'Channel Zero' Is A Syfy Horror Anthology Series From Nick Antosca And Max Landis

Anthology shows like American Horror Story and True Detective are gaining ground, thanks in no small part to the success of those two series. (Well, we'll wait to see how successful the second season of True Detective ends up being, but it is definitely a series that has people talking.)

Now Syfy is getting into the anthology horror game with a series called Channel Zero, from creators Nick Antosca (Hannibal, Friday The 13th) and Max Landis (Chronicle, American Ultra). The first season is born out of internet horror, basically making for a creepypasta TV series; get more details after the break.

Deadline reports that each season of Channel Zero will feature a new story, with the first season based on the short story Candle Cove by Kris Straub, which comes out of the creepypasta set of online memes and stories. If you've never delved into that corner of the internet, basically imagine a set of user-created and virally-shared horror stories that act like urban legends.Candle Cove is "the story of a mysterious children's television show from the 1980s and the show's role in a series of murders and one man's dark secret." You can read the short here, or play the embed that follows, which is basically an animated audiobook version of the story.

Want some dry official network-speak about the series? Sure, you do!

Here's Dawn Olmstead, Exec VP of Development, Universal Cable Productions: "Channel Zero: Candle Cove is a season long imaginative and chilling horror anthology. With its first story deriving from the cult favorite creepypasta, and the visionary minds of Landis and Antosca, it is elevated horror at its best. I'm still haunted by the first episode. It's a chilling immersive ride."

And Bill McGoldrick, EVP of Original Content for Syfy: "Channel Zero: Candle Cove will feature contemporary storytelling and an innovative perspective that underscores Syfy's commitment to bringing smart and provocative programming to a whole new generation of sci fi fans."

Just a few days before this news broke, Landis mentioned the series in an interview, saying,

But about two years ago, I optioned a horror story from Creepypasta and recently sold the premise to a cable network. I really believe that the next wave of great horror fiction has arrived digitally from the voices of the masses. I think people who have never had stories published before are coming up with some of the most innovative and interesting horror.