The 10 Scariest Horror Anthology TV Shows

4) Alfred Hitchcock Presents

In seminal movies like Psycho and The Birds, so-called master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock brilliantly walked the tightrope between horror and thriller. It worked to such winning effect in those movies that Hitchcock’s oeuvre spawned a similarly-styled TV show – one of the first anthology series ever made.

Running from 1955 to 1962 (known as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in its later years), Hitchcock himself was actually heavily involved with the show – directing numerous episodes and, of course, introducing every one of them himself. With Hitch’s oversight – plus the additional talent of the likes of Norman Lloyd and Robert Altman – Presents was an incredibly consistent show over its 360 episodes, with many iconic moments seeping into popular culture.

Much like the man’s movies, the series never dabbled in the supernatural or overt horror techniques, but with its mix of murder, mystery and shocks it still produced many terror-filled hours of television. In fact, there’s even a strong case to be made for Alfred Hitchcock Presents being the first great TV series ever made.