Howdy, witches. It’s October — finally! almost… not soon enough! — and the spooky season is here. Since COVID-19 is inevitably going to change how we all celebrate Halloween this year, we may as well make the best of it, hunker down, and watch scary shit at home.
Thankfully, the entertainment world is full of streaming services with crazy amounts of quality online horror content. The following television shows are just some of the creepy offerings you can check out right now. They might make for great spooky fodder to discuss with all your friends, fans and members that are staying home for Halloween, too!
Lovecraft Country (HBO Max, via Hulu)
Lovecraft Country is a smart, emotional drama filled with bone-tingling horror and mind-bending science-fiction themes. The story is adapted from Matt Ruff’s 2016 book of the same name.
So far, the series has explored race in the United States during the Jim Crow era and many other complicated themes, all while serving up top-notch gore, moving storylines, and beautiful fashion and set pieces. We’re just past the middle of Season 1 (I’m writing this after watching episode 6, “Meet me in Daegu”), so there’s enough time for anyone to start watching and catch up in time for the season 1 finale.
If you want to see if Lovecraft Country is something you’d enjoy, check out The Root’s series “The Safe Negro Guide to ‘Lovecraft Country’” written by Kinitra D. Brooks, professor and horror scholar. Do note that Brooks’ pieces contain a few spoilers.
Channel Zero (Shudder)
This oldie-but-goodie SyFy series ended far too early, in my opinion, but thanks to Shudder, it’s now reaching a bigger audience.
Each of Channel Zero’s four seasons is based on a popular Creepypasta (short horror and science fiction stories found on the internet). My personal favorite is Season 2, No-End House, which concerns a haunted house like no one’s seen before, but Season 1, Candle Cove, which is about a strange children’s show, is quite unsettling, as well.
You can catch all four seasons streaming on Shudder (which is available via a modestly priced subscription fee) now.
The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix)
I recently revisited The Haunting of Hill House, which initially dropped on Netflix a few years ago, to prepare for the series new season, The Haunting of Bly Manor. Although it appears that Season 1 and 2 will have nothing to do with each other, I’m happy I chose to give season 1 a second watch.
The series follows the lives of the Hill family while and after they’ve lived in Hill House, which is supposedly haunted. I’ve heard other people describe the series as This Is Us with ghosts jokingly, but honestly, that description is very accurate. So, if you think you’d enjoy feeling scared and deeply emotional all at once, this series is for you. Stream the first season now, and catch season 2 on October 9.
—
Abbie Stutzer is a queer, non-binary writer living in Kansas City, MO. You can find them doing witchy stuff at home with their numerous pets or at the local animal shelter saving lives. Contact Stutzer via abbie@ynotcam.com.
Background header image via Pexels here.
