has produced thus far.
In season 2, our girls reunited to attend summer school, only to be terrorized by a new killer named Bloody Rose. While I had my issues with season 2, I'm still disappointed that we won't get to see what would have come next for this persistent group of final girls.
Hysteria!
Peacock's underrated satanic panic dramedy series starring Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, and Bruce Campbell was one of this year's most fun horror series. Set in Michigan during the late 1980s, Hysteria! centers on a town where the local high school's golden boy gets kidnapped, and then his body turns up mutilated, causing the townsfolk to believe a Satanic cult might be at work. A trio of outcasts use this panic to their advantage.
Having formed a metal band, they try to use the hysteria to cultivate a hardcore reputation for their band, but that ends up making the residents think they really are involved with the recent murder and ongoing mysterious events.
Teacup
Another Peacock series that didn't get the appreciation it deserved despite great reviews, Teacup is an adaptation of the Robert R. McCammon novel Stinger. The show, created by Ian McCulloch and executive produced by James Wan, is set on a rural farmstead where a group of people find themselves trapped and at the mercy of a terrifying threat. The less you know going into this one, the better.
Interview with the Vampire season 2
Even though this excellent adaptation of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series is consistently praised as being one of the best television shows on air right now, Interview with the Vampire continues to be overlooked, particularly its star Jacob Anderson who is incredible in the lead role.
The entire cast is phenomenal, really, and the fact this series hasn't received genuine awards attention is mind-boggling. Season 2 picks up with Louis and Claudia traveling to Europe in the aftermath of "killing" Lestat. This season also introduces the major book character Armand. AMC has renewed the show for a third season, which will follow The Vampire Lestat.