Despite the decent amount of Gothic horror series released in recent years,the genre still doesn’t get the love and attention it deserves. Gothic horror shows feature captivating stories that are guaranteed to send chills down audiences’ spines. The eerie atmospheres established in such series incorporate haunting and supernatural elements into their overarching frightening narratives.
However, these series also regularly draw attention to psychological suspense and social conflict, as seen in TV shows likeThe Fall of the House of UsherandThe Terror. Despite their inherent intrigue, some incredible Gothic horror shows remain underrated, leaving the genre as a whole omitted from general conversations aboutthe best horror series of all time. Regardless of what one seeks out from the horror genre —be it shocking imagery or intricate character studies—there’s a wonderful piece of Gothic fiction waiting to be watched.
Chapelwaite
Cast
Set in the 1850s, Chapelwaite follows Captain Charles Boone as he relocates his family to his ancestral home in the small town of Preacher’s Corners. The series explores themes of family secrets, supernatural occurrences, and the dark past haunting both the Boone family and the community.
BeforeChapelwaitehad the chance to prove it was a worthwhile horror series, the show was canceled. With only 10 episodes to its name, the Adrien Brody-led series earned mixed reviews from critics.Based on Stephen King’s short story “Jerusalem’s Lot,“the show follows Brody’s Captain Charles Boone as he returns to the town of Preacher’s Corners, Maine, only to discover there’s a life-threatening virus taking over the population.
10 Classic Gothic Books & Stories That Defined The Genre
From deeply dark fairytales to shuddering murders, these books and short stories all play a key part in the definition of the gothic literature genre.
The series' mixed reviews are a result of its slow pace and incessantly bleak tone, which unfairly led to many skipping over the series. These elements do diminish the show’s overall ability to entertain, resulting in one of the weakerStephen King TV shows of 2021. However, there is stilla well-written and performed mysteryat the center ofChapelwaitethat makes it a horror series worth consideration.
The Terror
The Terror is an AMC original horror anthology series based on the novel by Dan Simmons. The show follows the Royal Navy as they explore the ocean to locate the Northwest Passage to improve travel and trade. However, the perilous journey proves to be more than any of the crew expected, leaving them at the mercy of harsh elements and the slowly slipping sanity of the crew.
With its third season set to premiere sometime this year, AMC’sThe Terrorhas become a promising supernatural anthology series. Accompanied by a chilling gothic tone,each season puts a supernatural twist on historical events, like season 1’s fictionalized account of Captain Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition and season 2’s World War II setting. Though the series has never promised to present a true account of the historical events depicted, there is an appreciated amount of care when it comes to details.
The Terror’s new set of characters and setting each season keep things fresh, giving room for the possibility for the series to continue for longer than most anthology series.
This adds some weight to the stories being told and makes for a compelling drama series more people should be tuning in to.The Terror’s new set of charactersand setting each season keep things fresh, giving room for the possibility for the series to continue for longer than most anthology series.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Loosely based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher is a horror drama mini-series created by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House) for Netflix. This modern retelling follows a corrupt pharmaceutical CEO, Roderick Usher, as he is forced to reckon with his past as a curse begins to claim the lives of each of his children.
While it’s notMike Flanagan’s best Netflix horror series, there’s still a lot to appreciate aboutThe Fall of the House of Usher.The miniseries pulls from various works by Edgar Allan Poeand connects them for a nonlinear narrative taking place between 1953 and 2023.Flanagan’s series details the rise and fall of the Usher family, from Roderick Usher’s youth to the days leading up to the death of his children.
With a horror series, especially one rooted in Poe’s writing, audiences expect a certain amount of tension and effective jump scares and Flanagan’s series certainly satisfies in these arenas. However, the series goes beyond this, creatinga compelling character study about a broken family, which is wonderfully brought to life byThe Fall of the House of Usher’s ensemble cast. The stars of the Netflix miniseries have earned much critical acclaim for their work, especially Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood.
American Gothic
American Gothic follows the unsettling events in the town of Trinity, South Carolina, where Sheriff Lucas Buck exhibits a troubling obsession with young Caleb. Caleb’s cousin Gail attempts to shield him despite her complex feelings for Buck, while Caleb’s deceased sister revisits as an angel, warning of Buck’s evil nature.
One of the earliest shows that indicated Gothic horror series never get enough love is 1995’sAmerican Gothic. The supernatural series takes place in the fictional town of Trinity, South Carolina, where Lucas Buck (Gary Cole),a corrupt sheriff, uses his supernatural powers to manipulate othersto commit wrongdoings. One individual he’s determined to corrupt is the young, orphaned Caleb Temple (Lucas Black), who’s far more connected to Lucas than he thinks.
The complexity of Lucas as a character meant he wasn’t a one-dimensional villain in the show. The popularity of such characters has only grown in the years since the CBS series' premiere, making one wonderhow successfulAmerican Gothicwould beif it were made today. Despite all of its potential,American Gothicdidn’t earn high enough ratings to justify a second season and was ultimately canceled after its first.
