Horrific tv
July 7, 2014 1:17 PM Subscribe
We've watched Hannibal together. We're halfway through Penny Dreadful. What tv show should my sister and I watch together next? It doesn't have to be horror(ish), but that's what tends to work best for us.
These shows are the limit of my gore. I am considering Sleepy Hollow (I liked season 1; she hasn't seen it). She's seen a lot of horror stuff, so less well known (no Walking Dead, American Horror Story) or less recent would be best (also then her friends haven't seen them and don't tell her upcoming plotlines which she is then constitutionally incapable of spoiling for me). I like shows that are either intelligent or that stuff 3 hours of plot into each episode, but in any case I want shows that aren't actively stupid or likely to get me angry at them.
I don't care if the shows are fantasy or sci-fi or just straight horror, I don't care if the shows have cheap effects, I don't want subtitles.
These shows are the limit of my gore. I am considering Sleepy Hollow (I liked season 1; she hasn't seen it). She's seen a lot of horror stuff, so less well known (no Walking Dead, American Horror Story) or less recent would be best (also then her friends haven't seen them and don't tell her upcoming plotlines which she is then constitutionally incapable of spoiling for me). I like shows that are either intelligent or that stuff 3 hours of plot into each episode, but in any case I want shows that aren't actively stupid or likely to get me angry at them.
I don't care if the shows are fantasy or sci-fi or just straight horror, I don't care if the shows have cheap effects, I don't want subtitles.
What about Orphan Black?
posted by barnone at 1:22 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by barnone at 1:22 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
2nding Orphan Black and what about Dracula (the NBC show)?
posted by DarlingBri at 1:26 PM on July 7, 2014
posted by DarlingBri at 1:26 PM on July 7, 2014
Ripper Street is pretty interesting and gory and not-nice in a LOT of ways. Available on Netflix.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:27 PM on July 7, 2014
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:27 PM on July 7, 2014
Response by poster: I watch Orphan Black already. But it would have been perfect otherwise.
posted by jeather at 1:28 PM on July 7, 2014
posted by jeather at 1:28 PM on July 7, 2014
How about Survivors? A massive virus knocks out most of the population of the Earth, and a group of survivors bands together.
It's British, it's compelling, and it has some very neat parallels to the Walking Dead (but no zombies), so that's something to compare and contrast.
On preview: In the Flesh is SO good!
posted by mochapickle at 1:33 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's British, it's compelling, and it has some very neat parallels to the Walking Dead (but no zombies), so that's something to compare and contrast.
On preview: In the Flesh is SO good!
posted by mochapickle at 1:33 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
In a different vein, I highly highly recommend the amazing mini-series Top of the Lake. It's sort of eerie-spooky-beautiful-intriguing and is wonderfully shot by Jane Campion. Definitely not horror, but really worth the 7 episodes.
posted by barnone at 1:34 PM on July 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by barnone at 1:34 PM on July 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
The series was canceled on a cliffhanger and its a slow build, but I really loved Carnivale. The horror is more suggestive most of the time, but its a pretty creepy show.
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:37 PM on July 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:37 PM on July 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
I have two suggestions, both smaller British shows created by Charlie Brooker. Dead Set is about a zombie apocalypse, but the twist is that it's set in the Big Brother house (during a fictional season). Black Mirror is more a modern Twilight Zone than horror, but it's also quite dark and .. will probably sit for you with a while after the show is over.
posted by jess at 1:45 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by jess at 1:45 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I've got some British ones for you: Jekyll, Utopia and Garth Marenghi's Dark Place.
posted by fallingleaves at 2:00 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by fallingleaves at 2:00 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Returned and Top of the Lake are great. So is Sherlock. Misfits is really good for the first few seasons too, the characters are brilliant.
Older stuff includes X-Files, Millennium, Fringe, early Supernatural , later seasons of The Killing (the first season can kiss my ass) and the stupid but enjoyable Dark Angel.
