The Top 5 2010’s Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows

And here it is, the finale of the “Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows” series with a look at the Top 5 Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows from the 2010’s. I hope you enjoyed this series. Not sure what the next “series” will be. With the recent announcement that George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park will be getting a release in June via Shudder, the “ranking the movies of George A. Romero” mega list will likely happen by the end of the summer. So, you know, be on the lookout for that.

In case you missed the first three weeks of this series, check out the links below:

The Top 5 1980’s Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows

The Top 5 1990’s Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows

The Top 5 2000’s Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows

And now, The Top 5 2010’s Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows:

The Top 5 2010’s Horror Movies That Should Be Made Into TV Shows

Honorable Mentions

–The ABC’s of Death: I can totally see Shudder or Netflix doing a TV show of this horror anthology. The show could be 26 short episodes per season, or there could be 10-13 episodes where each episode focusses on a letter of the alphabet (these episodes would be like 30 minutes or an hour). And since there are tons of short movie makers out there, there are tons of shorts that could be purchased for inclusion in the show.

–V/H/S: This horror anthology would probably be harder to pull off because of the wraparound story (how many mysterious VHS tapes would someone watch, regardless of who or what they happen to be?), but it would be interesting to see moviemakers try to make short movies with low-fi technology. What would they come up with? How long would audiences stick around for something like that?

5- Johnny Gruesome: This horror comedy from writer/director Gregory Lamberson about a sort of vengeance seeking zombie is a movie that should be a low budget horror movie franchise. If that can’t happen, why not turn it into a TV show? It has all of the necessary elements for a rocking good TV show that would appeal to multiple audiences. It takes place in and around a high school, it involves young people engaging in “typical” young people bullshit, zombies, supernatural shenanigans, gore, and it has a goofy black comedy sense of humor. You can totally see it as a more violent CW type show (well, I can see it as that). And once the main story is over after the first season, I’m sure there are further vengeance seeking zombie stories within the Johnny Gruesome universe to tell. And I would totally try to get star Anthony De La Torre to star in the TV show. The guy was perfect in the movie.

4- It Follows: While I didn’t care for this 2014 horror flick (I liked parts of it, especially the sound design), I think the concept behind the movie’s plot would work out quite well with a TV show format. A “sex curse” that gets passed around, you could do the show as one long story told over a season or you could do it in a sort of anthology format, where different people at different times are afflicted by the curse. Or maybe you don’t have to do the “curse” as a sex curse all of the time? Maybe “It” can be anything that could destroy people if it gets them. I’d imagine the show would probably stick to the “sex curse” idea because a premium cable or streaming outfit would want to fill the show with sex and nudity and whatnot. Regardless of what the “It” happens to be, I think this idea could turn into a fascinating TV show.

3- Wolfcop: This horror comedy about a cop that turns into a werewolf isn’t quite as successful as it should be (the first movie works right up until the final third or so, and the sequel is fucking garbage), but the concept is solid enough for a sort of send up of the cheesy TV cop show. I mean, imagine something like T.J. Hooker with T.J. Hooker able to turn into a werewolf in order to fight crime. A show like that would be so bonkers I don’t know how it could fail. And you could easily do it as a “case of the week” type deal, or one long story over a season, or you could go the Strike Back route and do a series of small stories that lead to a bigger one. You would just have to make sure that the show is chock full of weird monsters, gore (someone should get his or her face ripped off each episode. That should be the show’s thing), and TV cop show action. Yes, the show would likely be super expensive to do (you would probably have to have the Wolfcop actor in the werewolf makeup/suit half the time, would no doubt cost a fortune), but it would be worth it. I think the world needs this kind of potential wackiness.

2-Stake Land: With the mega success of The Walking Dead zombie TV show, I’m shocked no network, either cable or streaming, didn’t try to create a similar post-apocalyptic type show but about vampires. I’m fairly certain that if someone mined the world established in Stake Land for a TV show that show would be a big success. It has all of the necessary elements for a worthwhile TV show in that style: a badass hero (Nick Damici’s Mister character), regular people just trying to survive a new, terrible world full of violence and pain, and monsters that are absolutely terrifying. I wouldn’t artificially prolong the show over a potential season (if there are 10 episodes worth of story to tell, use 10 episodes. But if there are only 7 episodes worth, only do 7 episodes. The show doesn’t need to be stretched out). I would want to keep the show always moving forward, always exciting, always involving, because that’s what made the Stake Land movie and its sequel so great. TV shows are good for telling longer stories, obviously, but don’t get carried away with that idea. And I would definitely try to get Nick Damici to star in the show because he’s just so awesome.

1—Don’t Kill It: This Dolph Lundgren action horror comedy from 2016 is another movie that should be a franchise, but since it doesn’t look like that is going to happen, why not turn it into a TV show? A show about a demon hunter who travels from small town to small town all over America, dealing with various demons and whatnot. This is another concept that could easily fit into various show structures and be successful (weekly cases, one story over a season, a series of small stories that lead to a bigger story). You would want to keep the story moving at all times and you would want to have a variety of monsters for the hero of the story to deal with (because why not? If the show is successful there are loads of merchandising possibilities with it). And I would absolutely try to get Dolph Lundgren back to star. I’m sure he would be down for doing it.

**

Thanks for reading. Agree? Disagree? Sign up with disqus and comment. You know you want to, so just go do it.

Please “like” The Gratuitous B-Movie Column on Facebook!

Oh, and B-movies rule. Always remember that.