What are the scariest TV Show intros of all time? Sure, we all know the funniest, kookiest, and corniest intros, but what about the ones composed to send shivers up your spine? Here is my personal top 5 picks of the creepiest TV intros of all time:
5. The Nature of Things (1983)
I remember this being the first TV show intro that scared me when I was little. This somewhat forgotten educational program from Canada aired on PBS in the USA back in the early 80s. The spooky synthesizers overlaid with a colorful montage of exotic images creates an eerie effect. Oh, and that skeleton dude that pops up halfway thru made me cover my eyes when I was about 4!
4. Sightings (1991)
This was a series that aired in the early 90s focusing on alleged true stories of the paranormal. The music reminds me of the X-Files theme (it actually predates it), and various images of ghosts, crop circles, aliens (oh dear sweet Lord that green alien head freaked me out!), and other creepy entities are featured. There is also a faint moaning sound as well, which adds to the overall spookiness.
3. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
THE epitome of classic television creepiness! The opening riff is instantly recognizable, and Rod Serling’s serious tone give the viewer the feeling that they are about to witness something truly ominous. Also, the 80s reboot deserves an honorable mention, as it gave the classic intro a ‘Tales from the Darkside’ edge with creepy imagery and synthesizers. Submitted for your approval…
2. Tales from the Darkside (1984-1989)
Speaking of ‘Darkside’, I give you the 2nd creepiest TV intro of all time. This horror anthology series from the 1980s was genuinely frightening and disturbing, giving many children of the time (yours truly) nightmares. The intro starts off innocently enough with scenes of a beautiful countryside, but the music progresses to get scarier, and then an ominous sounding voice announces “Man lives in the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality…”
1. Unsolved Mysteries
I didn’t even have to think twice about this one. To me, this is THE creepiest intro in the history of television. I cannot describe the scariness in words. You have to listen to it to understand how eerie it is. What makes the Unsolved Mysteries theme so creepy was the fact that the program featured true stories of kidnappings, robberies, and murders in addition to stories on the paranormal. True life horrors mixed with alien abductions and hauntings with the creepiest tv theme in history on top make for a truly frightening TV viewing experience. Never mind the fact that the original host (Robert Stack) looked like an alien…
