15 Best Horror TV Series

Master of the twist ending, Rod Serling, was far ahead of his time when he produced his brainchild, The Twilight Zone. It's the ultimate in anthology television, and is the most influential and imitated entry on this list by a long way. When The Simpson's bases a significant portion of its Treehouse of Horror segments on one series, you know its cultural significance is unquestionable. At 60 years old, this iconic and pioneering series is timeless; in another 60 years' time it's highly likely that we still won't have had a genre anthology that comes close (sorry, Black Mirror).

Its best remembered episode, for good reason, is Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, which starred William Shatner and was directed by Richard Donner. The Twilight Zone often featured 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' type of stories, except, you know - there actually is a wolf. Or in this case, a giant teddy bear-looking gremlin. Yes, the costuming is exceptionally terrible, even for the standards of 1963. But the tension and paranoia of this classic episode are superbly handled.

Other genuinely unsettling standouts include The Masks, The Eye of the Beholder, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, The After Hours, Living Doll... bah! There are too many first-class episodes to list; the memorable stories far outweigh its one or two duds. It's amazing how the show was able to stay so consistently jaw-dropping over its initial five seasons.