Guillermo del Toro has a horror anthology series that hit Netflix this year called Cabinet of Curiosities, and the streaming giant released it staggered, unlike regular Netflix shows. With Del Toro behind the series, most fans expect big things as he follows in the footsteps of Jordan Peele, who brought back Twilight Zone a few years back as a top director leading a horror TV series.

Throughout television history, the popularity of anthology shows has risen and fallen. The best horror anthology TV shows stretch all the way back to the classic era of shows like Twilight Zone. However, recent shows have matched, if not surpassed, that classic original. While newer shows have some big names involved, past shows have withstood the test of time, especially when looking at scores from Rotten Tomatoes critics.

10 American Horror Story (2011-) - 77%

Stream now on NetflixEvan Peters in American Horror Story

American Horror Story is a different breed of horror anthology series. While most before this presented a season of self-contained episodes of horror, this series created by Ryan Murphy had each season telling a horror story, and the anthology format was that every season was different.

It also was unique because each American Horror Story season presented a different subgenre of horror. While the first season was a ghost story, the following seasons included witch covens, freak shows, slasher killers, and more. The seasons were up and down for critics, but overall, Rotten Tomatoes considers it a horror anthology TV series to watch.

9 Tales From The Crypt (1989-1996) - 82%

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Scary TV - Tales From the Crypt

While most people think of the Crypt Keeper when talking about the HBO horror anthology TV series Tales From the Crypt, there is a lot more to remember than just the creature introducing the show. This was a series that brought in some big-name stars to tell horror stories influenced by EC Comics.

This series had A-list stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks, Martin Sheen, Kirk Douglas, John Lithgow, and young up-and-coming stars like Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig. When it comes to a horror anthology on premium cable, nothing matched up to this show until years later when Netflix joined the game.

8 The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) - 82%

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The-Twilight-Zone

While Jordan Peele brought back The Twilight Zone to Apple TV, not even his unique and singular approach could match the original. Creator Rod Sterling brought about the horror anthology series that mixed in some sci-fi and became the show that all others strived to match.

However, even with its prestige, the show still ranks below others with an 82 percent rating. Regardless of the Rotten Tomatoes score, there might not be a horror anthology series with more iconic episodes. "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" might be the show most fans talk about but others such as "It's a Good Life" cement its place in television history.

7 Black Mirror (2011-) - 84%

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Fionn Whitehead Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry in Black Mirror Bandersnatch Netflix

Black Mirror on Netflix is less horror and a little more sci-fi. However, the stories easily fit into the horror genre, as the theme of the series is a fear of technology. These shows present high-tech advancements and then reveal everything that can go wrong with it.

Black Mirror followed American Horror Story in helping to make horror anthology TV shows popular again. However, it did a little more since it went back to the traditional format of stand-alone episodes. The series did try for one interactive episode, which was polarizing at best, but overall, this ended up as must-watch TV for the time that it was on the air.

6 Nightmares & Dreamscapes (2006) - 85%

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Nightmares and Dreamscapes TV Show Logo

Stephen King is The Master of Horror, but he is not only known for his spine-tingling novels. He is also a master at writing short stories, and he has a plethora of collections out of his short-form fiction. In 2006, TNT released a horror anthology series based completely on adaptations of King's short stories. This was also named after one of King's collections, called Nightmares & Dreamscapes.

The best episodes from Nightmares & Dreamscapes featured some of King's most twisted tales. While some was a bit silly, like "Battleground" with toys attacking an assassin, others were chilling. Highlights include "The End of the Whole Mess" and "Autopsy Room Four," but scary enough to keep the viewer thinking for a long time after turning the TV off.

5 Castle Rock (2018-2019) - 88%

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Castle Rock Hulu Poster

Castle Rock is a Stephen King horror anthology TV series that ranks even higher than Nightmares & Dreamscapes. What is most interesting about this Hulu series is that it is not based on a King story. Instead, this is influenced by King's stories and is set in the King-created town of Castle Rock, Maine.

There are many things from King's stories here. Outside of Castle Rock, there is a trip to the Shawshank State Penitentiary, Ace Merrill from Stand By Me, and in Season 2, a very young Annie Wilkes from Misery. Add in actors from past King movies, such as Sissy Spacek, and this is a perfect show for King fans. It is also one of the best horror anthology TV shows based on Rotten Tomatoes scores.

4 The Midnight Club (2022-) - 87%

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Rel-Looks-at-His-Robotic-Hand-in-The-Midnight-Club-Season-1-Episode-9-The-Eternal-Enemy-1

The Midnight Club is still new enough to make a movie one way or the other in the eyes of Rotten Tomatoes critics. Released in 2022, this horror anthology TV series focuses on members of the Midnight Club, people who meet each night to tell each other scary stories and to look for signs of the supernatural in the real world.

This is based on a book series and Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) serves as the co-showrunner. While the episodes remain book-ended by the storytellers, each one has the story told as a horror episode. It is a bit unusual because there is also a story going on in the real world, and all in all, it was something that pleased critics more than the audience, who scored it much lower on RT.

3 Room 104 (2017-2020) - 88%

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A promo photo from Room 104

Room 104 was an anthology TV series on HBO that was a hard one to categorize. Mark and Jay Duplass created the show, and it bounced around a variety of genres. There were action based episodes, horror ones, fantasy and sci-fi, funny ones, and even musical episodes. However, regardless of the genre, each episode had a tinge of something ominous behind the scene, making it fall squarely into the various horror sub-genres.

Each episode took place inside the same room of a roadside motel - the horrifying Room 104. People came into the room with different problems, some looking for something, some trying to get away, and others just looking for a place to rest. None left the same and some never left at all. No one will ever look at a small motel room the same again after seeing this series.

2 The Outer Limits (1963-1965) - 92%

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The Outer Limits

While more people talk about The Twilight Zone as the horror anthology series that revolutionized the genre, The Outer Limits is the classic series with the highest Rotten Tomatoes score. It has a full 10 percent higher rating than The Twilight Zone, although it focuses on a lot more horror stories early on before going more sci-fi after the first season.

Critics praised the series, one calling it B-movie horror that looked like a European art film. When recommending great episodes, critics on Rotten Tomatoes pointed out "O.B.I.T.," "Nightmare," and "Demon With a Glass Hand."

1 Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) - 95%

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The Ghoul in Cabinet of Curiosities

When Guillermo del Toro creates something horrific, fans usually buy-in and that happened with Cabinet of Curiosities. Not only is this the highest-rated horror anthology TV series according to Rotten Tomatoes, but its score rose after the first two weeks on Netflix.

Much like the classic Masters of Horror, this brought together acclaimed horror directors and had them create new short horror tales for fans. Filmmakers involved include Vincenzo Natali (Cube), Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), and Ana Lily Amipour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night). One critic called it "the best thing for horror fans since Shudder went live."

NEXT: Every Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities Episode And Their Film Counterpart