Although gory TV shows can be unsettling, they can also be incredibly captivating. Research suggests that people are drawn to engaging experiences, and consuming horror or violent content can elicit both positive and negative emotional reactions. Some may experience fear or anxiety while watching these shows, while others may find them exciting.
We’ve compiled a list of the most disturbing, graphic, and nightmare-inducing TV series featuring a variety of themes, such as serial killers, vampires, and zombies. Remember that fear is subjective, but at least one of these shows is sure to send shivers down your spine.
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10 Preacher (2016 - 2019)
Developed by Sam Catlin, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the supernatural horror adventure series Preacher is a dark and gritty tale of a Texas preacher named Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), who is possessed by a mysterious entity known as Genesis. Alongside his ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga) and an Irish vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), Custer sets out on a journey across America to find God, who has abandoned his duties in Heaven.
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The story is filled with violence, gore, and black humor, as the trio face off against various enemies, including a secret organization known as The Grail and a powerful and immortal being known as The Saint of Killers. The levels of gore in the series are quite high, with scenes of brutal violence and bloodletting throughout. If you’re a fan of dark and twisted storytelling with a touch of the supernatural, Preacher is definitely worth checking out.
9 The Following (2013 - 2015)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
The Following is a psychological thriller horror TV series that features significant amounts of gore and blood. Created by Kevin Williamson and produced by both Warner Bros. and Outerbanks Entertainment, the show follows a former FBI agent, Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon), who is brought back into the field to track down a serial killer, Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), who has formed a cult of devoted followers.
The show features several graphic and violent scenes, including scenes of murder, torture and mutilation. It also deals with themes of psychological manipulation and mind control, which are often portrayed through intense and disturbing scenes.
8 Tales From the Crypt (1989 - 1996)
HBO
Tales from the Crypt is an American horror anthology television series created by Steven Dodd and William Gaines. It was produced by Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, Walter Hill, Richard Donner, and David Gile for Disney-ABC Domestic Television. It is based on the gruesome EC comic books of the 1950s presented by the legendary Crypt Keeper, an evil ghoul infatuated with horrific puns and gallows humor.
The anthology series recounts a string of appalling yarns, such as yarns of werewolves, zombies, vampires, premature burials, and voodoo priestesses introduced by the show’s decomposing host, the Crypt Keeper. The show is every horror fan’s dream with its brilliant combination of gore, humor, twisted morality, and psychological suspense. While several scenes leave something to be desired, some have over-the-top gore, and others are nightmare-inducing.
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7 Ares (2020)
NETFLIX
Ares is a Dutch horror series that premiered on Netflix on January 17, 2020. Created by Pieter Kuijpers and directed by Job Gosschalk, the series follows a group of friends who become members of a secret society called “Ares” and soon discover that the society is involved in demonic rituals and sacrifices. The series is known for its graphic and gory imagery, as well as its focus on psychological horror and the exploration of power dynamics within the society.
Lovers of gore and graphic TV shows will appreciate this one as it has not only received a 69% audience score on Rotten tomatoes but also caused a stir on social media after its release. It runs for eight 30-minute episodes and stars Jade Olieberg (Rosa Steenwijk), Lisa Smit (Carmen Zwanenburg), Tobias Kersloot (Jacob Wessels), and Robin Boissevain (Roderick van Hall).
6 Penny Dreadful (2014 - 2016)
Showtime
Penny Dreadful is a horror drama series created by former Bond collaborators Sam Mendes and John Logan for Showtime. The series premiered on Showtime in the United States on May 11, 2014, and Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2014. The wickedly fun, chilling, gory, and riotous horror show Penny Dreadful was a monster mashup of famous bloody gothic characters of the 19th century, which Bram Stroker’s Dracula greatly inspired.
Other characters included in the series are Dr. Jekyll & My Hyde, Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein, and countless other supernatural elements, all resurrected by a solid cast. Its plot revolves around Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) and her story about a lady torn between her faith in God and the pursuit of the devil, which takes viewers through loads of occult goodness and lore. Drenched in gore, the series paid a fully committed tribute to its fiction’s horror inspirations.
5 Hannibal (2013 - 2015)
Sony Pictures Television
Hannibal is an American psychological horror-thriller TV series produced by Bryan Fuller for NBC. The series is an adaptation of Thomas Harris’s series of serial-killer novels, which include Red Dragon (1981), Hannibal (1999), and Hannibal Rising (2006). It explores the early relationship between Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), an FBI special investigator, and a renowned cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). Graham is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers, and Lecter is destined to become Graham’s most sly enemy. The show was nothing short of a horror fan’s fever dream.
Hannibal showed some of the most disturbing visuals ever seen on Television; it portrayed murder as performance art, peeling away the human body’s flesh and tendon in a sensual and remarkable slow motion to uncover the heart of darkness within. Packed with gore, it is safe to say that the series is one of the most outrageously violent, grotesque, and horrifying shows ever to grace Television.
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4 The Haunting of Hill House (2018 - Present)
Netflix
The Haunting of Hill House is an American supernatural horror drama television miniseries directed and created by Mike Flanagan and produced by Paramount Television and Amblin Television for Netflix. It is adapted from the 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The series explores a group of siblings from the Crain family who, as kids, grew up in a house that later became the most renowned haunted house in the country. Now all grown, the siblings are forced to return to their home following a tragedy and must finally confront the ghosts of their past and the horrific events that drove them from home.
The most impressive thing about the series is its concept which is already scary enough. Most haunted house films are scary, but with Flanagan’s direction, you should prepare for a show that will glut your soul. Each episode has spooky vibes, and the paranormal activities depicted will have audiences on the edge of their seats.
3 The Strain (2014 - 2017)
The Strain, an adaptation of the novel trilogy The Strain, is an American horror drama television series produced by Carlton Cuse and created by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro. It’s story follows a team investigating a mysterious virus that causes people to turn into evil vampires, which was well-received and even won the Critics Choice Television Award. One of the reasons the show is so terrifying is the heavy use of gore throughout the series, which is portrayed in a very realistic and effective way.
The visual horror of seeing the mysterious and quick deterioration of the human body is particularly unsettling. From worms in the eyeballs to hair and teeth falling out and worse, the series captures the dread of losing control of your physical being and not knowing how to stop it.
2 American Horror Story (2011 - Present)
20th Television/Disney Platform Distribution
American Horror Story is an American anthology horror series created by Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy for the cable network FX. Each season tells a different story and does not overlap with previous ones, making it a self-contained miniseries. The show has received largely positive reviews from critics, while its shock element is part of what makes it thrilling to watch. While fans have better received some seasons than others, the show always manages to bring something fresh to the table with each new season while maintaining its unique and often disturbing perspective.
Whether the story is centered on a haunted house, a cult terrorizing residents, a supernatural hotel, a coven of witches, a freak show, or pays homage to summer camp slasher movies, American Horror Story is not for the faint-hearted or squeamish due to its bold and graphic visuals.
1 Slasher (2016 - 2019)
HanWay Films
Slasher is a Canadian-American anthology horror television series created by Aaron Martin, and as the title suggests, it features wild serial killers leaving behind bloodshed as their next victims fight for their lives. The plot is similar to several horror movies, but the series is superior in its storytelling and gore. The story is captivating and will keep you guessing the killer’s true identity in each season. Most scenes are gory and include elaborate killings, which may disturb some viewers, but gore fans will definitely appreciate it.
From characters being sawed in half and beheaded, to eyes being gouged out, being burned alive, and being eaten by animals after being covered in honey, this series is undoubtedly one of the goriest shows on television.
