Three Classic “Horror” TV Shows You Must Watch
There are some television series that, while they can’t necessarily be classified into the horror genre, still left an indelible footprint on the minds of horror fans today. Sometimes it was for the clever writing, other times it was because of memorable characters or setting and still other times it was for the way they steered the entire movement of the genre as a whole. But each and every one has made its way into the horror sub-culture and they are all instantly recognizable to any true fan of horror. Yes, you may scratch your head at some of what I choose to put on this list, but I will attempt to explain myself. Also, I’ve chosen to go further back in time, so Walking Dead fans please don’t write me any hate mail. All these series have come and gone, though they remain with us today and shall likely stay with us for many years to come. Without further delay, I present my amazing list of three.
Twilight Zone (1959 - 1964) -
First and foremost on the list, a name that could have easily appeared on last week’s list of essential sci-fi, though I had to make the tough call and decide that it wasn’t “properly” science fiction enough. What The Twilight Zone is for sure, however, is a series that concentrated on horror in its many forms. Nearly every episode had to deal with people - both good and bad - meeting a usually unpleasant end due to some mysterious force. From the iconic episode where William Shatner goes nuts saving an airplane from a wing-demon to subtler endings that left you disturbed despite the fact that they weren’t that horrific, TZ broke ground for many horror shows that would come later. This is in no small part due to the genius of Rod Serling, of course, a man that we could desperately use today to improve some of the rubbish that fills our airwaves. But whether you prefer The Twilight Zone best or are a bigger fan of one of the dozens of shows that followed it, you owe it all to the five years that Serling spent entrancing audiences with amazing and oft-disturbing tales.
Note: For unaware fans of The Twilight Zone - Serling continued his legacy post-TZ with Night Gallery. A show aimed a little more at the horror genre, it carries all the glory of the original TZ even if it’s slightly less known.
The Addams Family (1964 - 1966) -
Originally a comic strip, The Addams Family is a show that, though short-lived on the small screen, came to infect all areas of culture. The characters in the show were so loved by those that watched it that they simply would not go away. They showed up time-and-again to help Scooby Doo solve mysteries; they came back later to star in their own cartoon show; they ended up in three movies nearly 30 years after they’d left the television airwaves; they’ve even spawned a musical on Broadway. Recently, those in
Note: Some may call it blasphemy, but I believe The Munsters did their part as well. Considered by many to be the bastard rip-off of The Addams Family, it compliments the more sinister nature of the show with a look at monsters that are “misunderstood” instead of just plain wicked. Coincidentally, it ran three seasons, from 1964 to 1966, just like The Addams Family… spooky?
The Outer Limits (1963 - 1965) -
One of the earlier spawn of The Twilight’s Zone’s influence on television programming, The Outer Limits is still one of the better ones. The main thing about The Outer Limits that made it so different from TZ is that it concentrated more on science fiction as the primary influence for its stories. This show merged sci-fi and horror, two genres that welcomingly go hand-in-hand. And though it didn’t act as the “original” combination of these two genres (that had been going on since before television was invented), it did act as a major catalyst. Between TZ and The Outer Limits, a whole generation of viewers and writers was born, all of them eager for more, whether they were clamoring to watch it or driven to craft their own tales.
Fun fact - Gene Roddenberry liberally pillaged much from The Outer Limits when crafting the Star Trek universe. He took their monsters for his own, stole names from one series to be used in the other, recycled many of the actors (Nimoy and Shatner among them) and reused more than a few props. Yes, you could even say that Star Trek might not have existed were it not for The Outer Limits (for both creative and budgetary reasons).
Again, it’s hard to choose one or the other and there are certainly many other series out there that have influenced the way we think about horror today, but I had to whittle the list down (or I would be here all night). If you can think of any old classics, feel free to sound off in the comments below.
Photo Credits -
Twilight Zone courtesy of krusecontrolinc.com
Addams Family courtesy of theredlist.fr
Outer Limits courtesy of thefoolsparadise.com
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