'American Horror Story' to 'The Exorcist': Horror TV shows that are a must-watch for new fans

Horror television does not have to begin with the most terrifying thing on the shelf. The best way in is through shows that build dread gradually, that earn their scares with story and character before they reach for the truly unsettling stuff. Here are six shows ranging from the ture-life paranormal to some cult classics and the new-age series, pushing the boundaries of storytelling. These shows are perfect for anyone just finding their feet in the genre. Take a look

Each season of 'American Horror Story' drops a completely new cast into a completely new nightmare. From a haunted house in Los Angeles to a psychiatric asylum in Massachusetts to a witch coven in New Orleans, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk treat every setting as an opportunity to push the genre as far as it will go. Jessica Lange anchored the early seasons with a ferocious theatrical brilliance that made her characters the dark heart of whatever world the show was building that year. For fans ready to step properly into horror television, it is on Hulu.

Based on the iconic 1973 film, the series follows two priests played by Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels investigating a Chicago family whose teenage daughter is showing signs of demonic possession, with the show quickly revealing that the supernatural threat runs far deeper than a single household. Creator Jeremy Slater pushed the series into genuinely dark psychological territory, making it one of the most underrated horror shows of its decade. It deserves far more attention than it ever received. For new horror fans who want something that holds their hand through the darkness, it is on Prime Video.

One of the most unnerving docuseries ever made, 'A Haunting' dramatises real accounts of paranormal experiences reported by ordinary families, using interviews and dramatic recreations to tell stories of shadow figures, demonic oppression, and unexplained phenomena that allegedly drove people from their homes. There was a particular dread this show produced in anyone who watched it alone at night in the mid-2000s, the kind that made you check every corner before turning the lights off. For newcomers to horror who want to test their limits without diving into full fiction, stream it on Prime Video.

Set in the immediate aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, the show follows sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, as he wakes from a coma to find civilisation gone and spends the series fighting to keep a group of survivors alive in a world where the living are often more dangerous than the dead. At its peak in the early seasons, it was the most-watched show on cable television and the one conversation nobody could avoid on a Monday morning. Created by Frank Darabont and based on Robert Kirkman's graphic novel, it is on Netflix.

FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, are assigned to investigate unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena, with the sceptical Scully and the believer Mulder slowly uncovering a vast government conspiracy that runs deeper than either of them imagined. For an entire generation, Thursday nights belonged to this show, and the theme tune alone was enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Creator Chris Carter built something that defined a decade of horror television, and it is all on Hulu.

Brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, travel across America in a black Impala hunting demons, ghosts, and fans had no problem third wheeling on this epic action adventure. The show ran for fifteen seasons and built one of the most devoted fandoms in television history, with the Winchester brothers becoming one of the great emotional anchors of early streaming-era television. Catch up on all season on Prime Video and JioHotstar.