25 best dark fantasy movies and TV series

The myths of ancient Greece have repeatedly proved to be rich territory for film and TV, and one of the more extraordinary recent offerings is Blood of Zeus. The series largely focuses on the character of Heron, a demigod (the product of Zeus’ affair with a mortal woman) who finds himself thrust into the position of a reluctant epic hero. It’s a gorgeously animated film, and, like the best that the form has to offer, it also asks the viewer to interrogate weighty philosophical issues revolving around anger and how it influences those who wield power.   

The Witcher has proved to be one of the more lucrative franchises for Netflix, so it makes sense that they would seek to make the most of it. In The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, viewers get to learn more about the nature of the Witchers and their elusive cadre of warriors. The film focuses, in particular, on Vesemir, who would go on to train Geralt himself. Beautifully animated and with the familiar narrative bite that fans of the original series enjoy, Nightmare of the Wolf is a dark fantasy film that manages to tell its own story while adding more depth and complexity to an already-established fictional world. 

Robert Eggers began his feature film career with a bang with The Witch, a film that manages to be dark fantasy and horror. Set during the earliest days of American colonialism, its story about a family of English settlers who are banished to the woods, where they confront the presence of a malevolent witch, feels like a sinister bedtime story. Anya Taylor-Joy gives a particularly remarkable performance as Thomasin, the girl whose life and identity become increasingly intertwined with that of the mysterious witch. Its combination of historical detail and mystical elements elevates this film into the realm of truly great dark fantasy horror.

Penny Dreadful is one of the most intriguing and creative series on Showtime. Set in the 19th century, it features, among other things, magic, monsters, and mysticism, as well as some of the most famous figures from Western horror literature, including none other than Victor Frankenstein. There is beauty and bloodshed in the series, which features some fantastic performances from a remarkable cast, including Eva Green, Timothy Dalton, and Rory Kinnear. It’s the type of dark fantasy series that combines the best that horror and dark fantasy has to offer. 

Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman focuses primarily on Morpheus, who is the embodiment of dreaming, and he is a fascinating and compelling character (like so many of Gaiman's other creations). In 2022 the character finally got the screen treatment, in the form of Netflix’s series that bears the same name as the comic. Tom Sturridge turns in a wonderful performance as Morpheus, creating a character who is as enigmatic as he is charismatic. The series doesn't shy away from the darker and more sinister themes of the graphic novel, and though the story can be at times difficult to follow, it nevertheless makes for mesmerizing viewing. 

Vampires have long been a fixture in popular culture. While they are often depicted in such genres as horror and gothic drama, in What We Do in the Shadows, they get the comedy treatment. Focusing on a group of vampires living on Staten Island, it’s shot in a mockumentary style. From the beginning, the series has leaned into the absurdity of its premise, and there is outstanding chemistry among the various members of the cast. However, while it remains as funny as always, each season also deepens and enriches the relationships among the various characters. 

Primal is one of the most unique series to have emerged from Adult Swim. Created by animation maestro Genndy Tartakovsky, it follows a caveman (named Spear) and a Tyrannosaurus rex (named Fang) as they set out on various adventures in a dark, beautiful, and brutal primordial world. A throwback to pulp storytelling, it features some of the most stunning 2-D animation on offer today, and it grabs hold of the viewer and refuses to let go. The fact that so much of the series is conveyed without the use of dialogue makes its achievement all the more remarkable. 

For a long time, the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire was considered the most successful and definitive adaptation of Anne Rice’s gothic novels. Still, in 2022, the novel received a new lease on life thanks to the AMC television adaptation. Rich, textured, and darkly romantic, the series follows the tortured romance between Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat (Sam Reid), two vampires living in the 20th century. Though it takes some notable liberties with the original book, it largely stays true to Rice's vision, giving viewers another chance to inhabit her beautiful, sensual world and the tormented, blood-drinking immortals who call it home.  

