I’m one of those people who doesn’t mind feeling scared…in the comfort and safety of my own home. O.K. Maybe I don’t like being scared, but I do love a good spine-tingling show. Every fall, I look forward to stacking my streaming services with shows that effortlessly blend creepy with cozy. Throw in a few twists and turns and I’m hooked!
So, send the kids to bed early and grab your favorite blanket. Here are a few frighteningly addictive series that are spooky, scary, and worthy of staying up late.
Dark Matter
Sci-Fi Thriller
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: I stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn’t wait to get to the next episode. Based on the wildly popular book that shares the same title, this chilling sci-fi series will take you on a psychological, reality-bending journey. A physics professor, content with his quiet life as husband and father, gets kidnapped and knocked unconscious. He wakes up to find he is living a totally different life: one where his wife is just a friend, his son doesn’t exist and strangers seem to know him intimately. From there, you’re on the journey with him through an endless multiverse as he tries to find his way back to his family.
Streaming on: Apple TV
Widow’s Bay
Horror Comedy
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: I have to say, I appreciated the comedic relief woven into this show because without it, it would be utterly terrifying. Matthew Rhys stars in this series about a Mayor whose attempts at revitalizing a sleepy New England town are met with staunch resistance from its superstitious locals. A centuries-old curse begins to resurface just as the Mayor’s new tourism plan takes off and the old folk tales that have been passed down through generations start coming to life. If you’re a fan of Stephen King, you’ll love Widow’s Bay.
Streaming on: Apple TV
The Watcher
Horror
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: I’ll watch anything that stars Bobby Cannavale, so I hard-core binged this show the day it was released. A married couple buys their dream home in suburban New Jersey that comes complete with luxurious upgrades and nosy neighbors. Shortly after moving in, they start receiving anonymous, threatening letters from an obsessed stalker known as “The Watcher,” who has made it their job to protect the home. He watches the family’s every move and drives them to a breaking point. The show isn’t jump-out-of-your-seat scary, but it is deeply disturbing as you fear for the family’s safety and wonder what The Watcher will do next.
Streaming on: Netflix
Only Murders In The Building
Mystery/Comedy
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: This show is the perfect mix of comedy, mystery and cozy. Plus, the cast is chock-full of mega-stars, including the main characters played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. A quirky, eccentric bunch of neighbors living in a historic, luxury New York high-rise bond over their love of true crime podcasts. Once actual murders begin to take place within their building, the group decides to start their own investigative podcast to uncover the killer and solve the case. The show is insanely clever and witty and there are already 5 seasons ready for you to binge!
Streaming on: Hulu/Disney+
The Better Sister
Thriller
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: I’ll admit I had no idea this show was based on the novel by Alafair Burke, or else I would have read it first. Regardless, this show had me hooked from the very beginning. I mean, the opening scene features a brutally murdered husband and Jessica Biel’s toned arms. The show unravels the strained relationship between two sisters while one of their sons is being investigated for the murder of his dad. There are dangerous affairs, shady business dealings, and a web of family secrets. The sisters are forced to form a tight alliance in order to protect the son and each other.
Streaming on: Prime
The Last House
Sci-Fi Horror
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: While this is a movie and not a series, I had to include it because it checks all the boxes for the perfect sci-fi spine-tingler. A family of four wakes up one day to find their home sealed shut by some unknown force. They can’t break out and they can’t call for help. As a storm continues to rage outside, their street grows wild and overgrown and what starts as a lockdown stretches from days into months leaving everyone trapped inside. Resources dwindle and the family has to ration supplies and figure out how to survive — all while suspecting that whatever’s keeping them prisoner might also be watching them from just outside. It’s giving COVID-lockdown themes and you can feel the strain of isolation start to weigh on the family.
Streaming on: Netflix
Presence
Paranormal Thriller
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: This show stuck with me long after I watched it. I cried at the end because the emotion delivered by the indomitable Lucy Lui was so raw and real. A family moves into a new house for a fresh start, only to have their old habits resurface. The already fractured relationship between the husband and wife is further strained and the daughter, Chloe, is falling into a deep depression due to her best friend’s recent death, which her mother completely dismisses. The son can do no wrong in his mother’s eyes and could care less about his sister’s issues. But, something supernatural is watching and protecting Chloe, and she feels it. What gives it the eerie feel? The entire movie is shot in first-person POV, so you’re seeing everything through the eyes of the “presence.”
Streaming on: Hulu/Disney+/Apple TV
His & Hers
Mystery Thriller
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: Another series based on a book and this one is the epitome of the unreliable narrator trope. There are two sides to every story. His & Hers. Yours & Mine. Theirs & Ours. A news reporter is forced to return to her home town of Dehlonega, Georgia, (a sweet town I’ve actually visited!) to cover a brutal murder investigation led by a local detective – who is also her estranged husband. As the body count begins to build, it becomes clear that the murderer is targeting an entire friend group from high school. Knowing they must work together to catch the killer, yet suspecting one another, the husband and wife revisit old wounds and uncover secrets buried long ago.
Streaming on: Netflix
The Haunting of Hill House
Gothic Horror
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: There are some things I can never unsee. Images from this show continue to haunt me since watching it in 2018. But isn’t that the mark of an incredible horror story? The show focuses on a family fractured by a horrible tragedy that happened when the children were young. The series flips between two timelines revealing how the traumas that occurred in the siblings childhood have affected their lives as adults. As each of them struggles with their own form of mental illness, the ghosts from their past, both literal and figurative, return to haunt them. Initially, I was sucked in by the creepy ghosts and supernatural vibes, but I stayed for the emotional family ties. You’ll definitely be sleeping with the lights on.
Streaming on: Netflix
Coven Academy
Supernatural YA Drama
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: Witches are definitely having a moment right now and I am here for it. Tiffany Amber Theissen. Teen witches. Dark Academia. It’s the perfect witchy show. Coven Academy follows a young woman who is sent to an elite boarding school in New Orleans thanks to her unresolved anger issues, and the fact that she’s a witch. Once there, she learns the power of her gift and how to protect herself and her coven against evil forces. It’s more about the bond of sisterhood than magic, but there’s a lot of that too, and angsty young love. Admittedly, I have not watched this series yet because it’s launching on October 2, but I already have it added to my watchlist.
Streaming on: Hulu/Disney+
The Burbs
Comedy Horror
Why It’s Binge-Worthy: This show is like if Desperate Housewives and Pretty Little Liars had a baby. And with Kiki Palmer as the star, it’s automatically a winner in my book. This series is the modern-day version of the Tom Hanks cult-classic movie. It follows a married couple who relocate to the suburbs so they can raise their son in a peaceful, safe neighborhood. A mysterious, abandoned house that sits at the end of the cul-de-sac is purchased by an equally mysterious man. The wife knows he is hiding something and makes it her mission to uncover his secrets. But once she starts poking around, her neighbors, friends, and even her husband start acting strange, telling her to leave it alone. This one will give you goosebumps!
Streaming on: Peacock
