From a new take on Carrie to the origins of Camp Crystal Lake, horror television is having a very spooky October.
The new horror shows of 2026 are giving us plenty of reasons to stay inside this fall.
You could spend October rewatching the same horror movies you have seen 14 times. Or you could make room for what may be one of the strongest fall horror TV lineups we have had in years.
From Stephen King and Friday the 13th to American Horror Story, this year’s lineup pulls heavily from stories we already know while mixing in a few completely new nightmares. October alone brings major releases from Prime Video, Netflix, Peacock and Crave, giving horror fans very little reason to leave the couch before Halloween.
Here are five new horror shows of 2026 worth putting on your watchlist in order of release.
American Horror Story: 13
Premiere: September 24 in the U.S.; September 25 in Canada
U.S.: FX and Hulu
Canada: Disney+
Episodes:13
American Horror Story waited until Season 13 to really lean into the number, and it is bringing a significant portion of the franchise with it.
The new chapter pulls characters and performers from across previous seasons, including Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd and Gabourey Sidibe.
Rather than starting with a completely clean slate, Season 13 is being positioned as a crossover-style chapter connecting some of the anthology’s past horrors.
Fan favourites including Cordelia Goode, Constance Langdon, Madison Montgomery, Marie Laveau, Rubber Man and Twisty the Clown are among the characters returning.
Three episodes arrive on premiere night, with the remaining episodes rolling out through the end of October.
If you abandoned American Horror Story somewhere around Season 9, apparently they would like a word.
Carrie
Premiere: October 7
U.S.: Prime Video
Canada: Prime Video
Episodes: 8
Yes, we are going back to prom.
But Mike Flanagan is involved, which immediately makes this more interesting.
The creator behind The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass is adapting Stephen King’s Carrie as a television series for the first time, with Summer H. Howell taking on the title role.
This version brings Carrie White into the social-media era. After entering public high school, Carrie becomes the target of a viral bullying scandal while simultaneously beginning to understand the telekinetic abilities developing alongside her adolescence.
The eight-episode format also gives the story considerably more room than previous film adaptations to explore Carrie, Margaret White and the students around them before everything inevitably goes very, very wrong.
All eight episodes arrive October 7.
SKELETON had a chance to preview the series, and yes, it’s a bloody good time. Our Scream King Matthew Lillard also appears in the series, which only gives us another reason to watch. Plan accordingly.
Below
Premiere: October 8
U.S.: Netflix
Canada: Netflix
Episodes: 6
The day after Carrie, Netflix is going somewhere colder.
Below stars Josh Hartnett in a six-episode creature thriller set in a coastal Newfoundland community.
When something begins terrorizing the town from the water, a fisherman is forced to protect his family while the community fights for survival and a disappearing way of life.
Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton, Ruby Stokes, Rohan Campbell, Natasha Henstridge and Mary Walsh are also among the cast.
Sea-monster horror set against cold Atlantic water and Newfoundland fog feels considerably worse.
Complimentary.
Crystal Lake
Premiere: October 15
U.S.: Peacock
Canada: Crave
Episodes: 8
Before Jason Voorhees became one of horror’s most recognizable masked killers, there was his mother.
Crystal Lake goes back to the beginning of the Friday the 13th story, with Linda Cardellini taking on the iconic role of Pamela Voorhees.
The eight-episode prequel centres on the aftermath of young Jason’s drowning at Camp Crystal Lake and the events that eventually transform the location into one of horror’s least advisable summer destinations.
Brad Caleb Kane serves as creator and showrunner, and the early footage is clearly leaning into the atmosphere of the original 1980 film: summer camp, dark woods and the increasingly obvious sense that nobody should have come here.
All eight episodes arrive at once on October 15.
You already know this story does not end with everyone roasting marshmallows.
Yaga
Premiere: October 23
U.S.: AMC+
Canada: Crave
Episodes: 8
The wildcard on the list may also be one of the most interesting.
Created by Canadian writer Kat Sandler and based on her play, Yaga reimagines the mythology of Baba Yaga as a contemporary supernatural mystery.
Noah Reid stars as a private investigator who arrives in the coastal town of Whittock looking into the disappearance of Henry Park, the young heir to a powerful local fishery.
The investigation brings him into the orbit of a local detective played by Clark Backo and a mysterious university professor played by Carrie-Anne Moss. Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams also appears, along with Sheila McCarthy and Megan Follows.
The first two episodes arrive October 23, with new episodes following weekly.
It is witchy, Canadian and arriving eight days before Halloween.
We are listening.
Ready to Get Scared?
If watching horror from the couch is not enough, we have you covered.
Want to be scared in real life? Check out our guide to the best Halloween events for adults in Toronto and the GTA in 2026.
xoxo, SKELETON 🖤
