Swarm premiered on Amazon Prime on March 17 and quickly became one of the most popular series on the streaming service that week. Swarm stars Dominique Fishback as Dre, an obsessed super fan of a pop/R'n'B sensation Ni'Jah. Dre falls deep into the fandom rabbit hole, slowly unveiling her internal demons throughout the series.
Fishback delivers a breathtaking performance across seven 30-minute episodes. The first was directed by Donald Glover, and the entire series premise was created by him and Janine Nabers. For fans that have binge-watched Swarm and need more tension and unease in the atmosphere, the following shows can deliver those vibes perfectly.
10 'Atlanta' (2016 - 2022)
Where else could fans of Swarm turn to than Glover's "firstborn," Atlanta? Atlanta wrapped up after four seasons, each better than the last. It fantastically blends fictional short stories inspired by things from real life with the progression of the main characters. At its core, Atlanta is a story of four friends - Earn, Paper Boi, Vanessa, and Darius - doing their best to grow up and stay on top of their life problems.
Atlanta often delves into the subliminal territory and features episodes that remind viewers of something well-known yet completely unfamiliar; Glover and Hiro Murai created visual masterpieces. Atlanta is one of the most influential series of the past ten years, and fans of Swarm will notice how it inspired Glover to create another series that portrays truth in uneasy ways.
9 'Them' (2021-)
In 2021, an anthology series Them was launched on Amazon Prime, following in the footsteps of Jordan Peele's works, but created by Little Marvin. Them is about a Black family moving to Compton in 1950, where a predominantly white community resides. Deborah Ayorinde and Ashley Thomas give fantastic, gripping performances as Lucky and Henry Emory.
Them combines the supernatural with very real horrors, from the Emorys' youngest daughter seeing a woman haunting their home to the family being continuously bullied by their neighbors. The real horrors are often scarier than what's not there. The overall work on the show is masterful, from directing and photography to the musical landscape. Them is a treat for horror fans.
8 'Severance' (2022-)
Severance quickly became one of the best shows of 2022 for viewers and picked up lots of praise. It's about the employees of a company that splits their personal and work lives by dividing their memories and creating a wall between them. Adam Scott plays the main character, Mark, who starts blurring the lines between his very separate professional and private lives.
Whoever thinks Severance isn't creepy should watch season one again. Imagine going to work without knowing where or who you even are. You have a persona that only exists to work, without any freedom to know your co-workers or involve your personal life. Then you come home without remembering half of your day - that's scary. Severance is a greatly thought-out science fiction thriller that the likes of Philip K. Dick could've easily penned.
7 'Inside No. 9' (2014-)
One of the longstanding British anthology series, Inside No. 9, has plenty of episodes to get fully immersed. The world of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith is mysterious and spooky yet often emotional and darkly hilarious. The two created and star in the series where each story has something unique, potentially sinister, and often feels like a satisfying short film.
Many stars have graced the stories of Inside No. 9, including Helen McCrory, Gemma Arterton, and Rory Kinnear, among so many others. For fans of genre-mixing short stories that all feel incredibly satisfying at the end (who wouldn't like that?), Inside No. 9 is the perfect viewing choice.
6 'The Outsider' (2020)
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The Outsider went under the radar, despite being a fairly successful Stephen King HBO adaptation. Since King's novels get adapted all the time - often unsuccessfully - it makes sense why someone would miss another premiere. Yet, The Outsider, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ben Mendelsohn, managed to be a great, spooky, supernatural thriller.
Cynthia Erivo carries the show as private investigator Holly Gibney; her candid character often comes secondary to her brilliance. Ben Mendelsohn's role as the skeptical policeman pairs well with Erivo, helping the entire cast perfectly toe the line between madness and sanity. The Outsider is more than meets the eye, making it the perfect show to binge-watch after Swarm.
5 'Yellowjackets' (2021-)
Yellowjackets is a Showtime series about a high school girl soccer team preparing to attend a game away from home. As they board the plane to get to their destination, it crashes in the middle of the woods, leaving them to survive on their own and with only the clothes on their backs.
Yellowjackets premiered without much fuss or hype and became a highly anticipated show post-season one finale. Season two premiered on March 24th, and fans get to finally see what happens next. The show has a strong female ensemble cast, both in the younger and older versions of the main characters. It's a mysterious and often very spooky and tense genre-blending show.
4 'Lovecraft Country' (2020)
Another horror miniseries focusing on the Black experience throughout American history, Lovecraft Country was (unfairly) canceled after its first season. Although, considering the show's ending, there may not be much more to tell. Lovecraft Country blends real and fictional horror in a refreshingly Lovecraftian way.
It follows Atticus Freeman (played by rising star Jonathan Majors in one of his best roles) embarking on a journey across the Lovecraftian Middle America in search of his missing father. He goes on the trip with his uncle George and childhood friend Letitia, stumbling upon numerous supernatural wonders, Lovecraft-like monsters, and awful horrors of racism. One of the best episodes is episode 8, "Jig-a-Bobo" but you must go through the first seven before reaching this horror masterpiece.
3 'Archive 81' (2022)
Archive 81 is a recent Netflix original diving into mystery and horror; sadly, it was canceled after the first season, with too many fans' disappointment. It follows a young archivist Dan (Mamoudou Athie) hired to restore old VHS tapes from 1994. His workplace is nestled deep in a vast forest with no one around - creepy thing number one.
Dan dedicates himself to restoring the tapes, learning they belonged to the young filmmaker Melody (Dina Shihabi). He gets immersed in Melody's tapes so much that the lines between here and now start to blur for him - creepy thing number two. Oh, and Melody accidentally unveils a cult, so creepy thing number three and checkmate. Archive 81 was a decently made mystery horror that could hopefully get picked up by another network.
2 'Hannibal' (2013-2015)
The world wasn't ready for Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Hannibal Lecter, yet at the time, it seemed to be what everyone needed. Hannibal revolves around the well-known cannibal hunted by an adamant FBI agent, portrayed in Silence of the Lambs by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, and in this series by Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy.
The show often dives into body horror territory, yet the captivating relationship between the psychiatrist (and cannibal) Hannibal and his patient (and FBI agent) Will is the centerpiece. They teeter between mutual fascination and hatred, and the complexities make for captivating viewing. After three seasons, Hannibal was canceled but remained among the biggest and best.
1 'Penny Dreadful' (2014-2016)
Viewers didn't know what they had until Penny Dreadful was over. This supernatural horror series is a sort of crème de la crème of 19th-century monster lore, from vampires and werewolves to Dorian Gray and Frankenstein. Although it seems overwhelming, it wasn't - Penny Dreadful was television gold and one of the greatest supernatural horror series ever made.
The main characters are Timothy Dalton as Sir Malcolm Murray, an adventurer with a knack for the supernatural, and his medium friend Vanessa (Eva Green). They're soon joined by Ethan (Josh Hartnett) and Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) in a hunt for a missing person. The costumes, music, and cast were meticulously chosen for the three seasons of this beautiful show.