Seven 2000AD Horror Comics Every Fan Should Read

There’s something deliciously twisted about British comic horror. While American publishers often pulled their punches (at least until the underground comix movement got rolling), the UK’s 2000AD has been serving up nightmares with gleeful abandon since 1977. I’ve been obsessed with their peculiar brand of “Chill-Power” for decades, and trust me when I say their horror offerings aren’t for the faint of heart.

Over the years, I’ve admired how 2000AD effortlessly blends genres, creating something uniquely unsettling in the process. While most casual fans know 2000AD for their science fiction comics and Judge Dredd, the publication has birthed some of the most inventive horror comics ever printed.

So holster your lawgiver, pour yourself something strong, and let me guide you through seven essential 2000AD horror titles that deserve a place on every horror fan’s bookshelf.

1. Cradlegrave: Urban Horror with a Side of Social Commentary

If you’re tired of supernatural tales that exist in a social vacuum, John Smith and Edmund Bagwell’s Cradlegrave will hit you like a sledgehammer. Following Shane Holt’s return to the Ravenglade Estate (nicknamed “Cradlegrave”) after an eight-month stint in a Young Offenders Institution, this story unfolds during a sweltering summer in a community already crushed by poverty and neglect.

What makes Cradlegrave so effective isn’t just the lurking horror within Ted and Mary’s council home, but how it weaves supernatural elements with the very real social issues plaguing British estates. When horror master Ramsey Campbell compared it to “simultaneously hideous and desolate as anything in David Cronenberg,” he wasn’t exaggerating.

Smith’s semi-autobiographical script delivers a raw emotional punch, while Bagwell’s uncanny rotoscope-style artwork creates a disturbing atmosphere that feels both alien and disturbingly familiar. The exploration of societal collapse, addiction, unemployment, and the crushing weight of growing up marginalized makes this more than just a horror story – it’s a powerful social commentary with monsters.

I still get chills thinking about certain panels. This isn’t just great 2000AD horror; it’s great horror, period.

2. Tales of Telguuth: Dark Fantasy and Cosmic Frights

For something completely different, Steve Moore’s Tales of Telguuth offers an escape into a perverse alien world that makes Lovecraft’s dreamlands look like Disneyland. Running from Progs 1191 to 1370, this series took 2000AD’s “Future Shock” format (self-contained stories with twist endings) and applied it to a fantasy setting in gloriously demented ways.

Telguuth is described as “an alien world where the gravity of the galactic hub opens up doors to other dimensions,” and Moore uses this premise to unleash his wildest nightmares. We’re talking yeti-creatures, sea serpents, carnivorous plants, demons, and what the publishers tactfully call “unparalleled perversions.”

What I love most about Telguuth is its complete disregard for happy endings. The capricious gods and malevolent forces ruling this universe ensure that even victories come with terrible prices. Created by one of British comics’ most distinctive voices (Steve Moore, who passed away in 2014), this series shows how 2000AD pushed horror beyond conventional settings, offering fantastical terrors instead of urban frights.

Each tale stands alone but contributes to a dark tapestry that will haunt your dreams long after reading.

3. Tharg’s Terror Tales: Horror in Bite-Sized Chunks

If you prefer your nightmares in concentrated doses, The Best of Tharg’s Terror Tales anthology delivers the goods. Curated by 2000AD’s “alien editor” Tharg the Mighty, this long-running series has showcased some of the most disturbing short-form horror in comics.

What makes this collection particularly impressive is its murderer’s row of talent – Mark Millar, Al Ewing, Simon Spurrier, Chris Weston, Richard Elson, and Eric Bradbury among others. The anthology format allows for tremendous variety, from cosmic horror to psychological terror, from gore-splattered revulsion to subtle existential dread.

I’ve always appreciated how these stories operate as perfect gateway drugs into 2000AD’s universe. In just a few pages, you get ghosts, demons, mutants, and killers in narratives dripping with atmosphere, dark humor, and mind-warping twists. The brevity forces creators to be economical with their scares, resulting in some of the most efficient horror storytelling I’ve encountered.

4. The Thirteenth Floor: The Return of Max

Imagine if HAL 9000 had a sadistic streak and could create pocket dimensions of pure nightmare fuel. That’s essentially the premise of The Thirteenth Floor: The Return of Max, which I can only describe as “Elevated Horror” (pun absolutely intended).

Apologetic Note: While The Thirteenth Floor did not technically appear in the pages of 2000AD (it first appeared in the British comic Scream! and later continued in The Eagle comic after Scream! merged with it in 1984), the new version and the collected editions are published by Rebellion Publishing (who owns 2000AD). One can purchase digital editions of The Thirteenth Floor and other Scream! comics on the 2000AD app and website under their Treasury of British Comics line.

