Warning: minor spoilers for different TV shows.
Two branches of TV that are quite successful and popular aresci-fiandhorror, and when these two mix, they bring some of the most engaging, interesting, and oftendisturbing TV shows.The sci-fi genre, as the name suggests, explores futuristic and imaginative concepts, often through science and technology.
The sci-fi genre often shows the impact of technological advancements on society, which can easily blend with horror.The horror genre, on the other hand, aims to evoke fear, dread, suspense, and disgust in the audience, either through shocking and graphic scenes, psychological horror, or fantasy creatures. It’s easy to see, then, why these genres often blend.
Sci-fi and horror are a common blend in film and TV, but as natural as it feels, it can be tricky sometimes. Not allsci-fi horror TV showshave successfully mixed the best of both genres, but others did it perfectly and in such different ways that they appeal to different audiences.
In 2018, a different take on the world of Stephen King was released:Castle Rock. Created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason,Castle Rockwasn’t based on a specific story by Stephen King, instead being set in the title town andbringing together different characters, both original ones and from King’s universe.
Its dose of sci-fi comes from strange phenomena that created alternate timelines and The Kid himself.
Season 1 ofCastle Rockfocused on the mystery of The Kid (Bill Skarsgård) and Henry Deavers (André Holland), while season 2 served asa prequel toMiseryby following a young Annie Wilkes (Lizzy Caplan).Castle Rockwent for psychological horror and twisted characters, with its dose of sci-fi coming from strange phenomena that created alternate timelines and The Kid himself.
Are You Afraid Of The Dark?began as a Halloween special on Nickelodeon in 1991, but the following year it was developed into a TV series.Are You Afraid Of The Dark?stayed for five seasons, ending in 1996, but it was revived in 1999 for two seasons, with the character of Tucker connecting both versions.
Are You Afraid Of The Dark?was rebooted in 2019, ending in 2022 after three seasons.
Are You Afraid Of The Dark?follows The Midnight Society, a group of teenagers who meet in the woods at midnight to share horror stories.Many of these mixed horror with sci-fi, with elements like aliens, time travel, advanced technology and more, adding an extra layer of scares and making them quite disturbing and memorable.
One of themost popular horror TV showsin recent years, and one that was canceled too soon, isLovecraft Country. Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Matt Ruff,Lovecraft Countryfollows Atticus (Jonathan Majors), who, with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance), goeson a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America looking for his father.
Along the way,they face the horrors of racism and different monsters, giving the audience two very different but terrifying types of horror.Lovecraft Countrybrings together horror and sci-fi with these elements, plus the addition of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, along with sci-fi elements like portals and magic.
Regarded as one ofthe best TV shows of all time,Twin Peakswas created by Mark Frost and David Lynch and premiered on ABC in 1990.Twin Peaksstayed for two seasons before it was canceled in 1991, though it returned for a third one in 2017.Twin Peakstakes viewers to the title town to follow FBI special agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan).
Twin Peaksbrings together crime, mystery, horror, and sci-fi, the latter through the addition of supernatural elements.
Twin Peakskicks off withthe murder of teenager Laura Palmer, with Cooper being assigned to the case.Twin Peaksbrings together crime, mystery, horror, and sci-fi, the latter through the addition of supernatural elements like dream worlds, entities that possess people, and alternate dimensions, while mostly leaning on psychological horror.
Created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese,Darkis a sci-fi thriller that debuted in 2017 on Netflix.Darkran for three seasons, ending in 2020 after many twists, surprises, and connected timelines. Set in the German town of Winden, the events ofDarkbegin with the discovery of the body of an unknown young boy and the disappearance of Mikkel.
Darkcleverly uses time travel to create a complex story and connections between its main characters, and that’s also where the horror lies.Darkuses psychological horror rather than jump scares and monsters, also using the town’s past and secrets to add to the horror aspects of it.
One of Netflix’s best TV shows is also a perfect blend of sci-fi and horror:Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers.Stranger Thingsdebuted in 2016 and, at the time of writing, is preparing for the release of its fifth and final season in November and December 2025.
Stranger Thingsis set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and the events of the show kick off with the opening of a portal in Hawkins Lab that unleashes a terrifying monster.Stranger Thingshas succeeded thanks to its 1980s elements and mix of horror and sci-fi, these coming from both the Upside Down and the horrors of the human world.
Created by Charlie Brooker,Black Mirroris an anthology TV series that premiered on Channel Four in 2011.Every episode ofBlack Mirrorisset in the near future, where technology has advanced to disturbing levels, and so they explore the impact of it on society, often with horrifying and disturbing results.
Black Mirrormoved to Netflix in 2016.
Black Mirror’s horror comes from its sci-fi elements, through which the show explores how far technology and society can go for mostly selfish reasons. Unfortunately, some of the thingsBlack Mirrorhas shown in its episodes have happened or been replicated in real life.
Created by Chris Carter,The X-Filesis a sci-fi drama TV show that more often than not went into horror territory.The X-Filespremiered on Fox in 1993 and ended in 2002 after nine seasons before returning for a brief revival in 2016.The X-Filesintroduced the audience to FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).
Mulder is a conspiracy theorist and a believer in the paranormal, while Scully is a skeptic.
Mulder and Scully worked together on the “X-Files”, which are unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena; however, Mulder is a conspiracy theorist and a believer in the paranormal, while Scully is a skeptic. With its combination of “monster of the week” episodes and overarching storylines,The X-Filesperfectly blended sci-fi and horror, with the latter also coming from real-life horrors.
One of the most influential and best TV shows of all time is a masterclass in blending sci-fi, horror, and fantasy:The Twilight Zone. Created by Rod Serling,The Twilight Zoneran for five seasons between 1959 and 1964, but it was revived three times.Each episode is a standalone story, and most are sci-fi and horror-driven, but in different ways.
While some episodes go for fantasy creatures and shocking scenes to evoke fear, others go on a more psychological horror route, though without forgetting the touch of sci-fi. MostTwilight Zoneepisodeshave a surprise ending and a moral, which adds to how shocking and impactful they are.
Episodes like “The Dummy”, “Living Doll”, “Night Call”, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, “Time Enough at Last”, and “Eye of the Beholder” are great examples of different blends of sci-fi and horror,some of them with devastating endings that stay with the audiencefor a while after the episode is over.
