10 TV Shows To Watch If You Love Castle Rock

Castle Rock is a psychological horror anthology series, based on the characters and settings of Stephen King’s stories. Set on the fictional town of Castle Rock in Maine, the first season mixes elements from the novella The Shawshank Redemption and other supernatural works, and the second season takes characters from the stories Misery and Stand By Me on a daunting cautionary tale.

With horror getting an innovative push on films and TV, there are luckily other TV shows in the same vein and quality as Castle Rock. Rest assured that these 10 shows – horror or otherwise – will keep one up at night.

10 Electric Dreams (2017- )

Like Castle Rock, Electric Dreams is an anthology series, inspired by the works of a prolific genre author. The stories of Philip K. Dick are the basis for the 10-episode anthology, and each tackles a profound subject, set around technological dystopias or modern-day periods that recall other Dick works like Blade Runner and Total Recall.

Some notable cast members include Bryan Cranston, Richard Madden, Holliday Grainger, Steve Buscemi, Jack Reynor, Juno Temple, and others. While the setups are predictable, Electric Dreams is serviceable for sci-fi and thriller fans.

9 Hemlock Grove (2013-2015)

One of the earliest Netflix original efforts, Hemlock Grove is a horror series based on a novel by Brian McGreevy. Set on the titular Pennsylvanian town, the story centers on its eerie occurrences, particularly inside the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies. And it is up to Godfrey family heir Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgård) and newcomer Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) to uncover the town’s hidden secrets.

While the 3-season show never achieved its full potential, it is a worthy show to watch for psychological horror fans.

8 Creepshow (2019- )

A continuation of Stephen King’s Creepshow films, Creepshow is a 2019 horror anthology series from horror specialty channel Shudder. It’s similar to Tales from the Crypt, as the ghoulish Creep tells horror stories from the Creepshow comic book. And these stories are either adaptations of several King short stories or other originals.

This horror anthology greatly embraces the utter lunacy and the spine-tingling context from King’s catalog. Several creative minds, including Community’s Rob Schrab and George A. Romero collaborator Tom Savini, are brought to the mix as well.

7 American Horror Story (2011- )

FX anthology series American Horror Story is structured with each season covering a horror subgenre and telling a prolonged miniseries with a “beginning, middle and end”. Several recurring actors, including Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Lily Rabe and more play a different set of characters for each season.

Creator Ryan Murphy conceived each season to pay homage to distinctive horror aesthetics and their most iconic films. In their own way, they bring out many creative horror moments and creepy characters.

6 The Twilight Zone (2019- )

The grandfather of anthology television, The Twilight Zone is the brainchild of Rod Serling, who aimed to push the envelope of TV shows in his time. Despite some setbacks, he was able to craft several of the most groundbreaking moments in television.

After its 1959-1964 run, there have been three reincarnations of the series. But for the most recent reboot, viewers can receive the same eerie Castle Rock-type atmosphere on Jordan Peele’s 2019 revival. While not as consistent as the original anthology, it gives a modern-day edge that is still petrifying.

5 The Outsider (2020)

Back to Stephen King territory, The Outsider is an HBO series series about the investigation of a murder of an eleven-year-old boy. Up to the task is breakneck police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) and, later on, savant investigator Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo) to take on the case that leads to unwanted truths and occurrences.

The Stephen King brand has been valuable nowadays. And like many of his most well-received adaptations, The Outsider is a good addition that mixes police procedurals and horror investigations in one dread-inspiring miniseries.

4 Stranger Things (2016- )

What can more be said on the phenomenon that is Netflix’s Stranger Things? This horror series that paid homage to the works of John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, and the 80’s connected to contemporary viewers that found refuge in its pure nostalgia, memorable characters, resonating themes, and horrifying scenes.

The first season revolved on the disappearance of Will Byers; then the next seasons expanded the lore about the Upside Down and the Demogorgon’s plans to invade the real world. And it is achieved through its Goonies-like sci-fi horror setup.

3 The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Based on the Gothic masterpiece by Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House chronicles the lives of the Crain family, during and after their stay in the Hill House. The series bounces between the two timelines, each presenting a horrifying experience about the mansion and leading up to that eventful night in 1992.

The trope of a haunted house has been a horror genre mainstay. But maestro Mike Flanagan presents a new angle on the story by letting psychological trauma creep in and lead to a horrifying conclusion.

2 Lovecraft Country (2020- )

The latest series on this list, Lovecraft Country is another HBO horror series. The story is about Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) who, along with Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) and George Freeman (Courtney B. Vance), travels across the racially segregated America to search for his father. But both racial and supernatural threats come across their path.

Based on the novel by Matt Ruff, this series pays homage to the aesthetics and subtext of H. P. Lovecraft as the basis of its horror elements. On both fronts, the show brings effective scares.

1 Twin Peaks (2017)

Finally, from the mind of Americana horror auteur David Lynch comes this cult TV series that became a landmark on TV history for its innovative storytelling. The premise of Twin Peaks surrounds the murder case of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), being headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and local Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean).

But the 2017 limited series revival centers on its aftermath, as many interlinked stories connect to that of Cooper and the case. The result is a visually complex and surreal experience of Cooper’s psyche and unwitting return to Twin Peaks.

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