Written by legendary Judge Dredd writer John Wagner, the story follows Max, the unstable A.I. superintendent of Maxwell Towers. Max finds a kindred spirit in a disturbed young resident named Sam Bowers. Together, they begin cleansing the apartment building of undesirables by luring troublemakers to the dreaded thirteenth floor, where unspeakable fates await them.

What makes this series so effective is how it taps into urban anxieties about neighbors, authority figures, and our increasing dependence on technology. The concept of an A.I. capable of judging and punishing humans reflects contemporary fears while delivering classic horror thrills. As their partnership develops and the power corrupts them, the escalating horror blends technology with supernatural elements in ways that feel uniquely 2000AD, even though, as mentioned, it never originally appeared in the sci-fi comic.

I still can’t ride an elevator without thinking about Max. Thanks for the phobia, Wagner!

5. Stone Island: Prison Horror with a Supernatural Twist

Ian Edginton and Simon Davis’s Stone Island takes prison horror to nightmarish new heights. Set in Longbarrow Maximum Security prison – a facility built on the ruins of a Roman fort and Victorian asylum – the story follows David Sorrell, imprisoned for murdering his wife and her lover.

The real horror begins when a strange infection starts transforming inmates into hideous creatures, turning prison life into a desperate fight for survival. The transformation of prisoners creates a perfect metaphor for the dehumanizing effects of incarceration while delivering visceral body horror that plays on fears of contagion, mutation, and loss of self.

What I find most compelling about Stone Island is how it uses the claustrophobic prison setting to amplify the terror. When escape is already impossible, where do you run when monsters emerge? Described accurately as “modern horror at its bloody best,” this series showcases 2000AD’s willingness to push boundaries in ways mainstream American comics rarely dared.

6. Leviathan: Lost at Sea in Another Dimension

If you’re claustrophobic and thalassophobic, prepare for double the nightmare fuel with Ian Edginton and D’Israeli’s Leviathan. Set aboard the massive ocean liner Leviathan, which vanished during its 1928 maiden voyage only to spend twenty years lost in an endless, landless ocean in a parallel world, this series combines maritime horror with supernatural mystery.

We follow Detective Sergeant Aurelius Lament as he investigates a series of murders in the First Class section. Initially dismissed as suicides, these deaths connect to the Stokers – servants of the demon Hastur who kill victims by flaying them with their horrifically long tongues. The ship’s architect, William Ashbless, has made a deal with Hastur, ensuring his immortality as long as he possesses Hastur’s soul talisman.

D’Israeli’s intricate artwork perfectly captures both the grandeur of the ship and the creeping dread of isolation. The story brilliantly explores class divisions (the ship’s social hierarchy plays a crucial role), power dynamics, and the consequences of bargaining with malevolent forces.

I still consider Leviathan one of the most unique horror settings in comics – a floating city trapped between worlds, with nowhere to escape and monsters lurking in the shadows. The collected volume includes both the main storyline and three standalone “Tales of the Leviathan” that expand on the ship’s haunted history.

7. Fiends of the Eastern Front: Vampires Meet World War II

Long before Hellboy combined the supernatural with World War II, Gerry Finley-Day and Carlos Ezquerra’s Fiends of the Eastern Front was blending vampires with the brutal Eastern Front. The original 1980 run (Progs #152-161) follows German soldiers who discover their Romanian allies are vampires. When these bloodsuckers switch sides, the Germans face both human and supernatural enemies.

What I love about the modern continuation by Ian Edginton and Tiernen Trevallion is how it expands the narrative across multiple eras. Now following vampire leader Captain Constanta through different historical periods, including World War I and beyond, the series has evolved into a complex saga that weaves vampire lore with espionage elements.

Trevallion’s detailed artwork and thoughtful use of color enhance the suspenseful atmosphere, while the narrative explores the making of monsters – both supernatural and human – against the backdrop of humanity’s darkest hours. The original used classic vampire tropes (silver bullets, garlic, crucifixes) effectively, but the expansion adds layers of depth and historical resonance.

Both the original series and modern continuation have been collected, making this the perfect time to discover or revisit this unique blend of historical horror.

Wrapping Up

What sets 2000AD’s horror apart is its willingness to blend genres, comment on social issues, and push conventional boundaries. These aren’t simply tales designed to shock – though they certainly do that – but thoughtful explorations that use horror as a lens through which to examine society, humanity, and the unknown.

As a self-proclaimed horror obsessive, I can attest that 2000AD‘s particular brand of horror lingers in your mind long after you’ve closed the book. These seven titles represent different flavors of fear, from social horror to cosmic terror, body horror to supernatural suspense – all delivered with the distinctive attitude that makes 2000AD the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.

Which 2000AD horror stories have kept you up at night? Let me know in the comments below!