For all you shatter is our seeming, And in breaking we are free

I'm browsing around for things to watch, and I wouldn't mind some recs? I'm looking for:

- Old TV series, meaning ones that are already completed or as completed as they're going to get. Anything you think I might enjoy.

- Black & White movies. I've got a craving, and I want to broaden my film experiences. I'm particularly interested in old horror or thriller movies.

Anything spring to mind?

Over on comment_fic, ammcj062 just left me a Highlander fill for the prompt: "We are to them as passing shadows". It's really short, Joe considering Methos, and it's awesome!

Right. I've just finished the second James Asher book by Barbara Hambly, Travelling With The Dead. And ... I really, really enjoyed it? As much as I enjoyed Those Who Hunt The Night, and possibly even a little bit more -_-;

Somebody recommend me something decent with vampires in? (And by 'decent' I mostly mean 'not a porno in disguise'). Fic, books, whatever, but I think I'm in the mood for visual right now, so movies/shows would be good.

If not vampires, I'll also take other urban fantasy or extra creepy humans.

Anyone have anything?

I've been away for a bit. *drops head* I was away-away last weekend (small holiday, not before time), and just ... pretty dead this week? *shakes head at self* It's been one of those weeks.

On the upside, I found a new-old series to adore, while on my holiday. *grins* Does anyone remember an old western from the 70s called Alias Smith & Jones? Because I hadn't, but now I've found it, and it is awesome. *grins* The main characters are the most adorable pair of outlaws I've ever seen, I swear.

I have a thing for TV westerns, yes. Also movie westerns. And for scoundrels, and walking-the-earth, and wandering heroes, and conmen. This most people should realise by this point. And Heyes, I love Heyes, and the Kid, and poor Lom. *smiles* Probably should have figured I'd enjoy this one, yes? Heh.

I also picked up the complete series of Hornblower, and the Barnabas Collins episodes of Dark Shadows, because they had the set on sale and I've been curious for a while. And my sister and I more or less spent our holiday admiring heroic and/or tricksy men in period costume, because why the hell not? *grins*

Regarding Hornblower ... Captain Pellew is still my favourite (he got out and rowed the ship, I'm never getting over that). And Edrington was as snippy and awesome as I remembered him, too. *grins* Look. I have a thing. I like having the thing. These are my happy genres, yes? *smiles faintly, shakes head at self*

So. I'm watching through ASAJ at the minute, with sidelines into the Napoleonic Wars, and gothic vampires waiting in the wings. It is ... rather pleasant, really. Heh.

*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*