The 20 Best Teen Thriller Shows to Ring in Halloween

With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to locate all your spooky decorations (if you didn’t already whip them out on September 1). From Halloween snacks and kids’ activities to the general autumn merriment of admiring the fall foliage and apple picking, there’s no shortage of fun (and sometimes frightening) things to do. But as the temperatures begin to dip, I also want an excuse to curl up with a blanket on the couch and watch something semi-scary.

Thankfully, this list of the best teen thriller shows ticks all the boxes. There’s suspense! Murder! Betrayal! Drama! Mystery! However, they ease up on the gore, jump scares and downright terrifying psychological games that more mature shows may lean into. Whether you’re impatiently waiting for the next season of Wednesday or looking to stroll down memory lane with Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I’ve rounded up 20 series that you need to queue up, stat.

• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 45 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 73% | IMDb 8.1/10

Wednesday is the inarguable darling of the teen thriller genre right now, and as someone who loves murder mysteries and a good typewriter, I was hooked from episode one. Season one chronicles teenage Wednesday's first year at Nevermore Academy, where she must contend with her burgeoning psychic abilities, rainbow roommate and a string of local murders haunting the town. Season two went into production in Ireland earlier this year and will premiere in 2025, with the first episode titled, “Here We Woe Again.”

The spinoff of cartoonist Charles Addams’s quirky family premiered in 2022. Within three weeks, it became Netflix’s second-most-watched English-language series, and it went on to garner Golden Globe nominations for Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy and Best Actress—Television Series Musical or Comedy (Jenna Ortega). Additionally, Wednesday won four Emmy Awards and received nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

• Number of Seasons: 7
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 44 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 85% | IMDb 8.3/10

The seven-season show follows Buffy Summers, a young woman chosen by fate to be a “Vampire Slayer,” protecting her town of Sunnydale—and the world—from menacing supernatural forces. It’s now considered one of the best television series of all time, and it was nominated for the American Film Institute Award for Drama Series of the Year. It also scooped five Television Critics Association Award nominations, and it won the 2003 Television Critics Association Heritage Award. For her role as Buffy, Sarah Michelle Gellar was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress—Television Series Drama.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the perfect combo of sci-fi and teen soap,” said PureWow assistant editor of branded content Madeline Merinuk. “The characters are so complex and I love all of the strong women at the forefront of the series—plus the fashion is so ’90s. I love taking inspo from some of the characters’ daytime looks.”

• Number of Seasons: 4
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 1 hour
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 91% | IMDb 8.7/10

Stranger Things chronicles the lives of the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, where supernatural forces threaten to destroy their world. The fifth and final season went into production earlier this year and will premiere in 2025.

Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s most-watched series and has earned ten Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, plus a bevy of others for both the series and the cast. Notably, it garnered the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Winona Ryder received a 2017 Golden Globe nomination for her role as Joyce, while Millie Bobby Brown received nominations for an Emmy and and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

• Number of Seasons: 7
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 44 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 81% | IMDb 7.4/10

The teen thriller stars Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell and Troian Bellisario as four friends who search for answers after their best friend, Alison, mysteriously disappears. Meanwhile, the friend group is haunted by an anonymous person, “A”, who claims to be privy to the lies and secrets they’re desperate to keep buried. Though Pretty Little Liars received mixed reviews, it was a commercial success, spawning three spin offs: Ravenswood (2013), Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists (2019) and a 2022 reboot.

“Pretty Little Liars was so unpredictable (in a good and bad way),” said PureWow beauty and cultures editor Chelsea Candelario. “There was always someone playing ‘A’ that you never quite expected. So much drama and violence in one town that I'm not surprised it ran for so long.”

• Number of Seasons: 4
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 44 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 86% | IMDb 6.7/10

I grew up devouring the Nancy Drew series (and hiding under my covers at night), so this is one of my favorite teen thriller shows. The series stars Kennedy McMann as the titular character, who defers her college applications after her mother dies. Though Nancy swears off detective work, she soon becomes entangled in the murder case of a local socialite—and finds herself and her friends the prime suspects. This is the third Nancy Drew television series, following The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977-1979) and a 1995 Canadian-American adaptation.

