October is here and with Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to get on the band wagon with all the seasonal horror television shows premiering this year! It seems now more than ever that mainstream television has saturated this season with their own flavor or horror to incite viewers and promote their relevancy. It’s certainly easier to become biased toward shows that have established themselves after years of following. So, when major broadcasting companies introduce brand new series to the mix, its easy to watch with a critical mindset. That being said, keeping an open mind this year has certainly paid off and is responsible for a couple of surprising additions to this list. With so many to choose from, I’ve consolidated a quick list of shows that I’ll realistically be able to keep up with and that I’m most enthusiastic for. Listed in chronological order of their season or series debut are the eight that made the cut:
American Horror Story (Sept. 14) Wednesdays @10pm Eastern
There is a significant tenacity I hold towards this show that’s put myself in an unforgiving teeter totter of love and hate for the characters, story structure, and unwanted musical numbers . Quitting this show for multiple seasons I’ve always have come crawling back to see what they’ll do next. The teaser trailers before it’s premiere this year gave cryptic messages of what the next season may be about. This type of advertising for the show may have intrigued some, but gave me the impression that they really have no idea anymore. As mentioned before, keeping patience and an open mind has let me discover a pretty good season opener this year and thus far, no Glee horse shit.
Z Nation (Sept. 16) Fridays @9pm Eastern
To be honest, I’m not a strong follower of the show, but enjoy catching an episode once in a while not being too concerned about keeping up with the story. With Walking Dead nowhere to be seen till October 23rd (WTF), viewers can still get their zombie fix in with Z Nation. It was a questionable move to kill off Harold Perrineau and Tom Everett Scott’s characters off in the first season, but I can still appreciate this show’s less drama heavy and more funny version on post apocalyptic zombie survival adventures.
Ash vs Evil Dead (Oct. 2) Sundays @ 8pm Eastern- Starz
I’m guilty of not keeping up with this one, but probably one of the most desired shows I want to catch up on. The Evil Dead movies were always fun to watch and getting the chance to keep that story going makes for an exciting show.
Exorcist (Sept. 23) Fridays @ 9pm Eastern- Fox
My initial thoughts on this re-creation was leaning towards too tame for a major conservative network to air such a controversial and terrifying idea. Fox’s track record for Fall season horror shows had come up short in recent years making this a predicted lost cause. Then there was one attic scene that made me glad to say I was completely wrong this time. It was rewarding to see a creative and refreshingly eerie scene that makes an impact for the rest of the story. It’s difficult to make an impression in this genre with any brand of media, but even with the censorship limitations of Cable TV, this show expresses a liberation towards a reliance of gratuitous shock scenes in the graphic and sexual sense. As entertaining as some of those scenes are, it could also take away of creative story lines and too many shows are guilty of shortcutting their own episodes this way. This isn’t one of those shows thankfully and it may be one of the scariest shows on this list.
West World (Oct.2) Sundays @9pm Eastern-HBO
So maybe not exactly horror, but how can you turn down a brand new series from HBO that even has Anthony Hopkins. The Sci-Fi meets wild west story comes off quite interesting and it’s hard to say what direction will take this early in the game.
Halloween Wars (Oct. 2) Sundays @9pm Eastern- Food Network
On this list to give a little more variety and who doesn’t like Halloween goodies made into elaborate decorative displays. The Food Network competitive TV show is an inspiring way to indulge and give in to your sweet tooth. You may even learn a few things to impress friends and family for a Halloween party.
The Simpsons-Tree house of Horror (Oct. 16) Sunday @8pm Eastern-Fox
Growing up with the show, I’ve always been most excited to catch the Halloween episodes. They’re always the most funny and they will always make the list.
Walking Dead (Oct. 23) Sundays @9pm Eastern-AMC
As most people’s favorite, this season treads on familiar terms of Rick’s seasoned crew dealings of new found territory but similar egotistical gangs that hinder their progress. It’s less about the zombies and more of a clash of clans since season three, but this show has been a fun tradition to watch this time of year and is always my most anticipated. It is certainly entertaining to see Rick completely lose it and reach a new low every season. Still, this is the latest season premiere to date since it’s debut in 2010. Regardless, I’ll be waiting patiently.
Whatever you’ll be watching this season, hopefully this list gives you a thought to try something new, a chance to re-discover a show, or an addition to your own brand of H.D.TV. Above all, enjoy your Halloween!
-Matt
Custodi Exitus 