The 20 best gothic movies and TV shows

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray has proven to be another 19th-century novel ripe for adaptation. Arguably the definitive production is the version released in 1945, which featured a number of noted actors, including George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield and, perhaps most surprisingly, Angela Lansbury (in one of her first screen roles). Like so many other Gothic film adaptations, it’s also quite lavishly produced, and it’s one of those films that wears its Gothic influences on its sleeve.

Guillermo del Toro has repeatedly shown his own penchant for crafting Gothic films of tremendous quality, and his interpretation of Frankenstein  might be his very best. The film features all the flourishes one expects from del Toro, but it succeeds thanks to the soulful, fully embodied performance by Jacob Elordi, who plays the Creature. It has the aching poignancy of the Gothic at its best, and as a whole, the film reads as just as much tragedy as horror.

It would be impossible to talk about great Gothic films without talking about Tod Browning’s Dracula, which has gone on to influence almost every other representation of the title character. After all, no one can deny that Bela Lugosi’s interpretation of the character casts a very long shadow, indeed, and even now he casts a spell. In addition to Lugosi’s performance, the film is also notable for its style, and even those who might not be fans of the horror genre will still find themselves admiring what Browning was able to achieve.

Christopher Lee is obviously a legend, and he’s known for many great roles. Arguably one of his very best, however, was as Dracula in the 1958 Hammer adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. It’s easy to see why Lee would be cast in the role, since he has a sort of suave appeal that lends itself to the vampire character. The film is also beautiful in its own right, with its vibrant color cinematography giving a new layer of lurid appeal to the tried-and-true vampire formula already established in the cinema tradition. 

Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak has everything one could possibly want in a Gothic film: a crumbling mansion, sinister mysteries, and handsome and beautiful people encountering the supernatural. It doesn’t shy away from the violent part of the Gothic imagination either, and its violence is really only matched by the ornateness of the production design. This is a del Toro production from top to bottom, and that’s precisely what makes it so much fun to watch. It might be a bit melodramatic for some, but for many, that’s all just part of the fun.

The original Nosferatu, directed by F.W. Murnau, remains one of the most enduring and influential vampire films. Though based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, it has its own unique identity and, with its German Impressionist sensibilities and style, it still has the capacity to chill and to terrify. It certainly helps that Max Schreck gives a chilling performance as Count Orlok, and it’s no wonder he continues to be viewed as one of the most terrifying vampires in the history of cinema.

Beginning with The Witch, Robert Eggers proved to be a remarkably talented horror director. In 2024, he turned his attention to a remake of Nosferatu, and his version is a triumph. It is both stylish and genuinely horrifying, thanks in no small part to Peter Skarsgård’s absolute commitment to his performance of Count Orlok. The film definitely lets its freak flag fly, and there are many scenes that are both chilling and startlingly beautiful. It stands as yet more evidence of Eggers’ considerable talents as a purveyor of high-quality horror cinema.

Like The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor draws on a classic work of ghost fiction: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Though it has more than its fair share of frights, there’s a genuine emotional core to the series that associates it with the best of Gothic fiction. It is, at the end of the day, about a young woman who cannot escape the death that seems to always be waiting for her, even if she does also manage to live a remarkable life on her own terms. 

Based on the beloved horror novel by Shirley Jackson, Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House is a masterclass in creating a contemporary piece of Gothic horror. Its story about a family tormented by what happened in the house they used to live in–and where their mother died–is one that has a great deal of resonance. As each episode unfolds, the various members of the Crains find that it’s not possible to escape the horrors and traumas of their past, and it’s their collective grief, even more than the supernatural, that truly hits hard.

Mike Flanagan remains one of the most talented horror directors recruited by Netflix. In addition to The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, he also helmed Midnight Mass, which focuses on the residents of an isolated island as they deal with a mysterious being in their midst. It’s a show that takes a lot of big swings, and they almost all pay off quite handsomely. It’s a thought-provoking and, in the end, quite tragic bit of Gothic horror storytelling that cemented Flanagan’s reputation as one of his generation’s great horror creators.