• Number of Seasons: 4
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 1 hour
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 82% | IMDb 7.4/10

She’s not *the* teenage witch, but she is still inspired by the same Archie Comics character Sabrina Spellman, played by Kiernan Shipka. The series follows Sabrina as she begins her dark education as a half-witch and protects her community—and the human world—from evil forces. Though canceled due to the pandemic, the show was well-received and had two crossovers with Riverdale.   

• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rating: TV-MA
• Average Episode Run Time: 50 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 84% | IMDb 6.8/10

If you loved Emma Meyers in Wednesday, she takes the spotlight in the BBC’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, adapted from Holly Jackson’s novel of the same name. As Pip Fitz-Amobi, she investigates the death of a former student, Andie Bell, whom Pip believes was not killed by Bell’s boyfriend, Sal. If her suspicions are correct, the killer is still at large. There’s intrigue, mystery, tension and an air of danger that had me on the edge of my seat—minus the dark, macabre tones of Wednesday.

• Number of Seasons: 6
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 41 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 81% | IMDb 7.7/10

The main character, Scott McCall (Tyler Posey), is an ordinary teen until he’s bitten by a werewolf—turning his regular life upside down. He must work to save his Beacon Hills, California, town from supernatural creatures and forces—with help from friends along the way. (And yes, this is where Dylan O’Brien rose to fame before the “All Too Well” music video.)

Teen Wolf was inspired by the 1995 film starring Michael J. Fox. It was the recipient of three Saturn Awards for Best Youth-Oriented Television Series and 13 Teen Choice Awards.

• Number of Seasons: 7
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 45 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 81% | IMDb 6.5/10

Archie Andrews has music aspirations, but finds himself without a mentor after ending a clandestine relationship with this music teacher. He’s also at odds with his best friend, Jughead Jones. New girl Veronica Lodge becomes a love interest, but she doesn’t want to upset Betty, who’s crushing on Archie. Amid these love triangles and strained friendships, the characters must solve the sinister mystery surrounding a fellow student’s death in the town of Riverdale.

• Number of Seasons: 8
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 43 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 86% | IMDb 7.7/10

The show follows Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), an orphan girl who falls in love with a vampire, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). It doesn’t take long for Stefan’s brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), to fall in love with her, too—and the brothers’ former lover, Katherine Pierce, is her doppelgänger. A love triangle unfolds against the backdrop of menacing supernatural forces.

Based on the book series by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries was the CW’s most-watched series until Arrow’s premiere. It received four People’s Choice Awards and a plethora of Teen Choice Awards. The show’s success launched a media franchise spanning web series, television series, novels and comic books, including The Originals (2013-2018) and Legacies (2018-2022).

• Number of Seasons: 4
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 44 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 80% | IMDb 8.4/10

Veronica Mars stars Kristen Bell as a student who moonlights as a private investigator. It’s based on screenwriter Rob Thomas’s YA novel and set in the fictional town of Neptune, California. Every season, Veronica must solve a mystery, ranging from murders and mysterious deaths to terrorist attacks.

The series was nominated for two Satellite Awards, four Saturn Awards and five Teen Choice Awards. In 2019, Hulu released a revival with Bell reprising her role for eight episodes. Though the series was canceled after four seasons, Thomas produced a series of novels extending the story line, including Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (2014) and Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss and Tell (2015).

• Number of Seasons: 2
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 45 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 77% | IMDb 7.1/10

Emma Roberts stars as sorority president Chanel Oberlin, who rules Wallace University’s Kappa Kappa Tau with an iron fist alongside her friends played by Ariana Grande, Billie Lourd and Abigail Breslin. Their power is threatened when the dean mandates that rush be open to all students. This resurrects a decades-old murder mystery and the return of a serial killer dressed as the Red Devil mascot, who targets sorority members. Though the show was canceled after two seasons, co-creator Ryan Murphy has discussed the possibility of developing a third season.

