12 Best Horror TV Shows Like From

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The MGM+ original series “From” is one of the premium cabler’s best horror shows, bringing all the small-town scares. The series takes place in a town that mysteriously traps anyone who enters it, including the Matthews family, who take a detour into town in the series premiere. At night, shape-shifting monsters prowl the township limits, brutally killing anyone not sheltering in a structure protected by a magical talisman. The town’s sheriff, Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), works with those trapped in the town to find a way to finally escape from the sinister region.

There are plenty of community and location-centric horror shows and thrillers that fans of “From” should check out next. Several of these shows veer into the outright supernatural, while others also feature a narrative that has their characters trapped in a single location like “From.” These elements add a growing sense of tension to the stories, sometimes leaning into overt claustrophobia throughout their larger mystery. Here are the 12 best horror TV shows like “From” for those looking to keep the thrills coming.

If there were ever a show that set the template for subsequent town-based chillers like “From,” it’s “Twin Peaks.” Premiering in 1990, the show had FBI agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) investigate the murder of local teenager Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the eponymous town. As Cooper got to know the quirky denizens of Twin Peaks, it became clear his investigation involved much more than a murder mystery. Cooper not only uncovered the dark secrets throughout the town, but the presence of supernatural elements that had a role for him to play in their disturbing game.

Series creators Mark Frost and David Lynch wove a deliberately disorienting tale in “Twin Peaks,” with the inciting murder mystery premise only the tip of the narrative iceberg. The show brought together an eccentric cast of characters around Cooper, with the constant feeling that something was just a bit unsettlingly off. More than 20 years after its second season, “Twin Peaks” received a revival on Showtime, resolving its lingering plot threads while expanding its bizarre world. A surrealist subversion of small-town America, “Twin Peaks” remains one of the most refreshingly original shows ever made.

Blake Crouch’s sci-fi thriller novel series “Wayward Pines” was adapted into a Fox television series in 2015, with M. Night Shyamalan directing the pilot episode and executive-producing the series. The show starts with U.S. Secret Agent Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) investigating the disappearance of two fellow agents in the titular Idaho town. Once within its borders, Burke finds that he can’t escape, with residents forced to remain within the town or face a brutal execution. This leads to Burke uncovering dark secrets about the town and its cruel sheriff Arnold Pope (Terrence Howard) as he tries to find a way to escape.

Right from the first episode, it’s clear that “Wayward Pines” is going to provide a reality-defying mystery that only grows more complex as it progresses. The show’s twists and turns are so shocking, it had the cast wanting to go back and reread every script to check for clues to its big reveals. The show goes into a different, more ambitious direction with its second season, telling its own original continuation story after adapting Crouch’s source material. Eerily crafted, “Wayward Pines” works best when it hews closer to the twisted mystery present in Crouch’s text, excitingly bringing it to life on-screen.

What can be said about “Stranger Things,” the Netflix original global phenomenon, that hasn’t been said already? For the uninitiated, the ’80s-set show takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, which unwittingly has a secret government lab on its outskirts. When scientists open an extra-dimensional portal, the paranormal consequences quickly spread to Hawkins, starting with the disappearance of middle schooler Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). These events escalate over the course of the series, with the telekinetic Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends as the best hope of defending Hawkins from monsters.

With its increasingly impressive set pieces, including Season 3’s massive battle in a mall, it’s easy to forget how intimately scaled the show’s first season was. The show starts out as a small-town mystery that grows into something more disturbing and monstrous as it progresses. Even with its heightened scope, the series always maintains its focus on its characters, with the stakes growing up alongside its younger cast.

Small-town Germany is the setting for the Netflix original sci-fi thriller “Dark,” which premiered in 2017 and ran for three seasons. The story follows multiple generations of four families living in the town of Winden, kicking off with the sudden disappearance of a child in 2019. This echoes a child similarly disappearing from one of the families in 1986, with suspicions that the incidents may be linked. The investigation reveals the existence of a wormhole in a nearby cave formation, connecting different points in time as the story expands to apocalyptic proportions.