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of the most beloved children’s films ever, thanks in no small part to Gene Wilder’s performance as the titular candy-maker. Though the film seems to sand away some of the rougher edges of Roald Dahl's original novel, there’s still plenty of darkness lurking here, whether it’s the sinister chorus of the Oompa-Loompas or the ambiguous fate of the children whose misdeeds earn them their well-deserved punishments. And, of course, there is the demented boat ride, which remains one of the trippiest and most disturbing scenes in a children’s film.

Tim Burton is another of those directors whose name has been indelibly associated with dark fantasy. In Corpse Bride, which he co-directed with Mike Johnson, he brings his usual style and flair to the story of Victor Van Dort, who inadvertently marries the titular corpse bride and finds himself in the Land of the Dead. This film has all of the traits one associates with the Burton style and aesthetic, and it manages to be both darkly whimsical and bittersweet. And, of course, there is also stop-motion animation, which has its own uncanny and slightly disturbing appeal.

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is probably the first thing that springs to mind when one thinks of film adaptations of Tolkien's work, but it’s important to recognize the key role played by Ralph Bakshi’s earlier animated version. His movie covers all of The Fellowship of the Ring and part of The Two Towers. There’s a remarkable depth and richness to the animation here — in large part thanks to Bakshi’s use of the technology known as rotoscoping — and this allows him to dive into the darker, more intense aspects of Tolkien’s novel. 

Though it was quite a failure on its initial release, The Black Cauldron has gone on to be regarded as one of Disney’s truly underrated gems. Not only does it focus on a young man’s (Taran) epic quest, but it also features one of the most deliciously evil villains to have emerged from a Disney film in the person of the Horned King. The film’s lack of success at the box office ensured that the studio went in some very different directions in future years, and this is just one of the reasons that this extraordinary film is worth revisiting and enjoying in the present.

There’s no question that Stranger Things is one of the most popular series on Netflix. It’s easy to see why this would be the case since it features a very charming cast, a compelling story, and an appealing 1980s-inflected nostalgia. With each season, the series has only gotten better, as the group of young people at its core attempt to prevent the creatures from the dark realm known as the Upside Down, including the nefarious Vecna, from bringing about the total destruction and ruin of their world. Like the best dark fantasy, it manages to strike a balance between childlike wonder and bone-chilling terror.

Tim Burton has always had a reputation for embracing the darker and more sinister side of the fantasy tradition, and this is very much in evidence in Sleepy Hollow.  Though it retains the bones of Washington Irving’s original story about Ichabod Crane, it takes the story in some new and unexpected directions. It is, indeed, a far darker version of the story than audiences had seen before, and it makes for perfect Halloween viewing. It also features some strong performances from its cast, including Johnny Depp (always a favorite muse of Burton’s), Christina Ricci, and Miranda Richardson.

Though he might be most famous for creating the Muppets, Jim Henson also deserves a great deal of credit for The Dark Crystal, one of the strangest films from the 1980s. With its story about two Gelflings who try to defeat a race of malevolent beings known as Skeksis, it has all of the trappings of an epic fantasy story. The film is a work of extraordinary artistry, but it also contains an emotional intensity that befuddled contemporary critics, who judged it against Henson’s other, more light-hearted fare. Fortunately, the film has come to be regarded as the true work of art that it is.

Almost everyone is familiar with The Wizard of Oz, one of the most beloved fantasy films ever made. Fewer might be familiar with Return to Oz, which, unsurprisingly, focuses on Dorothy as she once again finds herself in the land of Oz. This version of the story is far darker and more sinister than its 1939 predecessor, but, oddly enough, in this respect, it is far truer to the spirit of the original novels by L. Frank Baum than was the case with the Judy Garland film. If nothing else, it deserves credit for being willing to go in an entirely different direction than almost any Oz story that came before it.

If there was one author who seemed to have an uncanny knack for capturing the sinister nature of childhood and all of the fears it entails, it was Roald Dahl. His works have been adapted into film several times, but few have been quite as viscerally terrifying as The Witches.  Like many of Dahl’s other stories, it focuses on a young boy who tries to stop a group of witches scheming to turn all children into mice. Of particular note is Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch, and she manages to be terrifying in her normal and witchy guises. 

