It's the most frightful date on the calendar! Yes, that's right; it's Halloween, and that means it's time to dive into the spookiest TV shows we can find.
Halloween is a big deal for a lot of people - and rightfully so! You can't tell us that the neighborhoods don't look great when they're all full of ghosts, ghouls, and goblins decorations to greet the trick or treaters that come their way. There's definitely a vibe unique to the spooky season, which understandably makes it many people's favorite time of year.
Another way that many of us like to celebrate the occasion is by watching an array of spooky, scary, or downright terrifying movies and / or TV shows. It's one of the reasons why horror movies are so popular at this time of year.
With that in mind, we here at Bam Smack Pow would like to recommend these five spooky TV shows perfect for the occasion. Of course, we lean towards our superheroes here, but the darker days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe aren't the only frightful friends you'll find on our list!
Stranger Things
One of the most popular science fiction shows of all time, Stranger Things has taken the world by storm over the course of the past decade. The Netflix phenomenon first premiered back in 2016, telling the story of a mysterious young girl who crossed paths with a group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana. Becoming their friend, Eleven opened their world to the vast possibilities that existed within the town... and beyond it.
The fifth and final season is almost upon us - after a three-year wait! - so it goes without saying that the show is set to take the world by storm one more time (or, well, three given that it has been divided into three parts). And with that, if you've been one of the few holding out, it's finally time to dive into the Upside Down and all the adventures that await you this spooky season.
You never need an excuse to watch a show with the grandeur of Stranger Things but with Halloween and the final season coming up, you now have two! So take the plunge and watch the compelling thriller that the world has been screaming about for the past decade. You won't regret it!
Werewolf by Night
Although not technically a TV series, we are going to take a moment to acknowledge Marvel's Special Presentation Werewolf by Night which streamed on Disney Plus in 2022. Completely different to anything that Marvel Studios has ever done before, the one-hour special is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it's presented in a unique format that makes it easy to enjoy as a standalone too. And when we say unique, we mean unique!
Focusing on the character of Jack Russell, a.k.a. the Werewolf by Night, the TV special sees him and four other monster hunters summoned to a hunt after the death of Ulysses Bloodstone. The winner of the hunt will possess the all-powerful Bloodstone. However, there is some monster in these apparent monster hunters, and that makes for some unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Werewolf by Night is presented in black-and-white and relies on practical effects and a loud, boisterous score, making it a love letter to the classic horror movies of the 1950s and 1960s. It also introduces the MCU to some of Marvel Comics' more supernatural characters, with other characters like Elsa Bloodstone and Man-Thing appearing along the way. It is, quite simply, a must-watch for classic horror fans!
Swamp Thing
Superhero and horror aren't two things that normally go together in the live-action format but, as you'll see from the number of projects on this list that mix the two elements, perfection can be found when the stars align. Look no further than DC's short-lived but sensational Swamp Thing.
The grim series is based on the legendary DC Comics character of the same name and it showcases how a man named Alec Holland is killed in a swamp and becomes one with it, re-emerging as the deadly Swamp Thing. An all-powerful sentient creature with Alec's memories - and his fondness for Dr. Abby Arcane - he is connected to the powerful force known as the green and vows to protect the swamp and his loved ones from all those who wish to do them harm.
Swamp Thing was the first TV show produced for the DC Universe streaming service but its huge budget meant that it was unfortunately cancelled after just one episode had aired. It did thankfully manage to get a full season produced before that, which serves nicely as a thrilling miniseries set in the darker corners of a variation of the DC Universe.
The haunting series is a hidden gem in DCs vast collection of TV shows and it's one that deserves more recognition. There is no better reason for you to discover this one than the spooky season.
Marvel Zombies
Have you ever watched the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and wondered how the heores and villains of the franchise would tackle a zombie apocalypse? If the answer to that question is yes, then Marvel Zombies is exactly what you're looking for!
The easily-digestible four-part miniseries is set in an alternate universe within the MCU's multiverse and it portrays what might have happened if Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne accidentally brought back a virus from the Quantum Realm that turned the Avengers into flesh-eating zombies. At least that's what happened in the episode of fellow animated series What If...? that this show was ultimately spun out of. Zombies, however, is set six years after the apocalypse began as heroes like Ms. Marvel, Shang-Chi, Spider-Man, Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, Ironheart, Jimmy Woo and Kate Bishop attempt to restore the world to what it was. The only problem is that the Dead Queen - a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch - is using the army of the undead for her own gain.
Marvel Zombies is easily the most viciously violent chapter in the MCU yet and that makes it an edge-of-seat thrill-ride as you never know who's going to make it out of the animated series alive. There's also scope for another season in the future, so this might just be the beginning for Marvel's dance with the post-apocalyptic genre.
Agatha All Along
The most refreshing show that Marvel Studios has produced in years, Agatha All Along is a spinoff of the Emmy-winning WandaVision, with Kathryn Hahn reprising her deliciously villainous role as ancient witch Agatha Harkness. Originally planned for release in 2023, the nine-episode Disney Plus series was held until spooky season 2024 in what proved to be marketing genius as it appealed to a whole new audience who didn't typically digest the Marvel fare.
With its focus on the witches of the Marvel Universe to the continuation of the overarching WandaVision storyline, Agatha All Along proved to be a Halloween delight as it took its titular character - and her newly-formed coven - down, down, down the Witches Road so that she could reclaim the power that the Scarlet Witch took from her. What comes after that is a mysterious, eerie, and oddly fantastical sequence of episodic trials that really drove home how successfully Agatha functions as a TV show.
It may be a part of the ever-evolving MCU, but Agatha All Along has also etched its place in Halloween history as a modern day witchy classic. That makes it perfect to watch - or even revisit - during the spooky season.