“Dark” is one of the best Netflix original series to come out of Europe, regardless of genre, and creates an engrossing mystery. What starts out as a multi-timeline tale of child disappearances quickly grows into something more ambitious in scope without losing sight of its core characters. Seeing this interconnected web of families across the branching eras is fascinating as it unfolds and grows more complex and sinister all at once. An ethereal thriller that lives up to its title, “Dark” matches its overcast atmosphere with sharply written sci-fi stakes.

Best-selling and enormously influential author Stephen King has written so many haunting stories centered in various atmospherically creepy small-town locations. The Hulu anthology series “Castle Rock” not only takes place in King’s unsettling Maine town, but threads together some of his most popular literary works. Each of the show’s two seasons features a largely different ensemble cast playing town residents, each with their own dark secrets and surreal conflicts. This includes a younger Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan) and the town historian Jackie Torrance (Jane Levy), with the community’s ominous backstories explored.

A celebration of King’s vast catalog, “Castle Rock” takes an intimate approach to its supernatural horror through its ensemble cast. The scares punctuate character-focused mysteries as each of the main figures goes through their own arcs framed against the sinister backdrop of Castle Rock. While not all story arcs in this anthology series are created equal, the show itself remains accessible even to viewers only passingly familiar with King’s work.

One of the biggest names in horror these days is filmmaker Mike Flanagan, who’s helmed numerous acclaimed scary movies and shows. His prolific partnership with Netflix began with 2018’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name. The story covers two time periods, one detailing the Crain family moving into Hill House in 1992 and the other exploring the fallout from their time there 26 years later. The tragic events that drove the Crain family from Hill House are revealed, as are the circumstances that bring them back.

There’s a strong argument that “The Haunting of Hill House” is still Flanagan’s scariest show to date, and it’s certainly his most tightly constructed. Hill House is an appropriately creepy location, with the home only becoming more terrifying whenever the sun goes down. Flanagan also densely packs the series with tons of tiny details and Easter eggs to look for on a “Haunting of Hill House” rewatch, rewarding returning audiences. A horror television triumph and arguably Flanagan’s best television work, “The Haunting of Hill House” effectively reimagines Jackson’s classic ghost story.

In the midst of the Archie Comics renaissance that began with “Riverdale,” Netflix adapted the Archie Comics title “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” in 2018. Set in Greendale, Riverdale’s neighboring town, Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) begins attending the unholy Academy of Unseen Arts and embracing her hellish destiny. Sabrina finds herself targeted by dark figures for her magical potential, including the forces of Hell itself, as she develops her powers. The magical murder and mayhem escalates and spreads to Greendale, threatening Sabrina’s mortal friends and her two witchy aunts.

While “Riverdale” was a thriller with horror elements, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” leans heavily into outright supernatural scares. Like its CW sister show, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is full of insane moments that unabashedly and frequently veer over-the-top with its sinister spectacle. This is all to say that the show is a lot of hellish fun, often providing a self-aware wink to the audience as its horrific scope increases. Running for four parts divided across two seasons and a holiday special, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is enjoyable horror refracted through a young adult perspective.

The first original horror series on Apple TV was 2019’s “Servant,” boasting prolific filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan as its showrunner and executive producer. The show follows affluent Philadelphia couple Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell), who are grieving the loss of their infant son. Dorothy uses a reborn doll to help her cope, going as far as to hire a live-in nanny, Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free), to look after it. However, this begins a set of supernatural occurrences around the Turners’ townhouse that only grows more disturbing and violent as Leanne’s behavior becomes more erratic.

