Streaming services have made it easy to binge watch some of your favorite shows (from the past and present) without having to go to the store to buy the DVD box set. In the spirit of Halloween, I have found myself looking to shows with a spooky element to them.
The 90s were fantastic for paranormal based shows, but even in the last decade or so, several great shows have made their way to TV. These 8 shows are definitely worth watching during the month of October, or any other month of the year to be honest.
1. The X-Files
Mulder and Scully were the original supernatural "detectives" on television. The perfect combination of skeptic and believer helped deliver a dynamic show that was both interesting, and occasionally horrifying. Over ten seasons from 1993 - 2002 we all put on our tinfoil hats or pulled out our encyclopedia of monsters and enjoyed the show on a weekly basis.
In April 2017, Fox announced that the X-Files would be coming back for a ten episode season 11. If you have never watched the show before it's worth watching it, or better yet, starting all the way back at the beginning.
2. Charmed
Charmed was one of those shows that came out in the late 90s and early 2000s that put a normal everyday spin on the world of the supernatural. It followed three sisters who found out that they had magic powers after their grandmother died.
The three "Charmed Ones" fought off a variety of demons, spirits and other supernatural disasters waiting to happen. They managed to do all of this while also leading completely normal lives, dealing with work and personal issues at the same time. Not a terribly "scary" show, but the show's supernatural chops make it worth of Halloween. 8 seasons of "witchy" goodness.
3. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
This was one of my favorite shows as a kid, both because I found the show awesome, but also because I had a massive boyhood crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar. The title says it all, Buffy fights vampires in an attempt to protect the residents of Sunnydale from the evil lurking below.
The series follows Buffy as she moves through high school, college and into early adulthood. She fights everything from vampires to ancient demon beasts hell-bent on bringing about the end of the world. Over 7 seasons we saw it all, and when it all ended we were all a little broken hearted. There is something for everyone so please, if you haven't seen it before, put it on your list of things to do.
4. Angel
This spin-off from Buffy actually became wildly successful. Angel was one of the fan favorites from the original show, and when he got his own show based out of a dark and supernaturally dangerous Los Angeles everyone loved it.
Angel started working alongside a cast of characters led by "The Powers That Be" to do battle on behalf of the human race. My favorite part of the show was that they made the regular villain a crooked law firm leading to some very entertaining story lines. A studio disagreement held this show to only five season, but it is well worth a good binge watch.
5. Supernatural
I remember when I first found this series. I was living in a small town and one of my roommates handed me the box set of season one and suggested that I give it a try. Within two episodes I was hooked. Two brothers, the Winchesters, who have had one of the darkest and hardest upbringings a child could endure, travel across the U.S using fake ids and stolen credit cards to fight evil and save lives.
The show's writers went deep into the lore surrounding demons, ghosts, monsters, and biblical end-bringers to create a world that is barely held together under the nose's of the unsuspecting people. The show did "jump the shark" following season 5, but you can still catch new episodes from season 13 today. What's next for Sam and Dean?
6. Constantine
Many of you will have already seen the movie Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves. The movie and the subsequent show are based off the graphic novel Hellblazer. John Constantine is an exorcist who is called back into duty in order to stop the beginning of the end of days. It is well-written, awesome to watch, and has great character development. It was also genuinely scary on a weekly basis.
Unfortunately the show only lasted one season, but there are rumors that it may be making a comeback.
7. The Dresden Files
Based off of the urban-fantasy novels of the same name by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden is a wizard, one of the magi, who openly practices in modern day Chicago. I am going to be a little biased as I am a huge fan of the books, the show wasn't "amazing", though it is still worth watching if you need to get a dose of the supernatural in a modern setting. The series only lasted on season, and it was produced by Nicholas Cage.
8. The Exorcist
I had been staring at this show on Netflix for a few weeks before I actually decided to give it a chance. I was not disappointed. The show is fantastic and is exactly what you would expect from a show about priests battling demons for the souls of the innocent. I wont drop any spoilers as the first season is currently available on Netflix, but once you get to the twist, your head may explode from the sheer amazingness of it. You might want to re-watch the movie starring Linda Blair.
These shows will keep you busy around Halloween, and are always worth watching during the other months of the year.