10) Masters Of Horror
2005’s Masters of Horror sported a brilliant central hook for an anthology show. As the title suggests, every episode was made by one of the biggest directors in horror filmmaking paired with one its biggest writers.
In the revolving door of the director’s chair, there was everyone from John Carpenter to John Landis, while the writers included Hellraiser’s Clive Barker and legendary sci-fi/horror novelist Richard Matheson. Plus, some episodes were based on the works of the likes of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.
With mainly cinematic talent behind the scenes, it was a show that borrowed much more from the tradition of horror movies than horror TV shows. For instance, where lesser-budgeted series might prefer suspense, Masters – with a sizeable sum behind it thanks to premium cable network Showtime – went all out in giving its audience slashers and monster movies that were full of gratuitous violence, nudity and gore.
Though the show only lasted a relatively short 26 episodes over two seasons, Masters of Horror is most definitely a much watch for aficionados of the genre.