TV Shows

7 Best Animated Horror TV Shows

Either as family-friendly gateway to horror or as mature explorations of the darkest side of humanity, these animated shows deserve a watch.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Animation offers a uniquely versatile platform for the horror genre, capable of delivering nightmares that are impossible to stage in reality. Because it is not bound by the limitations of the real world, the medium can visualize fear in its purest form. Grotesque body horror can be pushed to its most surreal extremes, psychological torment can manifest as literal shifting landscapes, and monstrous creatures can be born directly from an artist’s imagination without the filter of practical or digital effects. This artistic freedom allows creators to carefully calibrate the tone of their stories, resulting in a vast spectrum of horror. As a result, the same medium can produce both the safe dread of a children’s mystery and the visceral carnage of a mature dark fantasy, each effective in its own right.

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The following list is a celebration of that incredible range, bringing together shows that, while vastly different, all represent a pinnacle of the craft. Either serving as children’s gateway into horror or as examples of how disturbing animation can be, these TV shows are some of the best horror productions you can watch.

1) The Tales from the Cryptkeeper

Tales from the Cryptkeeper TV show
Image courtesy of ABC

For many younger fans, The Tales from the Cryptkeeper was the perfect introduction to the horror genre, successfully translating the ghoulish spirit of the infamous EC Comics and the beloved live-action HBO show for a Saturday morning cartoon audience. While it toned down the extreme gore and mature themes of its predecessors, The Tales from the Cryptkeeper still retained the core elements that made the brand a success. Each episode presented a standalone morality play where bullies, thieves, and troublemakers received their supernatural comeuppance in a delightfully ironic fashion, using all sorts of supernatural threats to hammer its message down.

Presiding over the macabre festivities was the cackling Crypt Keeper (voiced by John Kassir), who served as the ideal horror host for kids. He was spooky enough to be exciting but comedic enough not to be truly terrifying. Plus, the show’s greatest strength was its ability to introduce core horror tropes, from vampires and werewolves to mad scientists, in a format that was accessible and fun. Finally, The Tales from the Cryptkeeper understood that horror for children did not have to be toothless, and it delivered spooky tales that never talked down to its audience.

2) Castlevania

Image courtesy of Netflix

Based on the iconic video game series, Netflix’s Castlevania is a masterclass in dark fantasy and gothic horror. The story begins when the wife of Vlad “Dracula” Tepes (voiced by Graham McTavish) is falsely accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake by the corrupt church. In his grief, Dracula unleashes an army of demonic creatures upon the land of Wallachia, seeking to exterminate humanity. The world’s last hope falls to a trio of unlikely heroes: Trevor Belmont (voiced by Richard Armitage), the disgraced last son of a famed monster-hunting clan; Sypha Belnades (voiced by Alejandra Reynoso), a powerful magician; and Alucard (voiced by James Callis), Dracula’s dhampir son.

Castlevania is a triumph of mature animation and a benchmark for video game adaptations. Its story is built on a foundation of complex character work, exploring themes of grief, religious corruption, and cyclical violence with a depth that elevates it far beyond its source material. That narrative sophistication is paired with some of the most stunning and brutal action sequences in modern animation. As a result, the visceral combat against a horde of inventive demonic creatures creates a world that is as beautiful as it is relentlessly hostile, cementing its place as a cornerstone of adult-oriented horror.

3) Courage the Cowardly Dog

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Image courtesy of Cartoon Network

Nowhere is a terrifying place to live. That simple concept is the bedrock of Courage the Cowardly Dog, a series that weaponized isolation to create a unique blend of surreal horror and absurd comedy. Living in a desolate farmhouse with his kind owner Muriel (voiced by Thea White) and her cruel husband Eustace Bagge (voiced by Lionel Wilson), the perpetually terrified Courage (voiced by Marty Grabstein) finds his home under constant siege by the paranormal. Alien chickens, ghostly farmers, and eldritch hairdressers are just a few of the bizarre threats that force the pink dog to overcome his anxiety to save his family, often in a world that refuses to acknowledge the danger he sees.

Courage the Cowardly Dog’s visual style is a key component of its horror, frequently dipping into grotesque and unsettling imagery that felt shockingly out of place in a children’s cartoon. It brilliantly captured the feeling of being a child in a world where adult problems seem like incomprehensible monsters, mixing genuine frights with slapstick humor. Furthermore, the threats Courage faced were often terrifying, but his unwavering dedication to protecting his loved ones gave the series a beating heart amidst the madness. It’s no wonder that its unique aesthetic and tone made it a classic for an entire generation.

