8 Horror Miniseries Better Than Most Longer Shows

Some of the best horror TV shows are miniseries, and some of them are better than most longer shows. Among the best TV shows of all time are a couple of horror TV shows, many of them miniseries, as there’s a special quality in more contained stories and a shorter format.

While a traditional, longer format gives more time for a story to develop and more characters to be introduced, miniseries often work better in the horror genre. A limited number of episodes allows more focus on the characters, their development, and their stories, making them more engaging and building tension more effectively.

The horror genre has a variety of miniseries, and some of them were scarier, more engaging, better written, and overall better than most longer-format shows, which makes them a must-watch.

Salem’s Lot (1979)

Two Episodes

In 1979, Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot novel got the TV treatment as a miniseries. Directed by master of horror Tobe Hooper, Salem’s Lot takes the audience to the title town in Maine, to follow author Ben Mears (David Soul), who returns to town looking for inspiration for his next book. Ben’s return coincides with a series of mysterious disappearances, and he becomes a suspect.

However, there’s another recent arrival in Salem’s Lot: a thirsty vampire who won’t stop until he turns everyone in town into one of his kind. Ben teams up with some survivors, and they do their best to stop the town’s wave of vampirism. Salem’s Lot was a critical success, with most praise going towards its cinematography, direction, and scare factor.

As it’s based on a book, Salem’s Lot had to be told as a miniseries, but it was done in such a way that it’s a slow-burning show that gradually and effectively builds tension, with unsettling imagery that will stay in your memory for a long time and an engaging and scary story.

Archive 81

Eight Episodes

Archive 81 is a miniseries, not because it was planned as one, but because it was unfairly canceled after just one season. Based on the podcast of the same name, Archive 81 follows archivist Dan (Mamoudou Athie) and documentary filmmaker Melody (Dina Shihabi).

In the present, Dan is hired to examine and restore a collection of damaged videotapes from 1994. These are Melody’s works, about an apartment building that burned down. Dan becomes obsessed with her work and believes he can save Melody from her fate, but he’s not ready for the horrors he’s about to uncover.

Archive 81’s dual timeline is engaging, creating an unsettling atmosphere and keeping the suspense going while following both Dan and Melody. Although Archive 81 still had more to tell, it covers an overall satisfying story in just eight episodes that would take other shows longer to develop.

The Stand (1994)

Four Episodes

One of Stephen King’s best works is The Stand, which has been adapted to TV twice – and for this list, the chosen one is the first version. Directed by Mick Garris, The Stand takes the audience to a time when a catastrophic outbreak killed most of the world’s population. The survivors end up splitting into two groups, led by opposite figures.

On one side is the benevolent Mother Abagail (Ruby Dee), and on the other is Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan), a dark sorcerer with supernatural abilities and the representation of evil. This separation leads to a battle between their followers to determine the future of the world.

Although The Stand is a very long book, this version is a faithful, engaging, and enjoyable adaptation of a complex story, with strong performances (especially Sheridan’s), mostly thanks to King himself writing the teleplay for it.

Midnight Mass

Seven Episodes

The best horror TV shows on Netflix are Mike Flanagan projects, and one of them is Midnight Mass. Set in the isolated town of Crockett Island, Midnight Mass follows Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), who returns to the town after serving four years in prison. His arrival coincides with that of Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater), a charismatic but mysterious priest.

Father Paul revitalizes the town’s broken faith and brings miraculous events, but there’s a disturbing truth behind his arrival and actions. Midnight Mass is Flanagan’s take on vampires, mixed with themes like faith, addiction, evil, and more.

Midnight Mass is a slow burn, but Flanagan’s storytelling skills shine in it, as he builds tension, suspense, and horror, while creating an unsettling atmosphere that immediately catches the attention of the audience. Midnight Mass tells a complete story in just seven episodes, and it stays with the audience after its final episode.

Brand New Cherry Flavor

Eight Episodes

Brand New Cherry Flavor was planned as a limited season, and with no renewal for a second season, it qualifies as a miniseries. Brand New Cherry Flavor follows Lisa (Rosa Salazar), a young filmmaker in the 1990s who travels to Hollywood to meet a producer impressed by her work.

Although Lisa signs a contract and is promised a director role, she’s dropped from the project after turning down the producer’s sexual advances. Seeking revenge, Lisa makes a deal with a witch, and so a series of bizarre and horrifying events is unleashed, blurring the lines between reality and the world of the supernatural.

Brand New Cherry Flavor is so bizarre that it could have only worked as a miniseries, as a longer format would have risked becoming tiresome and going too far on its unique weirdness.

Marianne

Eight Episodes

Marianne is a French horror TV series that introduces the audience to Emma Larsimon (Victoire Du Bois), a horror author. One day, Emma is visited by her childhood friend, Caroline, who tells her she believes her mother is Marianne, the witch from Emma’s books, whom Emma had nightmares about when she was a child.

Caroline later hangs herself in public, and Emma returns home to look for answers. As it turns out, Marianne isn’t a fictional character, and Emma finds herself confronting her childhood fears and a powerful supernatural entity.

Marianne is one of the best and most underrated horror TV shows on Netflix, and, unfortunately, it became a miniseries after being canceled after just one season. Although it ends on a cliffhanger, Marianne has an engaging story from beginning to end that benefits from a constrained format, amping up the tension and suspense.

It

Two Episodes

Another one of Stephen King’s best and most popular novels was made into one of the best horror miniseries ever: It. Set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, It follows a group of kids known as the “Losers Club”, who come across an evil shapeshifting creature they refer to as “It.”

The creature’s particularity is that it feeds on the fear of its victims, and it takes the shape of their deepest fears. It goes back and forth between two timelines: the 1960s, when the kids first encountered It, and the 1990s, as the now-adult Losers confront It one final time.

Although It is a very rich novel, the miniseries manages to tell the most important parts of it in just two parts, without sacrificing its scare factor and character development. A key part of It’s success is Tim Curry’s performance as Pennywise, which makes the show even more terrifying.

The Haunting of Hill House

10 Episodes

Another one of Mike Flanagan’s Netflix horror shows, and the best by far, is The Haunting of Hill House. Loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name, The Haunting of Hill House follows the Crain family, who move into the title mansion to renovate it and sell it. However, unexpected repairs force them to stay longer.

The family begins to experience paranormal phenomena at Hill House, leading to tragedy. Over two decades later, the family reunites after another tragedy, forcing them to confront their past at Hill House and the long-lasting effects it had on them.

The Haunting of Hill House is meant to be a contained story, but Flanagan’s storytelling allows character development, emotional depth, and creates a disturbing atmosphere in just 10 episodes without feeling rushed. Expanding The Haunting of Hill House beyond one season would have been a stretch and would have risked the series’ unique but scary charm.