The Netflix series Wednesday puts a bit of a new spin on the tried-and-true adventures of the Addams Family. Anchored by a terrific performance from Jena Ortega as the title character, it follows her various adventures while away at school. In addition to Ortega’s remarkable performance, it also features some other standouts, including Catherine Zeta Jones as Morticia and Luis Guzmán as Gomez. With its deliciously macabre sensibility, it’s the perfect update to the established Gothic conventions.

The first two seasons of the series Penny Dreadful are undoubtedly a delightful smorgasbord for lovers of Victorian and Gothic fiction, since it draws on many of its beloved characters. The show’s fans got to see lurid and often compelling reimaginations of such classic characters as Frankenstein’s monster, Mina Harker, Dorian Gray, and Henry Jekyll. It remains one of the most unique series to have emerged from Showtime, and its blend of intrigue and bloody good times continues to cast a potent spell (even if the show only lasted two seasons).

There have, of course, been numerous adaptations of Mary Shelley’s beloved novel Frankenstein, but all of them pale before James Whale’s masterpiece from 1931. It’s the perfect meeting of style, studio, director, and performer, with Whale’s direction dovetailing nicely with Boris Karloff’s indelible performance as The Monster. It’s a film that continues to cast a long shadow, and almost every other interpretation of the book has to contend with its legacy, either working within it or subverting it.

Though Alfred Hitchcock would become most famous for his thriller and horror films, he was also well-known for his use of the Gothic. In Rebecca, his adaptation of Daphne du Maurier, Hitchcock perfectly captured the Gothic imagination, including the gloomy old mansion and the man with many dark secrets. It’s also a film filled with several terrific performances, from Joan Fontaine as the nameless narrator, who labors under the shadow of the title character, to Judith Anderson, who gave one of the best performances of her career as the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers.

Tim Burton has always had a style that was all his own, and he brought his unique sensibilities to the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Though the film has a number of strong performances–including those of Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and Miranda Richardson–it’s really the production design that solidifies its place in the realm of the Gothic. It immerses the viewer in a dark and uncertain world, and this is precisely what makes it such a terrifyingly good watch, one that holds up surprisingly well.

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire was reimagined for the small screen with the AMC series of the same name, starring Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid as Louis and Lestat. The series is much more explicit about the desire pulsing between these two vampires, and in some ways it’s truer to the spirit of Anne Rice’s book than the earlier film version. It takes some notable liberties with the source material, but it nevertheless manages to be a sexy and violent Gothic masterpiece in its own right.

Based on the beloved novel by Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire  focuses on the codependent yet destructive relationship among the vampires Lestat, Louis, and their daughter, Claudia. Though some of the more overt queer notes of the original book were toned down for the big screen, it’s still very clear this is a love story about two doomed souls who find themselves repeatedly brought together, despite their efforts to separate. Both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise give remarkably strong performances, and overall the film is remarkably true to the book.

Francis Ford Coppola dove deep into the Gothic spirit with his magnificent Bram Stoker’s Dracula,  which is remarkably ornate in its retelling of Bram Stoker’s enduring novel. However, it’s not just the production design that sets this adaptation apart from others; it’s also the performances, particularly from Gary Oldman. Though Oldman has given many great and memorable performances throughout his career, it’s safe to say that he remains one of the definitive Draculas. He’s creepy and handsome and sometimes even sexy, all of the things a vampire should be.

Jessie Buckley is mesmerizing in The Bride!,  Maggie Gyllenhaal’s revisionist take on the classic tale of the Bride of Frankenstein. Like its title character, it’s a film that defies easy categorization: while it is, in some ways, a horror film, it’s also a romance, a crime thriller, and a scream of primal feminist rage. Indeed, it’s precisely the film’s refusal to follow the rules of generic expectations that makes it so absolutely riveting to watch, and Buckley gives a performance that keeps the viewer from looking away.

Emerald Fennell left her indelible and unmistakable stamp on her film “Wuthering Heights”,  the adaptation of the novel by Emily Brontë. Though it takes some notable liberties with the source material, it does capture its rich Gothic texture, exploring the dark sexual psyche of both Margot Robbie’s Cathy and Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff, two young people bound together by desire and death. It’s a stylish and sexy adaptation with a pair of terrific performances, leaving the audience absolutely captivated from the first moment to the last.