It’s exciting to think of what 2023 has to offer horror fans moving forward. Horror television hasn’t faded into the background as shows from Shudder, HBO, and more grace our screens. The Last of Us television adaptation had social media in shambles for weeks, and Yellowjackets is back with another gnarly season. And there’s even more horror to look forward to on TV in the months ahead.
So, which horror series are we most looking forward to? What should you add to your watchlist? Here are the most anticipated horror series coming out this year and beyond. (Note: The Walking Dead universe is bringing forth so much content that a separate breakdown of all the TWD spinoffs was needed.)
Chucky season 3
Don Mancini isn’t finished with Chucky because he’s returning for a third season this year! The campy mayhem will continue with our favorite orphans, legacy characters, and Chucky (Brad Dourif). Last we saw the kids, they were dealing with Chucky and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) during the holidays. And Lexi (Alyvia Alyn Lind)’s sister is now being groomed into a killer by Chucky (or Tiffany, if she doesn’t get killed off). We’ll also see more of Jevon (Jake x Devon) being the cutest teen queer couple on TV. We can likely expect the release date to be around the latter half of 2023.
Interview With the Vampire season 2
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Interview With the Vampire was one of the outstanding horror series last year. Ordering a second season proved to be the right move. Currently there are no major details surrounding the exact plot, but season 2 will follow some parts of the books we haven’t seen yet. The last time we saw Lestat (Sam Reid) and Louis (Jacob Anderson), their love story reached another boiling point. Not to mention that Daniel (Eric Bogosian) is in a sticky situation with Louis and Armand (Assad Zaman) in present day. There is much to explore in season 2 when it comes to the relationship between Daniel and Armand, so we’re guaranteed a lot of drama.
Night Island
Interview With the Vampire will soon give us more content to absorb like we’re fledglings hungry for more (we are!). Apparently, Night Island will hit our screens later this year. The six-part series of short form episodes (about 10-15 minutes each) is based on a location referenced in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles—specifically Interview and Queen of the Damned. The series will follow some silly art thieves who decide to work on an island, unaware that the place is infested with vampires. It’s unlikely either of these individuals will have a happy ending. No cast details have been revealed, but Interview With the Vampire writer Jonathan Ceniceroz is set to write it.
American Horror Story: Delicate
The first thing I have to note is that Kim Kardashian will have a lead role in American Horror Story season 12. You can probably imagine the reaction this inspired on social media. AHS season 12 is set to premiere this year and won’t have Ryan Murphy as showrunner; instead, Halley Feiffer will take over for Murphy and the season will be based on Danielle Valentine’s upcoming book Delicate Condition. Series vet Emma Roberts will return to the franchise as well. Who knows if the season will be an entertaining train wreck or decent.
Welcome to Derry
Yes, Pennywise will return to our screens, this time in a prequel to Stephen King’s It. Scheduled for a 2024 release on Max, Welcome to Derry will explore the past of the eponymous town haunted by an evil shape-shifting entity that returns every 30 years. So don’t expect to see the Losers Club again. Instead we’ll see how Pennywise started scaring the hell out of the folks of Derry and the chaos he caused as a result. Still crossing my fingers that Bill Skarsgård will reprise his role as Pennywise.
Crystal Lake
We’re returning to Crystal Lake with Bryan Fuller’s Friday the 13th prequel series, set to release sometime in 2024. Crystal Lake will mark the return of murder-mom Pamela Voorhees and her equally murderous son, Jason Voorhees. Major details surrounding the plot, cast, and a firm release date are still to come. But what we can expect is an exploration of Pamela’s relationship with Jason, and we may learn what else contributed to her murderous rampage in the original Friday the 13th.
What We Do in the Shadows season 5
Fans of What We Do in the Shadows can rejoice at the news of the series being renewed for seasons 5 and 6. Season 4 aired late last summer and explored Guillermo coming out to his family, Laszlo and Baby Colin developing a hilariously adorable father/son bond (ultimately disrupted by a couple of hideous growth spurts), Nandor’s quest for the perfect wife, and Nadja’s continued attempt to run a successful vampire night club. The season ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Guillermo making a play for immortality. Will he follow through? We’ll likely find out later this summer.
Stranger Things season 5
Stranger Things is finally ending with its fifth and final season. Last season wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea (if nothing else, the horror was on-point), and ultimately Hawkins is in big trouble because of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Upside Down. We don’t know the exact date Netflix will drop the series or if it’ll be released in two parts again. What we do know is that none of the characters are safe in the final season. And Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) & Co. have chaos on their hands.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Mike Flanagan is back to shock and awe (and potentially make people cry) with The Fall of the House of Usher. The series is set to premiere on Netflix at some point and will be based on the short story of the same and other works by Edgar Allan Poe. We all know what to expect from Flanagan at this point. Many of the folks who have worked with him before are returning for this project as well. So we’re definitely in for great horror and performances!
Alien
Xenomorphs are back to scare us again! That’s right, folks, we’re getting an Alien television series. “It’s not a Ripley story,” showrunner Noah Hawley said in an interview with Esquire. “She’s one of the greatest characters of all time, and I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don’t want to mess with it.” The confirmation that Sigourney Weaver’s iconic hero won’t be part of this series is good news for fans, as the new series from Hawley (creator of FX’s Fargo) will instead explore the world introduced in Ridley Scott’s Alien with a story set before the events of that film.
In addition to the above, we’re also excited for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (season 2 of the Pretty Little Liars revival), Max’s series based on The Conjuring franchise, and the animated Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas series.
(featured image: 20th Century Studios / Syfy / Paramount / AMC / FX / The Mary Sue)
