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Best Horror TV Series of the 1980s

92 Horror series that started in the 1980s, ranked by popularity

All Horror series All series from the 1980s
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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

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Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood
Pacing & structure
Humor style
Themes & subject matter
Characters & perspective
Emotional payoff
Craft & style
Format & audience
Viewing-culture clusters
Intensity & content character
92 series

The Twilight Zone

★ 7.7
13K 66 1985–1989
Anthology · Episodic · Unsettling

Friday the 13th: The Series

★ 7.6
5K 72 1987–1990
Supernatural · Monster horror

Freddy's Nightmares

★ 6.2
4K 44 1988–1990
Monster horror · Anthology

The Day of the Triffids

★ 7.3
3K 6 1981–1981
Drama · Horror · Sci-Fi

Hammer House of Horror

★ 7.4
3K 13 1980–1980
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

The Hitchhiker

★ 6.7
2K 85 1983–1997
Drama · Horror · Mystery

The Ray Bradbury Theater

★ 7.3
2K 65 1985–1992
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

War of the Worlds

★ 6.5
2K 44 1988–1990
Action · Adventure · Horror

Grandma's House

★ 7.0
1K 24 1987–1987
Animation · Family · Horror

Werewolf

★ 7.8
1K 29 1987–1988
Horror · Thriller

The Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor

★ 7.5
1K 12 1989–1992
Action · Animation · Horror

Elvira's Movie Macabre

★ 8.3
710 432 1981–1997
Comedy · Horror

Up All Night

★ 8.5
615 934 1989–1998
Comedy · Drama · Horror

Fox Mystery Theater

★ 7.1
601 13 1984–1984
Drama · Horror · Mystery

The Little Vampire

★ 7.5
507 13 1986–1987
Family · Horror

Darkroom

★ 7.2
396 16 1981–1982
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

Little Tragedies

★ 7.9
366 3 1980–1980
Drama · History · Horror

Shades of Darkness

★ 7.7
355 9 1983–1986
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

The Hound of the Baskervilles

★ 6.9
327 4 1982–1982
Crime · Horror · Mystery

Inspector Black Cat

★ 7.6
320 5 1984–1987
Animation · Family · Horror

Hora marcada

★ 7.8
296 99 1988–1990
Fantasy · Horror · Mystery

Fight! Iczer-1

★ 6.3
295 3 1985–1987
Animation · Horror · Sci-Fi

Night Flight

★ 8.6
294 31 1981–2018
Animation · Comedy · Horror

Fantômas

★ 6.5
283 4 1980–1980
Crime · Horror · Mystery
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