4) The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

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Image courtesy of Cartoon Network

What happens when Death itself loses a bet? In the world of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, he’s forced into eternal servitude as the best friend to a cheerful idiot and a pint-sized sociopath. After Billy (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz) and Mandy (voiced by Grey DeLisle) win a limbo contest for the soul of their pet hamster, the Grim Reaper (voiced by Greg Eagles), complete with his Jamaican accent and powerful scythe, becomes their permanent companion. This brilliant premise turns the macabre into the mundane, weaving horror tropes into the fabric of a suburban comedy with hilariously twisted results that pushed the boundaries of children’s television.

Grim’s presence completely normalizes the supernatural, making trips to the Underworld and encounters with figures like Dracula and Cthulhu regular occurrences for the dysfunctional trio. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy’s cynical humor was also an invaluable asset, finding endless comedy in Grim’s existential suffering, Billy’s boundless stupidity, and Mandy’s calculated cruelty. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy was a horror-comedy that fully committed to both sides of its identity, creating a uniquely grim and endlessly inventive world that never shied away from the bizarre and remains a cult favorite for its clever writing and delightfully morbid sensibilities.

5) Spawn: The Animated Series

Image courtesy of HBO

Airing on HBO in the late 90s, Spawn: The Animated Series was a groundbreaking piece of adult animation that refused to pull any punches. The series tells the story of Al Simmons (voiced by Keith David), an assassinated government black-ops agent who makes a deal with a demon to return to Earth to see his wife. He is resurrected as a Hellspawn, a powerful but tormented anti-hero caught in the war between Heaven and Hell. With a disfigured body and fragmented memories, he stalks the dark alleys of New York City, protecting the innocent while wrestling with his own demonic nature.

Spawn was a landmark for its time, proving that animated superhero stories could be dark, mature, and unflinchingly violent. The series is soaked in a gothic atmosphere, with a visual style that blends film noir shadows with grotesque demonic imagery. Bolstered by a haunting score and the iconic voice performance of David as the titular character, the show delved into complex themes of damnation, free will, and what it means to be human. Its success demonstrated that there was a significant audience for gritty, R-rated animated storytelling.

6) Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated TV show
Image courtesy of Cartoon Network

For decades, the Scooby-Doo formula was comforting and predictable: a monster appears, the gang investigates, and the villain is unmasked as a person in a costume. Mystery Incorporated took that beloved formula and injected it with a dose of genuine, serialized horror, creating what is arguably the franchise’s best entry. This time, the mysteries facing Fred (voiced by Frank Welker), Daphne (voiced by Grey DeLisle), Velma (voiced by Mindy Cohn), Shaggy (voiced by Matthew Lillard), and Scooby-Doo (also voiced by Frank Welker) were all connected to an overarching curse that has haunted their hometown of Crystal Cove for generations. This central plot gave the series a narrative momentum and weight never before seen in a Scooby-Doo show.

Drawing heavy inspiration from the atmospheric dread of Twin Peaks and the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft, Mystery Incorporated wasn’t afraid to be truly scary. The stakes felt real, the relationships between the gang members were complex, and the central mystery involved an ancient malevolent cosmic entity. This ambitious and often surprisingly dark take on the franchise proved that these iconic characters could thrive in a world where the monsters were no longer just a joke. It treated its own lore seriously and delivered a satisfying, epic conclusion that’s still worth revisiting.

7) Parasyte: The Maxim

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Image courtesy of Madhouse

The horror of Parasyte: The Maxim begins as a tiny alien organism fails to take over the brain of high school student Shinichi Izumi (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki) and instead burrows into his right hand, maturing into a sentient, shapeshifting entity he names Migi (voiced by Aya Hirano). The two are unwillingly bonded, forced into a desperate symbiotic relationship to defend themselves from other parasites who, having successfully taken human hosts, now secretly hunt and devour people. This intimate invasion of the self sets the stage for a story that is both a thrilling survival-horror and a deep philosophical inquiry.

Parasyte: The Maxim‘s central premise gives rise to some of the most inventive and shocking body horror in modern anime. Migi’s ability to transform Shinichi’s hand into blades and other weapons is visually stunning, and the designs of the fully-realized parasite monsters are pure nightmare fuel. Beyond the visceral gore, the story evolves into a compelling thriller, questioning what it means to be human and whether mankind is any less monstrous than the creatures that prey on it. The constant tension of hiding in plain sight, coupled with Shinichi’s slow loss of his own humanity, makes for a gripping and unforgettable experience.

Which other animated horror shows do you think belong on this list? Let us know in the comments.