The tail end of Stranger Things marked a bold beginning in this year’s slate of horror television. The genre has already been joined by everything from Peacock’s record-breaking remake of The ‘Burbs to the deeply unsettling Netflix limited series, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, with Ryan Murphy’s latest, The Beauty, also in the mix. Nonetheless, there are a lot more horror shows on the way.
From (MGM+)
Season 4 Premieres April 19th
The From season 3 finale gave both more clues and more chills than it ever had before, priming the series for a jam-packed fourth season. The most recent season broached the world beyond the town, which largely invited more questions than it answered. Nonetheless, the season saw some evolution in the town’s daylight-phobic monsters, which seemed to signal a “leveling up” in the town’s quest for answers.
From season 3 also meaningfully introduced the Man in Yellow, a character whose presence was implied as early as season 1. This deep foreshadowing suggested that, for all of its many puzzle pieces, From has an endgame in sight. Not only that, but the climactic finale also cemented that this is all more than a mere thought exercise. Blood will be shed on the townsfolk’s journey back home.
Of course, there’s no telling how many twists will crop up along that journey, but, all told, From season 4 is looking good for viewers who are ready to know just what exactly is going on and see some bone-chilling action in the process.
Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)
Series Premieres April 29th
The upcoming Widow’s Bay is branded as a comedy-horror series, but all the notably brief and ambiguous promotional materials have had an ominous, unsettling feel to them. Matthew Rhys of The Americans and The Beast in Me stars as a “skeptical mayor [who] leads the superstitious residents of a cursed New England island.“
The show is directed and executive produced by Hiro Murai, who worked on Atlanta, Barry, and Station Eleven, all of which carried a unique blend of offbeat, sometimes eerie storytelling balanced out by humor and heart.
From what little we know about it so far, Widow’s Bay offers its own iteration of that feel, with one teaser seeming to begin with a tour of the town, just for the camera not to follow the tour guide as he walks off down the coast and around the corner. If you slow down the final seconds of the teaser, it cuts out to the Apple TV logo in a moment of static, in which a silhouette can be seen standing on the beach.
Whether the show can follow through on this compelling tone remains to be seen, but it’s a reminder that when it comes to TV marketing, less is often more. It’s also a reminder that Apple TV isn’t afraid to “go there” with off-the-wall concepts and bold execution.
American Horror Story (FX & Hulu)
Season 13 Premieres October 31st
So far, it’s largely unknown what American Horror Story season 13 will be about, but if the cast announcements are any indicator, the show is going back to its roots. Beloved early AHS players Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, and Leslie Grossman are all attached to season 13.
The horror anthology giant was a force to be reckoned with in its early — and even middle — years, with seasons varying dramatically in tone, style, and theme while consistently offering a quality story. In recent years, AHS lost some of its claim to quality, with seasons coming and going without much fanfare, but the return of key cast members bodes well for a strong story.
Jessica Lange’s return is especially exciting as she hasn’t appeared on the show since season 8. While more details await, it will be worth tuning in to see if she can bring the show back to its glory days, including how this season’s title sequence will rank among the rest.
It’s also worth noting that American Horror Story has never before premiered on Halloween proper. Perhaps this, too, marks the show’s return to good old-fashioned scares and character development.
Carrie (Prime Video)
Series Premieres October 2026
Mike Flanagan’s highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie marks the creator’s television debut with Prime Video. Flanagan first joined the mainstream horror conversation with several rapid Netflix limited series hits: The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher. Three of the four were inspired by pieces of gothic classic literature.
While his Netflix endeavors were largely a success, adapting the comparatively contemporary — and very much alive and opinionated — Stephen King is a whole new beast. Flanagan previously tested the water with a film adaptation of King’s The Life of Chuck, which, while enjoyable, was generally not given the masterpiece status that his Netflix projects obtained.
Mike Flanagan’s Upcoming Stephen King TV Show Can Fix The Book & Movie’s Biggest Flaw
Mike Flanagan’s next TV project is a Stephen King adaptation, and it’s the perfect chance to fix the biggest flaw of the book and its movies.
Flanagan certainly has his work cut out for him, especially with the 1976 Carrie film being such a success, but he’s proven his worth as a leader in the horror TV genre and an expert adapter to boot. If anyone can breathe new life into Carrie in the never-before-broached format of a television series, it’s Mike Flanagan.
Crystal Lake (Peacock)
Series Premieres December 2026
This Friday the 13th prequel series has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Bates Motel. However, while the dark pre-existing relationship between mother and son is the driving force of the action in Bates Motel, it’s implied that Jason’s childhood death in Friday the 13th is what drove his mother, and later him, to kill.
The show’s mere premise, following the Voorhees mother and son duo before the infamous incident that catalyzed the events of the movies, instantly suggests that there’s more to the story than we previously knew. The writer of the original Friday the 13th will serve as an executive producer on Crystal Lake, which bodes well for the cohesiveness of the franchise.
It: Welcome To Derry (HBO Max)
Season 2 Confirmed
Similarly, It: Welcome to Derry was a great expansion of the on-screen exploration of Stephen King’s famous novel. It comes straight from the minds behind the movies It and It: Chapter Two, making it feel like a direct continuation of those stories. Welcome to Derry season 1 quickly became HBOMax’s third most-watched debut, leaving fans clamoring for more.
At long last, creators Barbara and Andy Muschietti have confirmed that It: Welcome to Derry season 2 is officially in the works. The show’s premise is set up for longevity, as it can continue working its way back in time through each spate of Pennywise attacks, which are 27 years apart. This will also keep the show fresh, as it can reinvent itself each season by presenting Derry in a new decade.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (A24)
Currently In Development
Interestingly, Glen Powell is a core part of the creative and producing team behind the upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre TV series, and isn’t slated to appear on-screen at all. Also at the helm is JT Mollner, who recently wrote the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk. While it’s unclear where the events of the series will fit into the iconic movie’s timeline, this creative team shows promise.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie is historic for its deeply unsettling nature, following the bizarre and horrific acts of Leatherface with little explanation as to why he does what he does. It will be interesting to see how that dynamic fits into the TV format, which, especially in the case of famous horror movie adaptations, has become characterized by slower, more in-depth character exploration.
Nonetheless, the movie’s one-of-a-kind style and compelling found footage storytelling device certainly provide the groundwork for the upcoming series to compete with even the best horror shows on TV.