Dead Set sounds amazing, where can you watch it in the US?
posted by fshgrl at 2:00 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Older stuff includes X-Files, Millennium, Fringe, early Supernatural , later seasons of The Killing (the first season can kiss my ass) and the stupid but enjoyable Dark Angel.
Dead Set sounds amazing, where can you watch it in the US?
posted by fshgrl at 2:00 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'd suggest you get in on the Arrow train. It's fantastic.
posted by inturnaround at 2:03 PM on July 7, 2014
posted by inturnaround at 2:03 PM on July 7, 2014
In the interest of full disclosure the first 5 or 7 episodes of Arrow were like a poorly acted parody of the first few episodes of the OC. Absolute dreck. Then it suddenly turned into a completely different show and got much, much better.
posted by fshgrl at 2:09 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by fshgrl at 2:09 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Strain starts next week. Seems to be getting a lot of positive buzz, but also might be too gory to meet your needs.
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:13 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by gnomeloaf at 2:13 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Thirding True Detective. I'm in the middle of it right now!
posted by radioamy at 2:22 PM on July 7, 2014
posted by radioamy at 2:22 PM on July 7, 2014
Luther! At least the first series, which is all I've seen so far.
posted by paulcole at 2:25 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by paulcole at 2:25 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Jekyll was a BBC miniseries I found both interesting and scary.
The dearly departed Threshold is sci-fi/horror and had some scenes that are burned into my brain forever (one of which turned me permanently off gardening). It was cancelled before its time, but I adored it, and also it had both Brent Spiner and Peter Dinklage, so it's totally worth the frustration of the lost ending.
My housemate and I are closing in on the series finale of Whitechapel, a show that started off a bog-standard modern Jack the Ripper "spin-off" and has grown progressively more fucked up and terrifying with each of its 4 seasons. It's also got some great characters and relationships going for it.
I can also vouch for Carnivale, Luther (AWESOME), and Survivors.
I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on this thread, obviously. :)
posted by kythuen at 2:41 PM on July 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
The dearly departed Threshold is sci-fi/horror and had some scenes that are burned into my brain forever (one of which turned me permanently off gardening). It was cancelled before its time, but I adored it, and also it had both Brent Spiner and Peter Dinklage, so it's totally worth the frustration of the lost ending.
My housemate and I are closing in on the series finale of Whitechapel, a show that started off a bog-standard modern Jack the Ripper "spin-off" and has grown progressively more fucked up and terrifying with each of its 4 seasons. It's also got some great characters and relationships going for it.
I can also vouch for Carnivale, Luther (AWESOME), and Survivors.
I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on this thread, obviously. :)
posted by kythuen at 2:41 PM on July 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Nott horror or gore, but both Orange is the New Black and House of Cards are intelligent, dramatic, and have very intense characters and storylines that might grab you.
posted by erst at 3:04 PM on July 7, 2014
posted by erst at 3:04 PM on July 7, 2014
Creepy crime: Durham County. Watched it for the first time, then started over again immediately.
posted by scratch at 5:50 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by scratch at 5:50 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Ooh. Have you watched American Gothic? It was only on for 1 season, but it has Gary Cole and was created by Shaun Cassidy of all people. It's creepy and I loved it.
posted by bibliogrrl at 6:08 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by bibliogrrl at 6:08 PM on July 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
The dearly departed Threshold
Yeah, that's always been "the one that got away" for me too. I loved it; it got abruptly cancelled.
Maybe, as mentioned above, Fringe? It's a bit of a slow burn at the beginning but really hit its stride in the second season onwards; and it ran all the way to a fairly satisfying conclusion. Sci-fi, with occasional monster/horrific-disease-of-the-week body horror, and occasional creepy psychological horror; plus John Noble was brilliant in it. And there's a rewatch ongoing in FanFare. [link is to the FanFare show page; contains episode titles and carefully non-spoilery episode descriptions]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:38 PM on July 7, 2014
Yeah, that's always been "the one that got away" for me too. I loved it; it got abruptly cancelled.
