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*tilts head* This is going from a comment I saw somewhere, which has a point, I think.
I'm trying to think of supernatural or horror shows that kept up a sustained creepy/eerie/tense vibe throughout. Not blood, gore, or action. Just slow, seeping horror (maybe interspersed with the others).
Of the ones I've seen, I'm actually coming up with very few:
There's the cancelled show Miracles, which had a very low key, pragmatic horror seeping through it (amid sorta more cheerful episodes).
There's Carnivale, which I only saw part of, but appeared to be superbly creepy even while we're heading for apocalypse (could have been the Dust Bowl, Depression vibe had a strong hand in that, too).
There's two anime series, Mushishi and Mononoke, both of which feature a mysterious protagonist drifting through the world dealing with supernatural beings (and both of which I adore). Of those, I think Mononoke gets the edge on creepiness, despite it being far more actiony, while Mushishi was more drifting and calm. That could just be because the Zashiki-warashi arc of Mononoke sorta horrified me, though. *smiles faintly*
There's also the anime series Ghost Hunt, which could be a bit hit and miss, but the "Doll House" and "Forbidden Pastime" arcs were pretty creepy, "Silent Christmas" was kinda heartbreaking, and "The Bloodstained Labyrinth" was freaking scary.
Arguably, there's also the first two seasons of Supernatural, back when the YED was a distant, terrifying figure, and most of the villains were ghosts and other single monsters. There were some fabulous creepy episodes back before the overarching plot took real hold (and some after, too, but they sort of weren't the point anymore then).
*muses* I also remember Kingdom Hospital being quite creepy, but it's been a while since I've seen it, so I'm not sure anymore.
On the sci-fi end, both The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits tended towards creepy and slow-building suspense a surprising amount of the time. Then again, they were anthology shows, and could afford to.
ETA: My Dad wishes to remind me that, if we're mentioning really, really creepy sci-fi, I've been remiss in not mentioning Sapphire & Steel. He is, of course, entirely correct (Assignments 1-4 in particular).
Speaking of anthology shows, on the more kiddy end, there was the surprisingly good Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, which I did, in fact, watch when I was a kid, and remember having the pants scared off me a number of times (then again, I was a jumpy kid).
There's also the (not anthology) show Millennium, which I've seen a few episodes of, but I'm not sure if it's meant to be supernatural or just straight up crime yet. Mind you, it's pretty creepy either way.
And ... after that, I'm sort of coming up blank. I mean, I can think of any number of movies or books that creeped me the hell out, but suspense and atmosphere are easier to maintain over the course of single stories. A series has to hold it longer, and I don't think it works, a lot of the time. Could be wrong, though.
Can anyone else think of others? I'm not looking for action or angst. I'm looking for creepy, or eerie on the calmer end, and holding it relatively successfully. (Bascially, think ghost story more than vampire slayer).
And yes, I am looking for recs. *grins faintly*
I'm trying to think of supernatural or horror shows that kept up a sustained creepy/eerie/tense vibe throughout. Not blood, gore, or action. Just slow, seeping horror (maybe interspersed with the others).
Of the ones I've seen, I'm actually coming up with very few:
There's the cancelled show Miracles, which had a very low key, pragmatic horror seeping through it (amid sorta more cheerful episodes).
There's Carnivale, which I only saw part of, but appeared to be superbly creepy even while we're heading for apocalypse (could have been the Dust Bowl, Depression vibe had a strong hand in that, too).
There's two anime series, Mushishi and Mononoke, both of which feature a mysterious protagonist drifting through the world dealing with supernatural beings (and both of which I adore). Of those, I think Mononoke gets the edge on creepiness, despite it being far more actiony, while Mushishi was more drifting and calm. That could just be because the Zashiki-warashi arc of Mononoke sorta horrified me, though. *smiles faintly*
There's also the anime series Ghost Hunt, which could be a bit hit and miss, but the "Doll House" and "Forbidden Pastime" arcs were pretty creepy, "Silent Christmas" was kinda heartbreaking, and "The Bloodstained Labyrinth" was freaking scary.
Arguably, there's also the first two seasons of Supernatural, back when the YED was a distant, terrifying figure, and most of the villains were ghosts and other single monsters. There were some fabulous creepy episodes back before the overarching plot took real hold (and some after, too, but they sort of weren't the point anymore then).
*muses* I also remember Kingdom Hospital being quite creepy, but it's been a while since I've seen it, so I'm not sure anymore.
On the sci-fi end, both The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits tended towards creepy and slow-building suspense a surprising amount of the time. Then again, they were anthology shows, and could afford to.
ETA: My Dad wishes to remind me that, if we're mentioning really, really creepy sci-fi, I've been remiss in not mentioning Sapphire & Steel. He is, of course, entirely correct (Assignments 1-4 in particular).
Speaking of anthology shows, on the more kiddy end, there was the surprisingly good Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, which I did, in fact, watch when I was a kid, and remember having the pants scared off me a number of times (then again, I was a jumpy kid).
There's also the (not anthology) show Millennium, which I've seen a few episodes of, but I'm not sure if it's meant to be supernatural or just straight up crime yet. Mind you, it's pretty creepy either way.
And ... after that, I'm sort of coming up blank. I mean, I can think of any number of movies or books that creeped me the hell out, but suspense and atmosphere are easier to maintain over the course of single stories. A series has to hold it longer, and I don't think it works, a lot of the time. Could be wrong, though.
Can anyone else think of others? I'm not looking for action or angst. I'm looking for creepy, or eerie on the calmer end, and holding it relatively successfully. (Bascially, think ghost story more than vampire slayer).
And yes, I am looking for recs. *grins faintly*
