Horror continues to be a dominating force in film with new original stories taking the world by storm and legends of the genre being resurrected.The Black Phonerecently hit theaters, delivering a horrifying new slasher, andJordan Peele’s next filmNopeis set to bring a new kind of alien invasion story to the big screen. Plus, Michael Myers and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) will have a brutal finale in October withHalloween Ends. Horror’s presence has even extended to the small screen, with plenty of horror shows for fans of the genre to enjoy.
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Original series likeAmerican Horror Story,The Terror, and whateverMidnight MasscreatorMike Flanaganis cooking up have given horror fans plenty of great scary content over the years. Even some of horror’s most notable film franchises have made the transition to TV. Franchises likeScream,Child’s Play,I Know What You Did Last Summer,The Purgeand more have brought their stories to the small screen. Yet, there are still plenty of other notable horror franchises that deserve to head to the small screen, or maybe even deserve a second chance at it.
‘The Town That Dreaded Sundown’
DirectorCharles B. Pierce’s 1976 cult classic slasherThe Town That Dreaded Sundowndid garner a 2014 remake fromBlumhousebut presents a greater opportunity to jump to the small screen.
There aren’t many slasher TV series out there and a series focusing on the Phantom Killers’ gruesome acts in Texarkana could easily entice horror fans. With the franchise’s cult status, it could easily garner a wider fanbase in being new to some, and seeing the Phantom Killer’s simple, but haunting visage on the small screen could make him a more notable name in the genre.
‘Leprechaun’
Hey, if Chucky can have his own series, why can’t the Leprechaun (Warwick Davis)? Sure,Leprechaunbecame a bit of joke franchise because of its titular killer’s silliness and the weird places the franchise went, but that doesn’t mean aLeprechaunTV series wouldn’t be a blast.
Leprechaunhas provided horror fans with some of the wildest kills in the slasher sub-genre and the quips of its titular killer have made him enjoyably memorable. If anything,Leprechaunhas shown its versatility through the years, so it could easily transition to the small screen.
Some would say that theSawfranchise’s story is basicallya mix of a soap opera and a police procedural because of how convoluted and investigative its ongoing plot is. So, why couldn’t that make for a great TV series?
Spiral: From the Book of Sawpresented a story set in theSawuniverse that didn’t involve Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), but rather took inspiration for its own original story. A potential series could easily do the same thing, and present a twisty story full of soap opera/procedural vibes.
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‘Puppet Master’
Puppet Master’s franchise history is incredibly complicated, controversial, and confusing, so it’s in desperate need of a reboot that could come in the form of a series.
Given the series' absurd number of sequels, it’s surprising that a TV show has never gotten off the ground. Fans would adore seeing the eclectic crew of killer puppets introduced in the 1989 film raise hell on the small screen, and a TV adaptation could be a great opportunity to start a new legacy for the franchise.
‘Fright Night’
Fright Nighthas all the makings of a great TV show, as its central story of a horror-obsessed teen realizing that his new neighbor is a blood-hungry vampire would be great to watch over the course of a season.
Both the 1985 original and 2011 remake showed the incredible fun and horror of watching this bout between a teen and his vampire neighbor, and it could easily work for telling a cat-and-mouse game of suspense. Also, vampires NEED to be scary again, andFright Nightcould make that happen.
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’
While Freddy Krueger did have his own series at one point withFreddy’s Nightmares, let’s face it, it’s not what we wanted in anA Nightmare on Elm Streetseries.
Fans don’t want Freddy to host an anthology series where he only appears in a few of the episodes as a killer. They want to seeA Nightmare on Elm Streetstretched out as an entire series where Freddy terrorizes people’s dreams. The potential for aNightmareseries to constantly blur reality and let Freddy have some creative kills makes me only want it even more. Plus,Robert Englundisn’t getting any younger, so we need to have him back as Freddy as soon as possible.
‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
Leatherface and theTexas Chainsaw Massacrefranchise have had quite a bad run over the years with its movies, most recently with the 2022Netflixrequel that wasbashed by just about everyone.
So, maybe it’s time for the series to transition to the small screen. The films have always shown an interest in exploring Leatherface’s family, and a series on them would allow the franchise to expand more on its lore and characters while also letting Leatherface rack up some bloody kills.
‘Christine’
Christineis one ofStephen King’s most uniquely haunting stories, as it sees the titular killer car killing those in its path or that seek to harm her owner Arnie.
While there’s already been a well-received film adaptation fromJohn Carpenter,anda remake on the wayfrom Blumhouse andHannibalcreatorBryan Fuller,Christineis also worthy of a TV adaptation. Over the last few years, we’ve seen plenty of King stories become series, andChristine’s slow-burning nature and uniqueness in horror could make for an equally unique series.
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‘Trick ‘r Treat’
Shows likeAmerican Horror StoryandThe Terrorhave shown that horror fans and wider audiences are interested in horror anthologies. So, why can’t a breakout hit likeTrick ‘r Treatmake it on the small screen too?
DirectorMichael Dougherty’sTrick ‘r Treatnot only gave viewers multiple original horror stories fitting for its Halloween setting, but also introduced a small but fearsome protector of the holiday in Sam.Trick ‘r Treatcould easily serve as a new horror anthology series that’ll bring horror fans closer than ever to their favorite time of year.
‘28 Days Later’
WithThe Walking Deadfinally coming to an end, zombie fans will be on the hunt for something to fill the void and a series based on28 Days Latercould do that.
To this day, directorDanny Boyle’s 2002 breakout horror hit still terrifies audiences and plays an influential role in zombie movies. The films have always been about delving into the perspectives of its survivors and expanding its world lore, so a series would be incredibly fitting.