Maybe, as mentioned above, Fringe? It's a bit of a slow burn at the beginning but really hit its stride in the second season onwards; and it ran all the way to a fairly satisfying conclusion. Sci-fi, with occasional monster/horrific-disease-of-the-week body horror, and occasional creepy psychological horror; plus John Noble was brilliant in it. And there's a rewatch ongoing in FanFare. [link is to the FanFare show page; contains episode titles and carefully non-spoilery episode descriptions]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 6:38 PM on July 7, 2014
Strongly seconding Black Mirror, which has become one of my all-time favorite TV series. It's short (only six episodes) but it packs a wallop.
There's a lot of variety, both in the changing casts of characters and in the radically different settings and focuses of the episodes. Each one takes a recent technological phenomenon -- viral media, life recording, reality TV -- and gives it a smart, blackly funny near-future twist that doubles as a sly commentary of contemporary life.
I just finished the second series, and apart from the very last episode, they have all been utterly brilliant drama/horror/SF fare.
posted by Rhaomi at 11:09 PM on July 7, 2014
There's a lot of variety, both in the changing casts of characters and in the radically different settings and focuses of the episodes. Each one takes a recent technological phenomenon -- viral media, life recording, reality TV -- and gives it a smart, blackly funny near-future twist that doubles as a sly commentary of contemporary life.
I just finished the second series, and apart from the very last episode, they have all been utterly brilliant drama/horror/SF fare.
posted by Rhaomi at 11:09 PM on July 7, 2014
If you don't mind something vintage check out the original Kolchak it was the inspiration for the X -files.
posted by boilermonster at 11:32 PM on July 7, 2014
posted by boilermonster at 11:32 PM on July 7, 2014
Based on Hannibal- Twin Peaks (available on Netflix streaming), X-Files (also on Netflix streaming), The Outer Limits (old), the Twilight Zone (old).
I've heard good things about The Following, but haven't seen it myself. Bit of a reach, but I absolutely loved Deadwood (now streaming free for Amazon Prime subscribers).
Also never seen any of these myself, but I'm very intrigued by a bunch of the "Nordic noir" shows coming out of Scandinavia, some of which have English language adaptations such as The Bridge and The Killing.
posted by forkisbetter at 6:58 AM on July 8, 2014
I've heard good things about The Following, but haven't seen it myself. Bit of a reach, but I absolutely loved Deadwood (now streaming free for Amazon Prime subscribers).
Also never seen any of these myself, but I'm very intrigued by a bunch of the "Nordic noir" shows coming out of Scandinavia, some of which have English language adaptations such as The Bridge and The Killing.
posted by forkisbetter at 6:58 AM on July 8, 2014
I've heard good things about The Following,
It's excellent for about 4 or 5 episodes, then it puts on a cape, hops on a jet ski, grabs an American flag in each hand and jumps over a hula-hopping shark while fireworks pop in the background.
Seriously, it's ridiculous.
posted by fshgrl at 4:02 PM on July 8, 2014
It's excellent for about 4 or 5 episodes, then it puts on a cape, hops on a jet ski, grabs an American flag in each hand and jumps over a hula-hopping shark while fireworks pop in the background.
Seriously, it's ridiculous.
posted by fshgrl at 4:02 PM on July 8, 2014
Response by poster: Thank you for all of the advice. About half of the shows here are shows one or the other or both of us have watched already, so the recommendations are on target.
It's excellent for about 4 or 5 episodes, then it puts on a cape, hops on a jet ski, grabs an American flag in each hand and jumps over a hula-hopping shark while fireworks pop in the background.
That's a sales technique.
posted by jeather at 5:02 AM on July 9, 2014
It's excellent for about 4 or 5 episodes, then it puts on a cape, hops on a jet ski, grabs an American flag in each hand and jumps over a hula-hopping shark while fireworks pop in the background.
That's a sales technique.
posted by jeather at 5:02 AM on July 9, 2014
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you betcha
posted by thelonius at 1:22 PM on July 7, 2014 [4 favorites]