Neil Gaiman is one of the most talented writers working in fantasy today, and his works are so brilliantly textured that it’s easy to see why they would lend themselves to screen adaptations. Based on the novella of the same name, Coraline is a perfect meeting of form and story. Brilliantly conveyed through stop-motion, it follows a girl named Coraline as she discovers a strange and dangerous new world with potentially disastrous consequences. The film is remarkable, not least because it is willing to slow down and allow the viewer to spend more time in this exquisitely realized world.

The Addams Family remains one of the most beloved American comic creations, and the delightfully macabre family has been turned into movies and TV series. Of particular note is the recent series Wednesday,  which, as its title implies, focuses on the title character as she is sent away to an elusive boarding school and has to solve a series of murders. Jenna Ortega is perfectly cast as Wednesday, managing to capture the grimness and spirited members of the Addams Family. The series is also notable for featuring Christina Ricci — beloved for her turn as the character in the movies from the 1990s — as one of the teachers at the school.  

Stephen King is best known for producing some of the most popular horror novels of the 20th and 21st centuries, but many also know that he is the author of a very successful and beloved dark fantasy series, The Dark Tower.  The series focuses on the gunslinger Roland as he attempts to stop the sinister Walter Padick. In the film version, which is a loose adaptation, the two characters are played by Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Though it takes some notable liberties with King’s work, both actors are perfectly cast, and their dynamic more than makes up for whatever shortcomings the screenplay might possess.

With Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro showed once again that he has an imagination that is more creative and often more disturbing than almost any other working director. Focusing on a young girl named Ofelia as she encounters the titular being and several other magical creatures, it’s a hauntingly beautiful film at a narrative and visual level. As with so many of the director’s other works, it manages to be both realistic and fantastical. Moreover, it's a moving exploration of the powers of war and fascism to destroy the innocence of the young. 

Guillermo del Toro has repeatedly shown that he is one of the most visionary and unique directors working in Hollywood today. In Pinocchio, he turned his attention to one of the most beloved children’s stories of all time, transferring the story into Fascist Italy, which works to give the story a bit of bite that some other interpretations lack. While it features much of the darkness that is so often a part of del Toro’s cinematic imagination, it also has a genuine heart and a lot of charm, thanks in part to the exquisite stop-motion animation and the performances from the various members of the voice cast. It captures the bittersweet nature of the best stories.

Based on the bestselling novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, Netflix’s The Witcher follows the title character, Geralt, as his fate becomes increasingly intertwined with the young Princess Cirilla of Cintra and the beautiful sorceress Yennefer. There’s no shortage of monsters and magical beasts in this series, many of which Geralt manages to dispatch without too much effort. Henry Cavill is particularly compelling as Geralt, imbuing the character with a world-weary cynicism that is very much in keeping with his novel counterpart. What’s more,  The Witcher manages to subvert many of the expectations and conventions of epic fantasy even as it also upholds them.

Watership Down is one of those dark animated films that left an indelible impression on those who watched it as children. Focusing on a group of rabbits who try to find a new home for their people, it does a very good job translating many of the key elements and themes of the original novel into animated form. It also features some very compelling voice acting from the likes of John Hurt, Rory Kinnear, and Zero Mostel (this was the latter’s last role). It also doesn’t shy away from the story's more brutal and graphic elements, which helps set it apart from other animated fare.

The Secret of NIMH remains one of the best films ever made by Don Bluth. Focusing on a mother mouse, Mrs. Brisby, and her efforts to rescue her family from the local farmer, it’s filled with startlingly vivid and sometimes disturbing imagery, particularly once Mrs. Brisby decides to visit the quasi-mystical rats that live in the rosebush. However, this film also has lighter moments of humor, embodied in Jeremy the Crow (voiced by the late great Dom DeLuise). It’s the type of animated film that features the perfect pairing of the fascinating premise with gorgeous execution, and it’s one of the director’s works that most fully captures something like the magic of Disney.