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

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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 Invisible Man

★ 7.1
266 6 1984–1984
Crime · Drama · Horror

Something Is Out There

★ 6.6
261 8 1988–1989
Horror · Sci-Fi

The Nightmare Man

★ 6.7
244 4 1981–1981
Horror · Sci-Fi · Thriller

Seagull Island

★ 6.0
242 5 1981–present
Adventure · Drama · Horror

Uncle Silas

★ 7.1
182 3 1989–1989
Drama · Horror · Mystery

Les documents interdits

★ 7.3
177 13 1989–present
Horror · Mystery · Sci-Fi

Painajainen

★ 7.6
158 4 1988–1988
Horror · Mystery

Moviedrome

★ 9.0
149 82 1988–2000
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

The Mad Death

★ 6.8
145 3 1983–1983
Drama · Horror

Brivido giallo

★ 5.9
138 4 1987–1989
Drama · Horror · Mystery

Valentina

★ 5.7
131 13 1989–1989
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

El maleficio

★ 8.2
126 320 1983–1984
Horror · Mystery · Thriller

Commander USA's Groovie Movies

★ 8.2
119 125 1985–1989
Adventure · Comedy · Horror

Nightmare Classics

★ 6.0
113 4 1989–1989
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

The Dark Side of the Sun

★ 7.3
112 6 1983–1983
Fantasy · Horror · Mystery

Don Dracula

★ 6.5
112 8 1982–1982
Animation · Comedy · Horror

El pulpo negro

★ 7.7
110 13 1985–present
Action · Crime · Horror

West Country Tales

★ 7.8
98 14 1982–1983
Horror

Alice to Nowhere

★ 6.7
96 2 1986–1986
Crime · Drama · Horror

Dragon Century

★ 6.8
78 2 1988–present
Animation · Fantasy · Horror

Shadow of the Cobra

★ 7.0
76 2 1989–1989
Crime · Drama · Horror

Worlds Beyond

★ 6.7
72 13 1986–1986
Drama · Fantasy · Horror

Shuten Douji

★ 6.0
62 4 1989–1991
Animation · Horror

The Devil's Game

★ 6.6
56 6 1981–1981
Fantasy · Horror
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