October is right around the corner, and you know what that means - spooky season. My favorite time of the year, where I get to dress up in my warm, fall sweaters, decorate my apartment with way too much orange and black, and get ready for my favorite holiday - Halloween.
While I could spend my spooky time watching all of the Halloween films or the Friday the 13th movies, I’m trying to get into the long-haul with some horror TV shows, and luckily, Amazon Prime has plenty to offer. There are several options to pick from if you’re craving horror, from American Horror Story to Teen Wolf. So, if you want to get ready for the spookiest season of the year, look no further than these horror TV shows on Amazon Prime Video.
American Horror Story (2011 - Present)
If you’re looking for the ultimate show of horror, look no further than American Horror Story. In this popular FX series, viewers are taken through a different story each season, all with their own horrifying twists and turns, from a simple family living in a haunted home, to witches down in New Orleans, to a summer camp in 1984, and more.
Truly, American Horror Story is so popular for a reason. Not only is the AHS cast amazing, including awesome stars like Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Finn Wittrock, the stories are genuinely unsettling. It’ll send chills up your spine constantly, and make you check around in the shadows of your home after watching each episode. Ryan Murphy knocked it out of the park with this scary creation.
Stream American Horror Story on Amazon Prime.
Them (2021)
Next up on the list, we have Them. In this horror series, the audience follows a Black family as they move from their home of North Carolina all the way across the country to Los Angeles. But as they adjust to their new lifestyles, they start to notice that the world around them holds a lot more secrets than they ever believed, and their home isn’t quite what they thought it would be.
Them is a great horror show. I do think there are certain moments that could be done better, but the show has some amazingly scary moments that made me jump, and the casting is out of this world. There are also some great social messages that will make you think, as well. It’s not the best series out there, but for fans of horror, I think you’ll enjoy it. I personally believe it’s one of the best Amazon Prime original shows.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997 - 2003)
In this classic supernatural series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer follows the titular character, Buffy, who is the latest in a line of young women who are known as “vampire slayers” - chosen ones who are selected by fate to battle vampires, demons, and any other forces of darkness that might fall onto humanity.
Buffy was a huge hit for several reasons. The story had plenty of fun supernatural elements, but also had a decent amount of scary situations as well. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast is full of talent, and some characters became so popular that they even got a spinoff, Angel. It’s definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it already.
Stream Buffy, the Vampire Slayer on Amazon Prime.
Panic (2021)
If you’re looking for a good teen series that’s also mixed with horror, Panic is one to see for sure. In this Amazon original, we follow the story of several teenagers who are given the chance to compete in a game of “Panic,” which has increasingly dangerous, life-risking challenges, for the chance to win a ton of money to escape their hometown. But this year, the rules begin to change, and it’s up to these young adults to figure out how to truly win.
I will never forgive Amazon for canceling this show after only one season, because it was so good. It almost reminded me of a different version of The Hunger Games franchise, but with less dystopia-vibes and a lot more scary situations. I wish it had been given the chance to expand more, but you can still check out Season 1.
Grimm (2011 - 2017)
In this horror series, Grimm follows the story of Nicholas Burkhardt, a Portland homicide detective who is the latest in a line of guardians, who are known as Grimms, sworn to keep the balance between humanity and mythological creatures.
I think what I love the most about Grimm is that it’s such a fun combination of genres. While you get your horror moments, filled with scary monsters, plenty of blood, and much more, Grimm is also a show about mysteries, since Nick is a detective and works police cases, creating a very interesting dynamic. It’s always fun to see these intense monsters in a show that still had moments from normal police procedurals.
Haunted State (2019 - 2020)
In this Amazon Original series, Haunted State focuses on the loss of family members, and the ability to communicate with them after they died, with each episode centering on a different location in Wisconsin that has paranormal claims, and a rich history surrounding them.
While this isn’t a fictional horror story, I think that’s what makes Haunted State such a great horror show to watch during this time of the year - because they actually travel to these real-life places, and show you what happens in person. With a paranormal team, backed by a psychologist, it’s the perfect way to spook yourself out before remembering you’re not in Wisconsin - you’re at home, and there are no ghosts near you. But, that won’t stop you from checking your closet before you go to bed.
Stream Haunted State on Amazon Prime.
Teen Wolf (2011 - 2017)
In this popular MTV series, Teen Wolf follows Scott McCall, a high school student who ends up becoming the titular teenage shapeshifter when he is bitten by an alpha werewolf the night before his second year of high school, changing his life forever.
I never thought of Teen Wolf as a “horror series.” It’s not going to send crazy chills up your spine or make you want to turn the TV off because it’s so gross - but, that doesn’t mean that the fantasy still isn’t a lot of fun. The Teen Wolf cast has such great chemistry, with Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed, Dylan O’Brien, and more, and the story is filled with your typical werewolf fun, but mixed with drama and lots of great comedy, as well. It’s a treat, for sure.
Stream Teen Wolf on Amazon Prime.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
Another teen drama? Let’s go! I Know What You Did Last Summer, based on the book of the same name, follows a group of teenagers a year after a car accident they were involved in that killed someone. Now, a killer is hunting them down, one by one, saying that they know what they did last summer.
I mean, how can you get any better than that? It’s a classic premise that has been done over and over again, like the iconic film adaptation of the same novel. However, the TV version on Amazon is still decently fun and has some pretty gory kills for fans of horror, so I think it lives up to the other adaptation well.
Stream I Know What You Did Last Summer on Amazon.
Truth Seekers (2020)
Let’s lighten up the room a little with some horror comedy. Truth Seekers, starring names such as Nick Kroll, Malcom McDowell, Simon Pegg and more, tells the story of regular workers who have normal jobs during the day, but become paranormal investigators at night. That job leads them to search across the United Kingdom to look for ghosts.
It’s a very fun series and honestly very light in tone in comparison to many of the other picks on this list, and one I can whole-heartedly recommend to anyone that likes both horror and laughter. Nick Kroll is always amazing in any role he does, and truly knocks it out of the park with Truth Seekers.
Stream Truth Seekers on Amazon Prime.
Lore (2017 - 2018)
In this Amazon Prime original series, Lore combines a mixture of documentary footage and cinematic scenes to tell horror stories and their origins, and how they have evolved over the years, from the tales of the beginning of medicine to the horror story of the ice pick lobotomy.
In my eyes, Lore was an anthology series that was canceled too soon. There are so many horror stories in the world and the fact that this only lasted two seasons is appalling considering there could have been so many more episodes. Regardless, Lore is a horrifyingly creepy series that will not only teach you some dark points in human history, but has well-filmed cinematic scenes that make it feel like you’re watching a horror movie. My personal favorite episode is “The Beast Within.”
With Halloween around the corner, Amazon Prime is just one of the many places you can go to watch some scary shows. With plenty of options to pick from, hopefully one can keep you satiated this fall. Meanwhile, I’m going to go and watch AHS again while I wait for Halloween Ends.
