You don’t have to be a diehard horror buff to stan these shows, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
The ’90s TV landscape was rife with thrills and chills, and the fact that many of these series were genre-benders invited even more viewers to the party. There was truly an embarrassment of riches on our small screens. From excellent children’s fare like “Goosebumps,” “Eerie, Indiana,” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” to a healthy run of Stephen King adaptations including “The Stand” and “The Shining,” ’90s television was the perfect playground for aliens, monsters, bloodshed, and other macabre tales.
None of the aforementioned shows made the cut below, but let’s consider them all part of an upstanding crop of Honorable Mentions, shall we? So what did make our list? Scroll down to get a glimpse of the best of the best, then hit the comments with your faves!
5. Tales From the Crypt (1989-1996)
HBO’s cult horror anthology ran for seven seasons, terrifying audiences with tales of murder, monsters, and other mayhem long after the kiddos were fast asleep. Hosted by the horrific and humorous Cryptkeeper (beautifully voiced by John Kassir), “Tales From the Crypt” left no scary stone unturned. From human-on-human violence, to supernatural werewolves, vampires, clowns, and more, “Tales” always delivered a creative cocktail that balanced high camp with grotesque gags. Plus, it served as a starting ground where many big stars cut their teeth either in front of or behind the camera. Watch out for appearances from actors like Kyle MacLachlan, Demi Moore, Terry O’Quinn, Tom Hanks, Dan Aykroyd, Katey Sagal, Wil Wheaton, Whoopi Goldberg, and countless others throughout the series’ 93-episode run, which you can now stream on Shudder or Tubi.
4. IT (1990)
We have much love for Bill Skarsgård’s iteration of Pennywise the Dancing Clown — he received Performer of the Week accolades here on TVLine for reprising the role in HBO’s “IT: Welcome to Derry” — but nothing haunted our childhood nightmares quite like Tim Curry’s version of the sadistic circus sideshow. Star of the stage and screen (obligatory “Rocky Horror Picture Show” nod here), Curry disappeared beneath the clown’s thick white makeup and sinister dealings. Not only did the actor’s vocal work chill our bones, but the physicality behind the performance added layers of unsettling mischief. The clown’s attacks on the children of Derry (dubbed The Losers Club) not only turned their fears into reality, but blurred their perspectives of what was supernatural and what was real-life horror. Kudos are due to Skarsgård, and Andy and Barbara Muschietti for keeping Stephen King’s creation alive, but this gem of a miniseries had us avoiding balloons and sewer grates for over 30 years now.
3. Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017)
There was a lot going down in the town of “Twin Peaks” (understatement of the century), where the murder of local teen Laura Palmer turned a small community on its head. But her tragic demise was only the tip of what was upsetting the community and wreaking havoc on its denizens. David Lynch and Mark Frost’s surrealist story blended horror, drama, and mystery in the series that starred Kyle MacLachlan as the coffee-loving Dale Cooper, the agent working the Palmer case. As with some of Lynch’s other work, “Twin Peaks” dived deep into the abstract, adding elements like the interdimensional black and white lodges, the red room, and an evil entity named Bob. (His face is still etched into our minds!) The horror here is often psychological. Lynch fills its frames with feelings of dread, and a sense that things are always askew. That something, somewhere is lurking in the darkness or in the woods — and definitely in that black lodge — waiting to possess or confuse or knock one’s perspective of reality off its axis. Hell, even the owls were not what they seemed! (Just don’t make us explain that third season, OK?)
2. The X-Files (1993-2002, 2016-2018)
The truth is out there, and the truth is: “The X-Files” is one of the best TV series of all time. So it’s no surprise that it’s nearly topping our list of the best horror shows of the 1990s. While the iconic Mulder and Scully’s main plight surrounded the hunt for extraterrestrials and black oil, the two FBI agents ran into loads of other creepy-crawlies in their quest to uncover conspiracies. If we’re talking most horrific episodes, we’ve got to shout out “Home,” the series’ first episode to display a warning banner for graphic content. The episode led the agents to a clan of inbred, genetic mutants, and if a dead, deformed baby doesn’t get under your skin, you might be already dead.
The scary stuff found in all 11 seasons of “The X-Files” ran the gamut from an obsessed fetishist who latches onto Scully (“Irresistible,” “Orison”), to the monstrous and slimy Eugene Tooms (“Squeeze,” “Tooms”), insect creatures (“Folie à Deux”), and — shoutout to a revival season — Mr. Chuckleteeth (“Familiar”). But the amount of unsettling ETs, monsters-of-the-week, and human villains the agents contended with were seemingly never-ending. And “The X-Files” isn’t quite finished just yet. Director Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”) is taking lead on a reboot series that’s now in production. Plus, the second film sequel, 2008’s “The X-Files: I Want to Believe,” is getting an extended director’s cut!
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
While “Buffy” shined brightly in both its comedic and dramatic departments, the genre-bending WB-turned-UPN series never hesitated to creep us the hell out. Look no further than one of the show’s most renowned episodes, Season 4’s “Hush,” for receipts on just how scary it could be. The demonic (and floating!) Gentlemen’s creepy smiles are forever carved into our mind’s eye, and the fact that they cut out their victims’ hearts? I see your guuuuuh and raise you a nuuuhhh!
“Hush” wasn’t just a one-and-done trip through horror history for the Slayer and her Scoobies. (Be sure to check out our ranking of the show’s 20 best episodes here.) Much of the series’ vampiric lore dealt with buckets of blood and viscera, often leading to the deaths of some truly beloved characters (Jenny! Tara!), and nothing is scarier than life itself. But if we’re looking to name names, Der Kindestod (a Freddy Krueger-like demon preying on sick children), Gnarl (a demon that fed on human skin), and Hans and Gretta Strauss’ monstrous baddie from “Gingerbread” all freaked us out in ways we never thought were possible.
And don’t even get us started on bunnies.