“Servant” is a show that leans heavily into psychological terror, blurring the lines of perception and reality as it keeps its characters off-balance. As the series progresses, the danger and scares become much more tangible, veering into religious fervor and rampant paranoia. Centered around the Turners’ brownstone, this dials up the tension as their home becomes the focal point for paranormal frights and cult activity. Running for four seasons, “Servant” knows the right time to end its story, escalating the dread and tension to a fever pitch by its conclusion.

One of Stephen King’s best short stories is “Jerusalem’s Lot,” detailing vampires infesting a coastal Maine town in the 19th century. The story was adapted into the 2021 MGM+ original series “Chapelwaite,” starring Adrien Brody as whaling captain Charles Boone. After inheriting his family estate of Chapelwaite in Preacher’s Corners, Maine, the recently widowed Charles moves in with his three children. Charles and his children quickly discover something sinister is linked to their family and the house, festering in the abandoned nearby town of Jerusalem’s Lot.

“Chapelwaite” is a moody slow burn, building a mounting sense of dread as the Boone family acclimatizes to their new home. The show utilizes its period setting well, especially whenever night falls and the characters rely on candles and gaslamps for light. Brody delivers a quietly haunting and morose performance as Charles, really capturing the mental anguish of his character. Though Chapelwaite was canceled after a single season, the series delivers an evocative vampire story fueled heavily by its 19th-century atmosphere.

Another Netflix original horror classic from Mike Flanagan, 2021’s “Midnight Mass” also feels like Flanagan’s most personal story to date. The show is set in a small community on the remote Crockett Island, which welcomes a mysterious Catholic priest Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater) to lead their parish. Father Hill’s arrival coincides with that of returning inhabitant Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), who wrestles with his guilt over a drunk-driving accident that he caused. As Riley and Father Hill integrate themselves into the community, increasingly disturbing paranormal occurrences around the island begin to escalate.

Even before the supernatural terror takes its full shape, “Midnight Mass” is a searing examination of guilt and religious faith. Flanagan makes these themes unmistakably clear in some of the best monologues he’s ever written, playing out like confessionals, sometimes literally. That said, the show’s horrific moments are frightening in their own right, including a midnight communion sequence gone monstrously wrong. One of the best limited series produced by Netflix, “Midnight Mass” features Flanagan and his cast firing on all creative cylinders.

After wrapping their sinister town-based Netflix original series “Dark,” Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar reunited for a different ominous tale in “1899.” The series is ostensibly a period piece story set on an ocean liner in 1899 taking a ship full of passengers from Europe to America for a fresh start. While traversing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship encounters a mysteriously abandoned vessel drifting through the fog, with the crew’s investigation leaving more questions than answers. Resuming their voyage, the ship begins experiencing disturbing incidents in increasing frequency and unsettling nature as the shocking truth behind the trip is unveiled.

In creating a hellish voyage across the seas at the turn of the 20th century, Friese and Odar dial up the creepy atmosphere for “1899.” The premise lends to a more claustrophobic feel as the passengers and crew, from differing backgrounds and social status, are trapped together for a paranormal ride. “1899” was canceled by Netflix just as the show began to reveal its true scope, but its single season still provides a moody story.

The 1988 novel “Stinger” by Robert R. McCammon serves as the inspiration for the 2024 Peacock original series “Teacup.” The show focuses on the Chenoweth family, who live on a remote ranch in the middle of rural Georgia. When a mysterious figure visits one night, anyone who tries to leave the property is brutally killed, with even those reaching outside the boundaries gruesomely maimed. Trapped, the Chenoweths and their visitors try to find a way to escape from the ranch and discover the truth about their lethal situation.

“Teacup” takes the isolated and trapped concept present in “From” and narrows the scope to an even smaller location. The kills are graphically sanguine, and there is an underlying mystery to keep audiences hooked in seeing where the story goes next. But for all the intensity, the series is a solid family drama at its core, brought to life by lead actors Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman. Unfortunately, “Teacup” was canceled at Peacock after one season, but it still makes for a gripping watch across its eight episodes.