To exorcise our demons, TheWrap staffers are confessing the TV shows that scared us the most… and why they still scare us. Happy Halloween
“Hannibal”
I wasn’t initially on board with Bryan Fuller’s “Hannibal” because, really, how legit could a broadcast adaptation of Thomas Harris’s Hannibal Lecter stories really be? Well, it turned out to be extremely legit, as “Hannibal” is the best screen version of those stories. And it’s got every kind of horror that I could want: straight-up frights, gore and, worst of all, existential horror. –Phil Owen
“American Horror Story: Asylum”
American Horror Story: Asylum — It scared me because it was gross. Lamp shades made out of human skin, demonic possession and a sadistic scientist… all taking place in a mental asylum. It was one of the scarier seasons, one I stayed away from until I got so addicted to the series, I had to watch it. Admittedly, I watched the whole season with one eye closed. And slept with one eye open. — Beatrice Verhoeven
“Twin Peaks”
One of David Lynch’s greatest skills as a filmmaker is his ability to unsettle you in ways you never would have expected, and “Twin Peaks” is just covered in that kind of angst-causing weirdness. The sheer experience of “Twin Peaks” really mattered more than the mystery at its core. –Phil Owen
“The X-Files”
The alien mythology got weird, but not that scary. The real scares came from some of the stand-alone monster-of-the-week episodes, like when Mulder and Scully investigated a werewolf sighting — those tracking shots through the woods from the POV of the monster still haunt me. Also, the episode “Detour,” when they had to find a different mysterious monster in the woods. Basically, any episode that took place at night in the woods. — Linda Ge
“Unsolved Mysteries”
I used to watch this show as a kid with my mom and it scared the bejeezus out of me. First off, the intro was creepy as f— and, to this day, I believe the host was some type of ghost or spirit or whatever. Also, these are mysteries that are UNSOLVED. These psycho killers are actually still out there. Could be your neighbor, your contractor, your school teacher… who knows?! — Rasha Ali
“Planet Earth”
Watching what the whole planet gets up to when people aren’t looking is terrifying to me. I can’t help but think it’s all somehow tied into a plot to kill off the entire human race. Also, when I close my eyes to sleep, my nightmares involve a kaleidoscopic bird of paradise putting on an insane plumage-and-dancing show to attract a mate. — Matt Hejl
“The Day After”
The TV movie “The Day After” really freaked me out because it was scary in the sense that it could really happen. It was about a war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that escalates into a full-scale nuclear warfare. The images of mushroom clouds were devastating and quite terrifying. I think it was the first time I ever thought that my family might some day die. It depresses me just thinking about it. — Rosemary Rossi
“Are You Afraid of the Dark?”
This show does not hold up quite so well anymore, but it was plenty scary if you were a kid in the 90s. Episodes featuring vampires, monsters and the omnipresent Dr. Vink (with a “vuh, vuh, vuh”) left a lot of us with our covers over our heads at night. — Joe Otterson
“The Walking Dead”
Other than the whole zombie thing being extremely gross and terrifying, it’s just the whole vibe and atmosphere of the show. Practically everyone is dead from this zombie apocalypse, people have to live in worse than third world conditions and it’s just so freaking hopeless. It’s the darkest show I’ve ever watched. — Rasha Ali
“Twilight Zone”
It’s legendary propensity for telling mindbending tales that were never quite what they seemed never failed to get under my skin. “The Twilight Zone” is beautiful as fuel for every variety of nightmare you could imagine. It’s a brilliant screen distillation of the twisty sci-fi literature that was rife in the mid-20th Century. –Phil Owen
