With all due respect to Poltergeist (They’re her-rrrre!”), you don’t need to live in a haunted suburban house to get sucked into the terror of your television. From the short-story-like psychological shocks of Sixties name-brand anthology shows to today’s streaming-abetted scarefests, many of the medium’s most memorable series have centered on things that go bump in the night. It doesn’t have to be Halloween to enjoy: We’re counting down the top 30 horror shows in TV history. Vampire slayers and sexed-up bloodsuckers, brainiac serial killers and brain-chomping zombies, paranormal activities and portly auteurs wishing you “Good ev-eee-ning” — they’re all present and accounted for. Don’t dare touch that dial.

[Editor’s Note: a version of this list was published in October 2019]