Sometimes a story is just too sprawling and epic to be told in a simple two-hour movie. That is where the miniseries comes in to provide creators with a device in which to really dive into stories and characters. Nowhere is this more common than in the horror genre. A flood of horror miniseries have graced our television networks and streaming platforms for the past thirty years. Through these series we are able to explore the vast and horrifying world that makes up some of our favorite horror tales. Let’s take a look at the best horror miniseries, spoiler alert… Stephen King makes an appearance or two, or three.
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8 Dracula (2020)
BBC Studios
A series about Dracula from the brilliant minds who revived Doctor Who? Sign us up. This 2020 BBC series tells the story of Dracula as he comes up against one of his age-old foes, the Van Helsing family. It is Claes Bang’s brilliant performance as Dracula that drives the series forward and sets him apart as one of the best actors to play Dracula. Accompanied by the stellar writing we have come to expect from Mark Gattis and Stephen Moffat, this modern day retelling of a classic horror character ranks as one of the best.
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7 The Shining (1997)
Warner Bros. Television
It doesn’t take long for a Stephen King story to show up on a list of horror miniseries. Having a particular dislike for the 1980 Stanley Kubrick classic film, Stephen King set out to help create a more faithful adaptation of his classic story which, was realized in this 1997 miniseries. The series digs much deeper into the history of the Overlook Hotel, while being able to show the descent into insanity of Jack Torrance much more than Kubrick’s horror classic does. Both pieces of work are great in their own ways, but the ‘97 miniseries has the warm quality of a Stephen King miniseries. As true to its story as the author intended. Even if the Grady twins don’t want to watch it forever and ever.
6 Storm of the Century (1999)
Mark Carliner Productions, Greengrass Productions
Two years after The Shining (1997) another King adaptation hit the small screen. Storm of the Century tells the tale of a historic blizzard on the small New England island of Little Tall Island. The blizzard is not the only thing to roll into town as a mysterious man, André Linoge, accompanies the snowstorm. As strange occurrences begin happening on the island and the body count begins to rise, we learn the true intentions of Linoge. It is revealed that he is a member of Legion, a group of demons exercised by Jesus, and he is there to claim one of the children from the island to raise as his own, a protégé to carry on his work, a child he indeed does receive through a vote by the townspeople. What helps make this one of the best horror miniseries is the claustrophobic setting presented by the series, one that engulfs the viewer as well as the characters.
5 IT (1990)
The 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s girthy novel It introduced the world to the first ever live adaptation of Pennywise the Dancing Clown and successfully traumatized a generation of kids. The series was made by the horrifyingly stellar performance of Tim Curry as Pennywise and the extreme popularity of the novel. It was even the biggest success of 1990 for Capital Cities, the then owner of ABC.
4 Salem’s Lot (1979)
One of the first horror miniseries, Salem’s Lot terrified its way onto television screens in 1979. As vampires descend on main street across Salem’s Lot, Maine, the people of the town must fight to survive the thirst of their new visitors. Directed by Tobe Hooper, the same man who brought us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974, this series brings to life what is widely considered to be one of Stephen King’s most terrifying stories.
3 The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Director Mike Flanagan has become one of the most successful directors of horror in recent memory. Lending his vision to classic Stephen King stories like Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, while also finding success in other properties. One such property is The Haunting of Hill House, based loosely on the 1959 novel of the same name; this series tells the paranormal story of five siblings and their sustained trauma while living in Hill House. Telling the story of family drama through exceptional direction and terrifying horror imagery, The Haunting of Hill House stands out among its peers as one of the best horror miniseries in decades.
2 The Stand (1994)
CBS Television Distribution
If there is one Stephen King story that benefits most from being told through a miniseries, it is The Stand. This epic tale by King tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world wiped out by a weaponized strain of influenza and the battle between the good and evil of the survivors that inhabit this new world. As faithful of an adaptation as you can get on television, The Stand stands out due to the performances the actors deliver throughout the miniseries. Performances that help make The Stand hold up nearly thirty years after its release.
1 Midnight Mass (2021)
Netflix
For a solid two decades this top spot would have been occupied by a Stephen King property. But as we discussed earlier, filmmaker Mike Flanagan is making a name for himself as a modern day master of horror. Midnight Mass is a Netflix miniseries that tells the story of a small island that begins to experience supernatural events after the mysterious arrival of a Priest. Through a flurry of stellar performances led by Hamish Linklater and a plot full of twists and turns, Midnight Mass has wrestled away the top spot from the godfather of horror himself and appears poised to stay there for a while. Making it not just the best horror series of 2021, but the best horror miniseries of all time.
