The 7 Best Paranormal Shows

*Originally published on 11/8/10



7. Show: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Network: Nickelodeon
Why it's spooky:
I know, you're thinking it's a fantasy cartoon on Nickelodeon, how scary can it be? You'd be surprised. The first season finale is one of the most jaw dropping, epic, and downright eerie things you'll see. When Aang goes into his godmode, water golem/Avatar state and tears the fire nation a new one while an eerie chant plays in the background, I guarantee you that chills will go up your spine. Also Hama, just Hama. The show's primary focus isn't horror, on the contrary, it's quite lighthearted and funny, but when it wants to be scary; it succeeds in spades.

6. Show: Yu Yu Hakusho
Network: Cartoon Network
Why it's spooky:

The show is more action oriented, but there are still some creepy moments. Seeing Rando shrink Kuwabara down to the size of an action figure and proceed to crush him and snap his bones like twigs is disturbing and quite cringe inducing. The older Toguro brother who appears later is also quite eerie. Listing all of the characters who could potentially give you the heebie jeebies would take forever, but know that there are definitely some creepy villains in this show.

5. Show: Lost
Network: ABC
Why it's spooky:

The island was so weird. The polar bear was only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, when it came to odd phenomenon. There were voices, violent natives who were happy to abduct or kill you, Ben Linus, and of course, the one and only smoke monster. It sounds silly, but when you heard that howl, you knew stuff was going to go down. It also becomes clear as the series progresses that old smokey is not one to be trifled with.

4. Show:Sightings
Network: Sci-Fi Channel
Why it's spooky:

Unlike the other shows, this one was more news oriented. Tim White hosted this Dateline style show that told viewers of instances of paranormal activity or unexplained phenomenon. Most people tend to shrug off stories of that nature, but this show embraced it. The fact that these were all based on true stories makes it that much creepier in comparison to a work of fiction.

3. Show: Tales from the Crypt
Network: HBO
Why it's spooky:

Much like The Twilight Zone, this show was an anthology series that revolved around self contained "one and done" episodes. They utilized various horror tropes, but the most terrifying thing about the show was the crypt keeper's puns. OK, the crypt keeper was awesome because of it, but still, those jokes were baaad.

2. Show: The Twilight Zone
Network: CBS
Why it's spooky:

You can't really go to plot points as this was an anthology show, but there were some great ideas throughout. The show is an iconic classic for a reason. Not only were there spooky moments, but it also had philosophical commentary that wasn't pretentious or condescending to viewers. You could also count on an episode to provide a twist at the end. Some examples of Twilight Zone creepiness include a gremlin sabotaging a plane mid-flight, aliens who pretend to befriend mankind so that they can cook them, and another group of aliens who tamper with our electronic devices just to screw with us and watch us turn on each other.

1. Show: The X-Files
Network: Fox
Why it's spooky:

Do I really need to explain this one? It's the X-Files. It thrived on creepiness, from invasive alien oil to elaborate government conspiracies, this show had it all. The theme song was suitably mysterious and spine tingling. Heck, even Stephen King himself wrote the script to an episode. The first season also had an episode where Brad Dourif guest starred. As you would expect, Dourif turns in a great performance that leaves you unnerved and enthralled at the same time. While there were definite shortcomings in the overall arc, the show had some very creepy stand alone episodes.