Top 9 Horror Shows from the 1990s

If you want to understand where and how modern television developed the 1990's are essential touchstones. There are a lot of very popular, and very influential shows from this period that helped determine where horror, and even television itself branched off to in the following decades.

9. Are You Afraid Of The Dark

This 1990 kids show was one of the first live action horror series aimed at younger audiences. Airing on Canadian network YTV this series may have had some extreme cases of overacting, but the horror elements were effective. Things like ghoulish vampires, and gross looking comic book characters scared many a Canadian youth. The plot of the series was as such a group of kids got together around a campfire every night to tell each other scary stories. A fun premise that is a time honored campfire tradition, and something easily relatable to kids. This was the start of many Canadian actors careers such as Ryan Gosling, Elisha Cuthbert, Jay Baruchel, and Neve Campbell. As a child this was one TV series I had to turn off during the opening credits, it scared me that much.

8. American Gothic

This show executive produced by Sam Rami owes a lot to a later entry in this list. Its depiction of a small town with a dark secret feels very much like Twin Peaks, that is if you removed all of the comedic elements and made it very dark. The show features a corrupt Sheriff (played by Gary Cole), and his mission to reunite his twisted family. Since it is a Sam Rami show expect to see Rami regulars like Bruce Campbell, and his brother Ted Rami make appearances. For fans of current horror television be on the lookout for Sarah Paulson in one of her first breakout roles, she is a recurring character throughout the series. Effectively atmospheric, with an interesting mystery at its core this is a series worth checking out.

7. Goosebumps

If you were a child during the 90s you knew about Goosebumps, and you knew it well. This series based upon R.L. Stine's famous kid friendly horror novels ran from 1995 to 1998, and was an America/Canada co-production. While the stories themselves are pretty easy to figure out from an adult perspective, utilizing a lot of well known horror tropes, for younger audiences less experienced with the genre this was their first exposure to things like vampires, werewolves, and evil dummy's. For a kids show the acting is done fairly well, and there are some decent special effects.

6. Eerie, Indiana

The last of the kid friendly horror shows on the list, Eerie Indiana is by far the best of the bunch. The stories are unique, and it doesn't rely on common horror stories. With the mass amounts of creativity, and the compelling plot this is a must see for horror fans. The series involves a series of bizarre occurrences happening around the town of Eerie, Indiana. Marshall, and his friend Simon spend their time investigating the oddities of the town, and have their own private museum dedicated to cataloging the bizarre. Joe Dante director of horror classics like Gremlins, and The Howling directs 5 episodes of the series including the pilot. The series while mainly kid friendly does have some hidden adult elements in the background if you pay attention. The show was popular enough to get a spin-off series in 1998 called “Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension”, but it only lasted a single season.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The birth of the teenagers fight monsters genre, a genre that takes up about 90% of shows on the CW Network, however watching the show in the modern era it is easy to see why it was so popular. It was created by famed television creator Joss Whedon, and you can really see Whedon's fingerprints throughout every inch of the show. His trademark writing style, his well defined characters, and his ridiculous fight scenes. The series is based off the film of the same name from 1992 although aside from Whedon none of the creative team, or actors carry on to the show. The dialog is without a doubt the best part of this series, however Whedon was not afraid to challenge himself. For example the 4th season episode Hush in which all of the characters lose their ability to speak, leading to an amazing silent episode. Its creativity, and the delightful characters make it well worth a watch. Despite the series ending in 2003 there were comics released telling the stories of what would have occurred in future seasons.

4. Treehouse Of Horror

I know you may be thinking to yourself “that's not its own television show”, and “The Simpsons started in 1989”. My rebuttal to both of those claims is as such 1. The Treehouse Of Horror episodes from The Simpsons do not follow a continuity, or fall within the normal tone of the show. 2. The first Treehouse Of Horror did not air until Season 2 of The Simpsons which aired in 1990. As of last year there have been 26 episodes of Treehouse Of Horror, and everything from Godzilla, to The Shining has been lampooned. Even in the more recent years of The Simpsons this is the one episode of every season worth checking out. The general premise for those of you who have somehow never seen an episode is that on Halloween The Simpsons family get together to tell eachother scary stories, usually lampooning a popular horror story of some sort. For many kids this was the first time they encountered famous Twilight Zone stories, and older black and white horror films. The writing is always outstanding, and the humor mixed with some genuine horror is always an essential element of any good Halloween.

3. The X-Files

Inspired by Kolchak: The Night Stalker this 90's horror series combined the procedural, with the supernatural. Created by Chris Carter this series involved Dana Scully, and Fox Mulder two FBI agents on a mission to solve unexplainable cases that are given to the FBI. The show balances monster of the week episodes, with mythology episodes, always keeping a consistent plotline throughout the series. This is the show that made David Duchovny, and Gillian Anderson stars, and influenced countless knock-offs. The series had two feature films, and despite going a staggering nine seasons the series was revived for another season early this year. While some were not enthused with the eventual ending of the series its still an important cultural touchstone of the 1990s.

2. Ultraviolet

Slick british vampires against an elite task force led by Idris Elba, need I say more? This six episode series from the UK is really well done. They go into deep discussions of the implications of the existence of vampires, and focus a lot on how the undead operate. They acting is outstanding, and the storyline is really compelling. They set up the idea and concept of the vampire hunting task force really well, and in a nice change from many british horror shows the pacing is outstanding. In 2000 the series was attempted to be brought over to North America, with Elba reprising his role however it didn't make it past the pilot stage. If you haven't heard of Ultraviolet give it a watch.

1. Twin Peaks

David Lynch's outstanding series Twin Peaks is by far the best horror show of the 90s, and one of the best shows of all time. It balances weird characters with creepy settings, and a compelling mystery. Kyle MacLachlan absolutely dominates the screen as FBI agent Dale Cooper, and the show is the template for most modern day “mystery” shows. The series only ran two seasons, and ended with a prequel movie in 1992. If you are in the mood for the bizzare and the macabre Twin Peaks is a must see.