10 Horror TV Shows That Had No Right To Be This Good
4. In The Flesh
The average horror fan could be more than forgiven for groaning at the mention of yet another zombie show. The 2010s featured a zombie media boom of the likes never before seen, though only a small percentage of the productions attempting to capitalise on The Walking Dead fever were actually any good. Add in the idea of the zombies no longer being, well, zombies, and instead reformed citizens experiencing a new form of governmental surveillance and prejudice? You’re going to lose a fair few people.
Perhaps because of its off-the-wall approach to the zombie narrative, though, BBC Three’s 2013 series In The Flesh instead ended up being one of the best recent takes the genre has seen. Undead with funeral-grade foundation and coloured contacts wandering around small-town Lancashire is not really the usual idea of a zombie epic, but the social and political implications of an integrated society post Rising make for a surprisingly compelling watch.
The series really shines in the relationships between its characters, especially in the queer representation of protagonist Kieren. The zombie genre enables narrative discussions about hatred and mental health in an ironically fresh way, considering many of In The Flesh’s characters are formerly dead, and though it only received a paltry two short seasons, they certainly justify themselves.