Horror belongs among the most popular movie genres. The viewers love to get scared, even more so by things that don’t exist in real life. From a production point of view, horror movies are often less expensive to make, and they have the potential to earn a lot of money as a result.
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The most successful movie franchises not only spawned multiple movies but also sometimes crossed from movies to TV. The horror movies that got TV show spin-offs allowed the audience to learn even more about their favorite heroes or villains, and to get an additional portion of terror right on their TV screens.
5Bates Motel
A popular way how to transform a horror movie into a TV show spin-off is to focus on the younger days of the main villain.Ratchedwith Sarah Paulson did this, as well as the seriesBates Motel. Based onthe legendary moviePsycho(1960) by Alfred Hitchcock, the series shows the difficult teenage years of Norman Bates, played by Freddie Highmore, and his complicated, disturbing relationship with his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga).
The series dives deep into the characters‘ minds, and what it discovers there isn’t always pretty, but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating. It’s an intriguing watch even for those unfamiliar withPsycho, but viewers who know how Norman’s story will turn out are in for an even more unique experience. The series aired for five seasons between 2013 and 2017.
4Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris a strange case. Unlike other horror movies that got TV show spin-offs, the original 1992 movie about Buffy was a critical failure. To this day, it remains one of the worst-rated movies. Despite that, Buffy got a second chance a few years later. In 1997 in his pre-MCU era, Joss Whedon created a series that would go on to become iconic. In its seven seasons, Buffy Summers fights vampires, demons and other evil creatures. She tries to coincide her extracurricular activities with her everyday life. And she also falls in love a few times.
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The series is the ideal starting point for young horror fans who haven’t seen many horror shows just yet. Buffy is a relatable heroine, and with the new face of Sarah Michelle Gellar, she pulls the show forward. She doesn’t do it alone, though, as the show has a rich cast of well-written supporting characters, such as Anthony Head’s Mr. Giles, the librarian, or Buffy’s enemy-to-lover vampire Spike, portrayed by James Marsters. Some episodes play more on the funny note, butother episodes are downright scary or creepy, and the show mixes the different moods effortlessly.
3Ash Vs Evil Dead
Before he directed the original Spider-Man trilogy, Sam Raimi created several horror movies that have since become iconic. A case in point? The movieEvil Dead(1981) about a group of friends who make the deadly mistake of reading from a strange book while spending the weekend in a cabin in the woods. Before they know it, they’re fighting for their lives, and it’s clear not all of them will survive. The movie offered the right amount of fear and gore. It inspired several sequels as well as a theater plays, for example.
In 2015, the fans of the franchise were happy to hear that the first movie’s surviving hero, Ash played by Bruce Campbell, would be back in a show.Ash vs Evil Deadmixes horror, killing enemies, and humor with an ease many othercomedy horror showscould be envious of. It ran for three seasons, with thirty episodes in total, and even though it’s much more humorous than the original, it proved that the spirit ofEvil Deadwasn’t yet dead.
2Hannibal
Horror movies don’t often win Oscars.Silence of the Lambs(1991), broke this rule when it won all the five major Oscars. Focused on the brilliant murderer Hannibal Lecter who helps the young agent Clarice Starling catch another killer, the movie was intelligent and chilling. The TV seriesHannibalshares the same trait, even though it doesn’t tell Clarice’s story.
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Instead, Hannibal Lecter, initially seen as a respected psychiatrist, plays a dangerous game with the tormented FBI agent Will Graham. Both Mads Mikkelsen as Lecter and Hugh Dancy as Graham are excellent in the leading roles, and the rising tension between them makes for a delightfully twisted watch. Considering the fact that another spin-off seriesClaricewascanceled after just one season,Hannibalproves that it wasn’t a fluke as the show ran successfully for three seasons and garnered positive reactions from viewers and critics alike.
1What We Do In The Shadows
Vampires are familiar creatures, having appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows. With such a large number, it’s hard to come up with something new, a refreshing take on vampires. Taika Waititi managed it when he directed (and starred in) the vampire mockumentaryWhat We Do in the Shadowsin 2014. His horror comedy about three vampire roommates who have to navigate their vampirism and everyday life caught the attention of the audience and scored positive ratings.
In 2019, a series based on the same concept premiered, albeit with different actors and characters. Once again, the series shows that vampires‘ life is more complicated than people could have ever guessed. The show currently has four seasons, and it’s still going strong. While not as scary as other horror shows,What We Do in the Shadowsis one of the series that has the power to entertain even those viewers who don’t normally like stories about vampires since it has all the elements of a supernatural sitcom.
