15 Best Horror TV Series

For a lot of horror fans born in the 80s or early 90s, Canadian anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark? was transitional, gateway viewing. Five years before the similarly themed (but more light-hearted) Goosebumps series aired, the Midnight Society were entertaining each other - and us - with their campfire tales. These varied in quality, but the best of them are still deeply ingrained in the minds of those who grew up with the show. The Tale of the Night Shift, The Tale of the Dead Man's Float and The Tale of the Laughing in the Dark are such episodes that traumatised us as kids. There's nothing wrong with a bit of controlled childhood trauma!

A lot of these episodes likely wouldn't get green-lit today. As well as often being genuinely frightening to its demographic, the series wasn't afraid to get dark now and again, with episodes like The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle. This was back when children's horror gave its audience more credit. Look no further than Nicholas Roeg's The Witches (1990).

As budding young horror fans experiencing this superb introduction to the genre, we were compelled to tune in for the next one because we felt as if we were a part of the Midnight Society ourselves; it was a great narrative set-up and partly what gave it its edge above rival show Goosebumps. But the highlight of this show, and the part that we all remember as adults, is its horrific opening sequence. Even watching that sequence back now is nightmare-inducing.

For kids' TV, Are You Afraid of the Dark? still holds up surprisingly well, and a nostalgic binge-watch is compulsory around Halloween - there's no shame in it!