• Number of Seasons: 4
• Rating: TV-MA
• Average Episode Run Time: 50 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 72% | IMDb 7.5/10

The storyline follows a group of teenagers in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. There are two factions: The Pogues (the kids of working-class locals) and the Kooks (wealthy seasonal residents). Chase Stokes stars as the leader of the Pogues, John B. Routledge, whose father has gone missing. Determined to discover the truth—and the treasure his father was searching for before his disappearance—John enlists his friends in the search for answers. The fourth season will premiere in two parts on October 10 and November 7, respectively.

“I’m obsessed with Outer Banks,” says PureWow associate sales and deals editor Destinee Scott. “The kids are 16 and on a treasure hunt that turns dangerous. It gets deep—there’s family drama, a teen boy gone crazy and a girl who has to choose between her friends and her family.”

• Number of Seasons: 2
• Rating: TV-MA
• Average Episode Run Time: 50 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 91% | IMDb 6.9/10

You’d think that detention involves staring at a wall for two hours after school. But for Bayview High School students Simon (Mark McKenna), Addy (Annalisa Cochrane), Cooper (Chibuikem Uche), Bronwyn (Marianly Tejada) and Nate (Cooper van Grootel), it’s anything but ordinary when one of them ends up dead. This teen thriller show is adapted from Karen M. McManus’s 2017 novel.

• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 44 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 94% | IMDb 7.4/10

If you’re a fan of British teen thriller shows, put Lockwood & Co. at the top of your list. Based on Jonathan Stroud’s book series, the show explores an alternate reality of present-day Britain. Here, deadly ghosts escape their graves and put a stop to technological advancement. Only children can see the ghosts, and it’s up to Lucy Carlyle and the Lockwood & Co. agency to stop the reign of terror.

• Number of Seasons: 2
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 45 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 79% | IMDb 7.4/10

No, this isn’t a dreamy, romantic, Taylor Swift-sanctioned Cruel Summer. It’s two summers (and two seasons) of disappearances, murder and betrayal. At the center of it are tense friendships that are dangling by a thread. The first season sees shy Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) blossom after the disappearance of her charismatic and popular best friend, Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt). When Kate eventually turns up alive, the girls and their communities must face the brutal secrets that are uncovered. In season two, high schooler Megan’s (Sadie Stanley) family welcomes foreign exchange student Isabella (Lexi Underwood) to their Chatham, Washington home. Though the girls become fast friends, their friendship becomes complicated when they both develop a crush on Luke (Griffin Gluck), Megan’s childhood best friend. When Luke is murdered, Megan and Isabella become the prime suspects.

• Number of Seasons: 7
• Rating: TV-G
• Average Episode Run Time: 22 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 68% | IMDb 6.7/10

Inspired by the 1971 Archie Comics character Sabrina Spellman, Sabrina the Teenage Witch is one of the most iconic teen thriller shows. It stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina, who discovers she has magical powers on her 16th birthday. Fun fact: The series is one of ABC’s highest-rated to date.

• Number of Seasons: 4
• Rating: TV-14
• Average Episode Run Time: 45 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 78% | IMDb 7.2/10

For fans of The Vampire Diaries, Legacies picks up with Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell) two years after the events of The Originals. Mikaelson is a descendant of powerful vampire, werewolf and witch bloodlines. She is a student at the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, where young supernatural beings learn to control their abilities.

• Number of Seasons: 1
• Rating: TV-MA
• Average Episode Run Time: 40 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 87% | IMDb 7.3/10

Tiff Quilkin (Camryn Jones), Erin Tieng (Riley Lai Nelet), Mac Coyle (Sofia Rosinsky) and KJ Brandman (Fina Strazza) deliver newspapers every morning. On Halloween 1988, they’re inadvertently entangled in a conflict between warring groups of time travelers while on their delivery route. The paper girls embark on a quest to save the world—but when they encounter their future selves, they must decide whether or not they accept their fate. Paper Girls is adapted from Brian K. Vaughan’s comic book series.