Spooktacular Poll: Better as a Film or Television Series?

Face it: the horror genre is scary. It’s full of ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. Monsters and serial killers run rampant, while victims who look and act like us suffer unimaginable consequences. Horror reaches into our souls and reflects them back in the form of our worst nightmares and paranoias. To engage with the genre is to accept some form of psychological torture — which can be light and comedic, or dark and tragic, depending on your tastes.

So, sure, horror is scary. But you know what’s scarier? Those terrifying words like sequel, prequel, adaptation, remake, and reboot! We’re kidding. Mostly. Honestly, a few spin-offs and franchise additions really hold up. And depending on when, how, or why you got into that piece of entertainment, one version could really stick with you above all others. We want to know, then: of these horror releases, do you prefer the movie or TV version?

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Better as a movie or TV?

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre / Monster: The Ed Gein Story

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was immensely influential, not only on the genre, but on pop culture and filmmaking as a whole. It is the precursor to the “slasher flick” as we know it. Additionally, ahead of the film’s release, its creators marketed it as a true, actual story. They leaned heavily into the true-crime angle, highlighting the mad and macabre murders carried out by a real man named Ed Gein through the fake masked killer Leatherface.

Recently, Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein (2025) story attempts to separate fact from fiction. While it is not a documentary, it uses primary sources and psychological resources to meticulously recreate Ed Gein’s crimes and circumstances. The writers attempted to craft an authentic portrayal of Gein, eschewing the more sensationalized elements of the original film such as the debunked and prejudiced accusations of crossdressing. But Ryan Murphy’s signature melodramatic flair is still omnipresent in added romances and film references.

Child’s Play / Chucky

Child’s Play (1988) features killer Charles Lee Ray after he transfers his soul to a “Good Guy” doll in order to save his own life. Furious and foul-mouthed, Chucky terrorizes a young boy and his family within their home. The film is one of the most popular iterations of the killer doll trope. Chucky and his bride Tiffany Valentine (from the 1998 installment) also helped horror fans everywhere with easy, last-minute Halloween costume ideas.

In 2021, SYFY and USA released Chucky, a sequential follow-up to Cult of Chucky (2017). This series is a love letter to the diverse and deranged (said affectionately) fans of the franchise who connected with Chucky’s bizarre family members and dynamics. Turning many horror stereotypes on their heads, Chucky asks what you would do if you could turn a bloodthirsty possessed toy on your bullies. Revenge and carnage, baby!

Interview with the Vampire

Based on Anne Rice’s bestselling novel of the same title, Interview with the Vampire (1994) is a delightful dark romance. More metaphorical than overt, the movie shows the doomed relationship between Lestat and his fledgling Louis, plus their vampiric daughter Claudia. It is a sumptuous and gorgeously-garbed take on the book. And it remains quite faithful to its source material.

However, many fans criticized the movie’s clumsy casting. AMC’s Interview with the Vampire (2022-present) adjusts its lens with Oscar-worthy performances. This television adaptation explores a different time period than the original while also swapping a few characters’ races for a far more interesting read of the story.  Overlapping identities, especially with the shame/acceptance allegory that comes with vampire media, make this the most standout horror series of contemporary culture.

Scream

A self-aware pop culture phenomenon that launched generations of love and laughter, Scream (1996) is truly masterful. Throughout the film, our all-star Final Girl Sidney Prescott defends herself against tormenters who prey on her insecurities and anxieties. Yet Sidney soon proves herself smarter and stronger than Ghostface ever gave her credit for. With the prevalence of his costume at every Halloween shop, what horror fanatic hasn’t heard of Scream?

Conversely, not many people know that Scream was also a television show. MTV’s Scream: The TV Series (2015-2019) is an anthology slasher series produced by Wes Craven. In the fictional town Lakewood, a masked killer stalked teenage victims whose lives centered around some tragedy or generational trauma. But Scream: The TV Series only connects thematically and stylistically to Scream (1996); they  otherwise share no characters or resemblance. Indeed, the killer isn’t even Ghostface, but rather The First Killer.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

What did you do last summer? Hopefully it isn’t anything like thw group of teens in this 1997 cult classic, whose terrible deed — and equally terrible cover-up — place them in mortal peril. Stalking these wrongdoers is a hook-wielding killer with a vendetta. Fun fact: this slasher was inspired by urban legends, a book, and satire, though it ended up being much more straightforward and semi-original in its approach once filming began.

Amazon Prime’s I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021-2022) television series follows Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel more closely… with a modern twist. Set in the 21st century, the show once again revisits teenagers who hide their involvement in a grisly car accident. Hunted by a brutal killer, the ensemble are difficult to root for, but largely entertaining. I Know What You Did Last Summer received mixed critical reviews and was canceled after a single season.

What We Do In The Shadows

Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi put New Zealand back on the pop culture map with the horror-comedy What We Do In The Shadows (2014). Presented as a mockumentary, the amazingly awkward movie pitched an absurd yet tantalizing concept: we should capture the daily (night)life of vampire flatmates. Filled with sexy dances, werewolf rivalries, and bumbling police, WWDiTS cemented itself in the horror hall-of-fame.

In fact, fans were so thirsty for more that the creators made a spin-off, Wellington Paranormal (2018-2022). Then, Jemaine Clement brought the franchise to America. FX’s What We Do In The Shadows (2019-2024) is set in Staton Island. Expanding the world’s lore, it introduces vampire hunters, energy vampires, and the beloved Jackie Daytona — plus includes endless, extremely exciting cameos in each season.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Don’t get it myth-taken. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a movie first. This 1992 horror/fantasy/comedy is a bubblegum-pop bargain with the devils of Hollywood. Set in Los Angeles, Buffy the Vampire Slayer spends a lot of time with a rich, snooty, prejudiced popular girl at a mall before she becomes the supernatural slayer destined to save her world. Is it corny or camp? You decide.

Writers and showrunners pivoted in a new direction for WB’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2001). Still funny, but a lot more grounded, this teen drama gets a lot more gritty while remaining light-hearted. It focuses on character relationships, destiny, and identity. But the most important part is just how realistic and well-rounded Buffy Summers is, a far cry from many female leads (especially those written by men) during her generation.

Alien

Science fiction and horror go hand-in-hand — or is that fang-in-claw? Perhaps no other films exemplify this symbiotic genre relationship more than Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). Here, heroine Ellen Ripley battles a deadly species of extraterrestrials called Xenomorphs. Resplendent with H.R. Giger’s psychosexual undertones and directors Ridley Scott and James Cameron’s tense, thrilling takes on action, these films are industry staples for a reason.

Of course, popular horror movies always spawn franchise (just as easily as a facehugger plants new babies, eh?). In addition to spin-offs such as Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Romulus (2024), there’s the latest TV show. FX and Hulu’s Alien: Earth (2025-present) delves into humanity’s quest for immortality. Our protagonists face threats from every corner of the galaxy in a gut-wrenching episodic format.

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Did we miss your favorite movie/TV duo? Share your picks — and your poll votes — with other horror fans at side.show/geekgroup. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

Stir up the spirits and face the monsters within … Spooktacular has been unleashed once again!

Put the EEK! in geek during Sideshow’s Spooktacular 2025, a celebration with ghastly giveaways, deathly deals, eerie exclusive perks, and more. Join us from October 23 – October 31 by visiting side.show/spooktacular and don’t forget — sleep is for the weak!