By Kendal Furman
If you’re anything like me, then you’ve been anticipating the start of this Fall season since, well, the end of last Fall season. There’s something undeniably magical about the crisp Autumn air, the changing of the leaves, and the heavenly smell of pumpkin spice wafting out of every Starbucks I pass. And nothing gets me more excited for Autumn than the thought of curling up in bed and watching a spooky, cozy, or just downright terrifying Fall show. So, in honor of my favorite pastime, here are my top picks for the best Netflix shows, by category, to binge-watch this Fall. Enjoy!
Best Sci-Fi Horror: Stranger Things
This three-season masterpiece perfectly blends classic elements of science fiction with aspects of supernatural horror to create a fascinating and cinematically stunning experience that has been, unshockingly, praised by fans and critics alike. This show goes above and beyond traditional horror tropes; implementing layers of romance, drama, character development, and a rich plot to captivate its audience. With its intriguing narrative and lovable characters, it’s truly no wonder Stranger Things has received numerous Emmy nominations and is renewed for a fourth season (set to arrive sometime in 2022).
Best Psychological Thriller: You
You manages to blur the lines between love and obsession as well as morality and immorality, muddying the traditional romantic hero archetype while leaving its audience to question if the bad guy really is that bad after all. This show’s clever use of first-person narration allows viewers to delve into the intriguing, charming, and oftentimes frightening mind of a serial killer as he struggles to heal from previous heartbreak in the wake of new love. In one word, You is dangerous: not only because it’s ridiculously addicting, but also because it will undoubtedly leave you bending your own morals for the sake of love (or at the very least, an interesting plot) at one point or another.
Best Halloween Supernatural Horror: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
This Archie Comics adaptation and Riverdale semi-spinoff builds upon the classic story of Sabrina the teenage witch, morphing it into a dark, gruesome, and engaging tale of rebellion, unyielding beliefs, and, of course, satanic worship. The show masterfully merges mythical, religious, and historical figures to create an engrossing fictional world filled with witches, demons, Gods, ghouls, and clairvoyants—a supernatural entity for every type of horror-lover. Filmed in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, the cinematography and setting add an eerie gloom which is sure to put you right in the Halloween spirit.
- Best Non-Horror Fall Show: Gilmore Girls
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For all of my non-horror-loving friends, Gilmore Girls is the perfect Fall show for you. With just about half of all episodes taking place between the months of September to November, Fall foliage and festivals play a pivotal role in this series. The quaint fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut provides the perfect cozy East Coast small-town setting for every Fall lover to fawn over. The dynamic mother-daughter duo, the impeccable sense of humor, the cozy aesthetic, and the authentic plot bring this show to life, captivating viewers and leaving them with no choice but to press that irresistible little “Next Episode” button over and over and over again.
Best Campy Supernatural Drama: The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries boasts a very Twilight-esque campiness that simultaneously leaves viewers wanting to roll their eyes and sacrifice sleep for one episode after another. Although not as cinematically stunning or contextually rich as some of the other shows on this list, this series hits all the stops for a great Fall watch: Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, and tons of fictional small town Virginian history—to name just a few. So, grab a bucket of your favorite ice cream and prepare to be surprised by how quickly you become attached to the characters in this guilty-pleasure of a show.
Best Mystery Drama: The Society
This modern take on the classic novel Lord of the Flies centers around a group of teens who find themselves mysteriously abandoned in their small Connecticut hometown, left to build a society of their own in order to survive. The eerie plot is furthered by a diverse group of characters, each with their own traumas and developments, ultimately allowing the show to comment on the inherent darkness and selfishness of human nature and our instincts for self-preservation. One word of advice: maybe don’t binge the entire show in one weekend like I did, as it unfortunately (and unjustly) wasn’t renewed by Netflix for a second season.
Best Paranormal Horror: The Haunting of Hill House
It’s morbid, it’s dark, and it’s frankly blood-curdling. But, with beautiful acting, perfect casting, superb filmmaking, and a surprisingly profound message, this series is so much more than just scary. Oftentimes with the horror genre, a rich plot or solid character development is compromised for the sake of adding more cheesy jump scares or vile gore. With The Haunting of Hill House, however, the blood, guts, and scare-factor are cleverly incorporated in order to complement the deeper plotline and theme, not distract from it. This show is a wonderful tribute to life, death, grief, trauma, and everything in between, so please trust me when I tell you that it is well worth the watch.
Best Mythological-Horror Comedy: Lucifer
This show boasts a fantastic sense of humor and an outlandishness that makes it weirdly intriguing when mixed with grim biblical and satanic mythology. Abandoning the Underworld for modern-day Los Angeles, Lucifer inherits a nightclub and establishes himself as a consultant aiding the Los Angeles Police Department on various crimes. The sheer ridiculousness of it all makes Lucifer that much more amusing, but the true gem of this series manifests itself through the overarching theme of redemption and the idea that maybe there is no such thing as pure evil.
Best Crime Drama: Criminal Minds
This fifteen-season drama series documents a team of criminal profilers working for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit in their search to find the perpetrator of various unsolved crimes. Drawing from many real-life cases, this show spares no detail when exposing the horrifying things that humans are capable of, leaving its audience members both incredibly disturbed and intrigued. Unlike other popular crime drama shows, Criminal Minds places a heavy focus on the psychological and sociological motives behind murders, using them to track down the unidentified subject. For those interested in delving into the complicated minds of psychopaths, lunatics, and serial killers, this series is a must-watch.
Best Underrated Horror: Dark
This complex German series centers around the unexplainable disappearances of two young boys and the consequent unraveling of generations of trauma and mystery that follows suit. With the Sci-Fi element of time travel being mixed with an intricate web of characters complicated by familial ties and dynamics, this mesmerizing series takes on the seemingly unanswerable question of fate versus free will. Dark analyzes the consequences of one’s actions on both the past and the future, arousing an intense curiosity and insatiable hunger for answers in its viewers, thus rendering itself one of Netflix’s most exceptional yet criminally underrated horror shows.
And, finally, Best All-Around Horror: American Horror Story
With each season boasting a different storyline and a different set of characters, this horror anthology series is sure to keep you on your toes. Covering topics such as haunted houses, witch covens, insane asylums, circuses, cults, and even an ‘80s slasher summer camp, this show hits literally every base as far as the world of horror goes. AHS is visually captivating, disturbing, sick, and impossible to put down once you start. With an insanely talented team both on and off the screen, this series has earned my utmost admiration and undeniably deserves every one of the Emmy, Golden Globe, and People’s Choice awards that it has received.
