Top 11 Horror shows from the 2010's

Welcome to the modern era, an era where there are enough horror series to make a top 20 so rest assured there is a good chance one of your favorites may have been left off. Don't take it personally, there's just an insane amount of horror television in the modern day, and there are no signs of it slowing down in the years to come.

11. Slasher: The newest show on this list Slasher is an horror series from the “Chiller” network. This is their first foray into original content, and its entertaining albeit a little uneven. Much like a good slasher film the storyline is fairly simple. On Halloween night a couple is brutally murdered by a serial killer, and their baby is the only thing left alive. Sarah the child from that fateful night returns home after many years of absence, and with her return comes a string of mysterious murders. The series is planning on following a path similar to American Horror Story in which a new plot, with new characters is introduced each season. The first season has just wrapped up, and while it isn't perfect the series certainly has potential.

10. The Walking Dead: Based on the comic series written by Robert Kirkman, this extremely popular AMC show is pretty self explanitory. A group of survivors lead by ex-cop Rick Grimes must survive in the world of the undead. The series would be much higher on this list if the seasons were consistent. The constant switching of show runners has hindered the overall appeal of the series, but it is still well worth a watch.

9. Darknet: The super Canadian horror series has a really interesting approach to its anthology format. The episode begins with a short 5-10 minute sequence that ends in some type of horrific death, the death that occurs is then revealed to be a video on “darknet” a video service specializing in showcasing horrific deaths. The death at the start of the video is tied in to the remainder of the episode in some twist that occurs throughout. It is interesting to see how seemingly unrelated stories are tied together in a unique, and horrifying way.

8. American Horror Story: One of the most influential horror series in recent years, and has become the template shows like “Slasher” yearn to follow. The series rank on this list is mainly due to personal preference. The first season is a fantastic story that ties together a lot of disparate elements into a co-herent, and creepy plot line. The remaining seasons however have not managed to hit the same highs, and the second season in particular attempted to cram too many ideas into a single story. Still for those interested in the state, and future of horror television American Horror Story is a good place to start.

7. Bates Motel: This prequel series to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is way better then it has any right to be. Who would have thought that the ongoing exploits of cinema's deadliest momma's boy, would make such an entertaining series. Actress Vera Farmiga ads an element of prestige to the series, despite its ridiculous origins. Worth watching if you are interested in how The Bates Motel came to be one of the spookiest horror locales of all time.

6. iZombie: Well written, and delightfully bizzare iZombie revives the tired trope of “The Zombie” and turns it into something unique. Based upon the comic written by Chris Roberson the series plays out like a fun police procedural with some horror elements mixed in. After getting infected at a party Olivia joins the ranks of the living dead, working as a mortician she eats the brains of the dead which help her determine how they died. She gains a few specific memories, and certain bad habits of the people she eats. It is a geuniely fun premise that has a great cast of characters, with an ongoing plot that keeps you coming back for more.

5. Scream: The movie Scream is credited with revitalizing the horror genre, and keeping the slasher movie alive. The tv series of the same name doesn't reinvent horror television, far from it, its not even the most self aware series on this list. However what it does do is present a compelling mystery with a great cast of characters that works well together. When characters die you have emotional investment which is more than you can say about a lot of entries on this list. The first season had a good follow through, and ended with a cliffhanger that will hopefully make season 2 even better.

4. Ash Vs. Evil Dead: Sam Rami's Evil Dead franchise is one of if not thee greatest horror trilogy of all time. So when Starz announced they were creating a new continuation starring Bruce Campbell it was a big deal for the horror community. Lucky for us the series manages to capture the fun, and craziness of the original films. Bruce Campbell manages to fall right back into the role of Ash Williams, and the characters bumbling attempts at heroism is always a good time. The idea of the series is that Ash accidentally reads from the necronomicon, and needs to recapture all the evil he unknowingly released. While it has some humorous elements the actions, and failures of Ash have consequences, leading to many characters getting killed because of his stupidity. The first season ends in a very unexpected way that leaves it open to a very unique, and bizzare second season.

3. Death Valley: This one season comedy series feels like an amazing mix of cops, Parks and Recreation, and X-Files. The mockumentary series follows a group of cops who are specially equipped for dealing with the paranormal. The humor is outstanding, and the satire is really effective. Sequences like Vampire prositutes, disorderly zombies, and feral werewolves all help to create a unique sense of how the world operates. The focus of the series is character based comedy, but they go out of their way to make the world seem more believable which elevates the series from being just another run of the mill comedy. Running for only 12 episodes this hilarious horror-comedy is madatory viewing.

2. Scream Queens: The most meta, and ridiculous entry of the list Scream Queens is an absolute delight to behold. The wacky characters, mixed with the insane plot all work together expertly. Surprisingly enough the series features a few deep cuts into the horror genre for those who have devoted their lives to watching horror media. There are shots directly lifted from The Excorcist 3, Silence Of The Lambs, Urban Legend, The Shining, and a whole lot more. Made from the same creative team as Glee Scream Queens presents a look into the college of your nightmares. Plus having real life Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis in an pivotal role helps to elevate your horror cache.

1. Hannibal: Silence Of The Lambs is one of the greatest horror films of all time, and was even the academy award winner of 1991. So if you were going to bring a horror icon to TV it would seem really counter intuitive to recast one of the most iconic horror villains. However not only does Bryan Fuller do just that, he manages to make a series ripe with artistic merit, and in many ways surpasses what the film was able to achieve. The series really pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable on network television, featuring gore you'd expect to be relegated to the likes of HBO not NBC. The core performances between Hugh Dancy, and Mads Mikkelsen are outstanding, and you really connect with the characters. Truly an iconic, and artistic series with a lot of complex themes, making it worth multiple viewings.