Spooktastic Recommendations: Horror TV Shows
As I do every year during October/Halloween season, I like to share Spooktastic books or other forms of media in various posts throughout the month. Today I’ll be focusing on Horror TV shows that I recommend. Enjoy these Spooktastic recommendations!
The Great Horror Family
The Imawano family moves into a new house which has a reputation for being haunted. On the very day they move in the grandfather, Fuchio, dies leaving behind his wife, his daughter, her husband and their two kids. That night the grandson Kiyoshi is sent a note from Fuchio telling him to meet him in the room behind The Room Which Will Not Open at 2 AM. When he does, he discovers his grandfather’s spirit waiting for him, and finds out that his family is psychic, allowing them to sense spirits and apparitions. They will be faced with a great catastrophe in the near future and Kiyoshi, Fuchio says, is the only one who can stop it.
This show is the best fusion of horror and comedy. At thirteen episodes which run at 30 minutes, apiece the show is pretty short, but is a gem (and not a show I hear J-drama viewers talk about much)! It pokes fun at a lot of the cliche things featured in Japanese horror films and legends. If you are a J-horror fan, you’ll get a lot of the inside jokes on this show. Plus one of the co-directors Takashi Shimizu was the creator behind The Grudge. It’s very cheesy, the comedy is sometimes campy, and the characters are over-the-top. That’s what made this show so great and I plan to re-watch it again!
The Unsettling
Becca, a 16-year-old girl, arrives at her new foster home located in a remote area. Her foster siblings are less than welcoming but none more so than the 11-year-old biological son of their foster parents. Becca tries to keep to herself and adjust to her new home, but strange things start to happen around her, and Becca is uncertain about who or what is responsible.
Randomly found this show through a random search on Netflix, and I think that it definitely exceeded my expectations. The story of Becca becomes more “unsettling” as you realize even the smallest things are off about her new foster home. The series takes its time building up the scares for a climactic ending and a plot twist that I was very surprised by. What adds to the elements even further is the element of suspense as there is a mystery to be solved. I felt the acting was good and even though the show gives off “teen drama” vibes I think it’s well worth the watch. Plus it has a very short episode run.
Possessed
Kang Pil-Sung works as a detective. His instincts as a detective are excellent and he is foul-mouthed. Kang Pil-Sung is both lazy and rough, but he is also soft-hearted. Hong Seo-Jung has excellent psychic mediumship, but she tries to hide her ability. This causes Hong Seo-Jung to keep a distance from other people and she lives a lonely life.
While Kang Pil-Sung investigates a case, he happens to meet Hong Seo-Jung. Kang Pil-Sung feels that she is different from others and takes an interest in her. They begin to solve cases together using their special abilities.
I love a good thriller/detective mystery show and this one is interesting because of the supernatural twist. Mix two people who have psychic abilities, add in great on-screen chemistry (I love the banter/relationship development between the two leads), and a serial killer case. All of these things make for an interesting show and it has a “cat and mouse” game vibe that will keep viewers watching. The show uses darker lighting techniques to give the cinematography an ominous vibe and it keeps the tone of the plot.
Nightmare High
The homeroom teacher of 2nd grade 3 class at Yosan Private High School had an accident and is hospitalised. Han Bong-Gu now becomes the temporary 2nd grade 3 class homeroom teacher. He is mysterious figure. The teachers at the school know about him well, but he is not on the teaching staff list. Han Bong-Gu arouses the desires of each students and leads them into an illusory world.
This K-Drama is a fun supernatural thriller that will keep you guessing. Once you think you’ve solved the mystery, the plot throws you for another loop. The drama follows a theme of “be careful what you wish for” as each student desires to get their wishes granted at a greater cost. This drama is light on the horror elements (for those that are looking for extreme scares) and focuses more on suspense. It’s a short web drama that can be watched on the go and I felt the supernatural bits gave this show character.
Paranoia Agent
A social phenomenon in Musashino, Tokyo is caused by a juvenile serial assailant named Lil’ Slugger. The plot relays between a large cast of people affected in some way by the phenomenon; usually Lil’ Slugger’s victims or the detectives assigned to apprehend him. As each character becomes the focus of the story, details are revealed about their secret lives and the truth about Lil’ Slugger.
If you haven’t watched or heard about Paranoia Agent, then you’re in for a treat. This psychological thriller is trippy, weird, and can be downright horrifying. Even though I only watched it once many years ago, it’s something that stuck with me today. The mysterious story threads, are well worth a watch as you try to decode Lil’ Slugger’s identity and figure out what is truly happening.
That concludes my list of recommendations. What spooky horror shows do you recommend?
