19 spooky TV shows featuring queer characters to watch this Halloween

With Halloween quickly approaching, we've picked the best TV shows featuring queer characters to binge this spooky season.

Split screen with two female characters and one male character from three different shows listed on the list of TV shows featuring queer characters to watch this Halloween
Image: @lockeandkeynetflix, @strangerthingstv and @thehaunting via Instagram

Halloween is right around the corner, and we’re getting more and more of an appetite for the spookiest shows TV has to offer. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of all the best shows with queer characters that are sure to keep you up at night. The question is: can you stomach all 19?

1. I Know What You Did Last Summer

Starring Madison Iseman, Brianne Tju, Ezekiel Goodman, Ashley Moore, Sebastian Amoruso, Fiona Rene, Cassie Beck, Brooke Bloom and Bill Heck, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a remake of the 1997 slasher movie, which was originally based on a novel. The story takes us to a town in Hawaii full of secrets where a “group of teenagers are stalked by a mysterious killer a year after a fatal accident on their graduation night.”

The show has just eight episodes, so it’s the perfect pick for those who want to binge-watch an entire series in one day (who doesn’t love that?).

2. Riverdale

Is this show a little off-the-wall? Sure, but that’s why we love it.

Equal parts campy and creepy, Riverdale comes with some pretty heavy queer storylines, including in the scariest setting of all, conversion therapy camps, so tread carefully.

3. The Wilds

Drama, mystery and romance, The Wilds has it all.

The Prime Video series explores the lives of a group of girls from different backgrounds that end up together on a remote island after a plane crash. Throughout its two seasons, the show’s plot will keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat eager to see what unfolds episode by episode.

4. Haunting of Hill House

This spooktacular series on Netflix has storylines from both the past and the present, showing a family struggling to cope with the chilling memories of their former home. If you like old manors and scary soundtracks, this one’s for you!

5. The Haunting of Bly Manor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxeiY2W03Mc

The Haunting of Bly Manor is another horror series created by Mike Flanagan. Although not as scary as its predecessor, The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor successfully delivers horror clichés galore. You’ll find it all here, from creepy dollhouses to sinister things in the basement, with a hint of romance in-between.

6. Mindhunter

This one may be stranger than fiction, but that’s what makes it even scarier. For anyone who’s into the psychology of murder (we’re not judging you), this show could be your new fave.

7. Panic

Panic follows graduating seniors in a small Texas town as they participate in a competition they believe will allow them one single chance to escape and win loads of money (or at least they think so). It’s challenging to talk more about the story written by Lauren Oliver without giving away any spoilers. However, if you like teen dramas such as Riverdale, give this Amazon Prime series a shot.

8. True Blood

I mean, it’s vampires – it’s the perfect Halloween watch! Although this show has already ended, it’s the perfect time for a re-watch because there is a reboot in the making.

9. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnXgKHt—w

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is a reboot of the 2010 teen success Pretty Little Liars. However, although Original Sin keeps the same premise as the OG show (with ‘A’ tormenting a group of high school girls), the new show is way more violent and creepier.

With clear references to classic terror movies such as Carrie and Halloween, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has recently been renewed for season 2.

10. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Yes, we’re still not over the new Sabrina Spellman. Available on Netflix in four parts, this half-witch is new blood and also a classic.

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11. Elite

In an exclusive Spanish private school, the arrival of three new working-class students causes a conflict between them and the wealthy students, resulting in murder. According to The New Yorker, Elite is “twisty and sexy, teeming with clandestine crimes and clandestine rendezvous, but the show is also genuinely interested in the psyche of the ambitious teen-ager.”

Although the cast changes dramatically over the seasons, Elite is still one of Netflix’s most successful Spanish productions, and its 6th season releases on November 18.

12. American Horror Story

At this point, can we all agree that American Horror Story a must-watch TV show during the Halloween season?

A whole ten seasons await you on Disney+ with a spectacular cast, including the infamous Evan Peters. American Horror Story also includes the incomparable Sarah Paulson, who can do no wrong as far as we’re concerned.

13. Ratched

If you love American Horror Story, this is the perfect follow-up because it’s from the same creator and stars Miss Paulson, alongside Sex and the City‘s Cynthia Nixon. Despite its colourful set and costume design, this one definitely falls into the eery category.

14. First Kill

Next on our list of binge-worthy Halloween TV shows is First Kill. This teen series has Romeo and Juliet vibes but with a modern queer twist. The critics describe it as a “sapphic soap about vampire love”. Need we say more?

In August, Netflix announced they were not going forward with the production and even though that’s sad news, it makes First Kill the ideal show to watch on a Friday night when you’re craving some teen enemies-to-lovers drama.

15. Dead to Me

Warning: this one is positively addictive. If you dare, you’ll have the first two seasons polished off in a weekend. However, you’ll be left wanting more… But the good news is that the third and final season releases shortly after Halloween, on November 17.

16. Young Royals

We can assure you that this Swedish teen drama is not what you might expect. Despite its aesthetic similarity to other teen shows such as Elite and Riverdale, Young Royals has been charming fans with its engaging plot and complex characters.

Young Royals Season 2 is set to arrive on Netflix on November 1. So, if you want to be in the loop when everyone is talking about Prince Wilhelm and his adventures at Hillerska, you should start watching ASAP.

17. Locke and Key

Based on Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez’s comic books, and starring BAFTA nominee Emilia Jones, Locke and Key is complete with magic, murder, and again, another ancestral manor.

Although Netflix announced a double renewal for seasons 2 and 3, they decided not to move forward with production. The third and final season of Locke and Key has been available on the streaming service since August.

18. The Midnight Club

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3cCROeOQLQ

Mike Flanagan is making our list for the third time as he is The Midnight Club’s co-creator alongside Leah Fong. Adapted from Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel, the series centres around a high school senior who ends up in a mysterious hospice run by a suspicious doctor.

If you like jump scares, this new Netflix miniseries is just right for you. According to Guinness World Records, The Midnight Club “has broken a record for the most scripted jump scares in a single television episode, with 21 in total.” We didn’t know that was a thing, but apparently it is, making it one of the best brand-new TV shows to watch this Halloween.

19. Stranger Things

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQEondeGvKo

Yes, of course, Stanger Things is on our list! How could it not be?

The highly anticipated fourth Season was released earlier this year, and it was everything the Duffer Brothers promised (and more!). It is 100% the scariest season so far, with clear references to classic ’80s horror such as A Nightmare On Elm Street.

PS: We’re still not over Sadie Sink’s performance this season.

So that completes our list of spooktacular Halloween TV shows to watch in 2022. If there’s a show that didn’t make the cut, be sure to let us know!

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