Midnight Mass
Created and directed by Mike Flanagan, Midnight Mass follows the residents of an isolated fishing community whose lives are changed by the sudden appearance of a charismatic new priest, Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater). The residents of Crockett Island struggle to eke out a meager living, just barely surviving off the mainland, but the appearance of Hill changes everything. Attendance at the local church is at an all-time high, but cynical ex-con Riley Flynn doesn’t trust the priest, and sets out to uncover his dark secret.
A complex show with a deliberate pace and shocking plot twists, Mike Flanagan’sMidnight Masstouches on themes of religion, death, and guilt. The series takes place on the isolated Crockett Island, where former venture capitalist Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) returns home at the same time a young, mysterious priest, Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater), arrives on the island.
Father Paul’s presence helps revive the island’s weakening faith but brings about supernatural occurrences as well. The series introduces a thought-provoking discussion about organized religion and the way it can be used by some to justify egregious behavior. This is presented throughMidnight Mass' heavy use of monologues and intricate exploration of its characters. The miniseries does an excellent job of adding depth to its main horror story through such characters, making ita worthwhile entry in the Gothic horror genre.
Dracula
Dracula (2020) is a reinterpretation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel, co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Starring Claes Bang as the titular Count Dracula, the series explores the legendary vampire’s battles with the descendants of Van Helsing and his dark journey from Transylvania to London. The three-episode series examines both the historical and contemporary influences of Dracula’s enduring legacy.
Count Dracula is one of the most-played charactersof all time in movies and TV shows and was first introduced in Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novelDracula. Stoker’s novel is what loosely inspires the characterization of the famous vampire in BBC One’sDracula. Broken up into three, easily digestible episodes, the horror series depicts its title character’s (Claes Bang) violent crimes, fight against Van Helsing, and an unexpected look into his rarely explored vulnerability.
25 Best Dracula Movies Ranked
Dracula is one of the biggest villains in pop-culture history. But which of the many films based on the iconic vampire are the best Dracula movies?
ThoughDraculadoes differ from Stoker’s writingin a few significant ways, these changes are often made to pull off the series' balance of humor and scares.The show places Dracula in the modern world but does rightby fans of the character by rarely losing sight of his core characteristics that have made him an iconic figure in various works of fiction throughout the years.
Servant
M. Night Shyamalan steps into the realm of television with Servant, a psychological horror series created for Apple TV+. The show follows the affluent Dorothy and Sean Turner, who, after experiencing the death of their infant son, find their relationship strained and fractured. But the hole in their relationship is soon filled with the support of a nanny who is hired to care for a doll that represents their lost son - and tagging along with her is something more sinister.
With M. Night Shyamalan acting as its showrunner,Servantboasts many celebrated components associated with the director’s work. The series revolves around the fractured Turner couple, Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean (Toby Kebbell), whose marriage is tested following the death of their young child.To cope with the traumatic loss, the couple is given a lifelike reborn doll, which Dorothy believes to be real, therefore hiring a nanny (Nell Tiger Free) for him.
However, the nanny’s presence in the Turners' lives opens the door to strange, supernatural occurrences that gradually begin to be uncovered as the series progresses.Servant’s slower pace may have prevented some people from tuning in all these years, but its refreshing exploration of grief and its effects on one’s psyche successfully keeps audiences hooked throughout its four seasons and makes it a must-watch series.
Castle Rock
Castle Rock is a supernatural/horror television series based on the works of Stephen King. Set in the titular town in Maine, the show covers an anthology of supernatural stories surrounding various characters that work, live, and visit Castle Rock, all of which sharply turn the mundane lives of northeasterners into compelling tales of the extraordinary - both good and bad.
Rather than directly adapting a specific piece of Stephen King’s work,Castle Rockinstead takes place in the fictional town that acts as the setting for much of King’s writing.The series pulls from various stories by King, merging many familiar plots and charactersinto one cohesive narrative. The first season revolves around a Shawshank State Penitentiary inmate, played by Bill Skarsgård, who gets help from attorney and former Castle Rock resident Henry Deaver (André Holland).
Both seasons of the show are grim and character-driven, having earned a positive response from critics and audiences.
Season two seesLizzy Caplan play an altered version of Annie Wilkes, who was so famously portrayed by Kathy Bates inMisery. Both seasons of the show are grim and character-driven, having earned a positive response from critics and audiences. Though the series ended according to plan after its second season, it’s still a shameCastle Rockhasn’t returned for season 3, as there’splenty more material from King to draw from.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, a horror anthology series, comes from a collection of visionary filmmakers, including and curated by Guillermo del Toro. Eight terrifying tales, both new and adapted from classic writers, are brought to the small screen to challenge modern horror conventions and get some of the works of del Toro to life. Each episode tells a unique tale with a different cast, with the beginning of each one starting with an introduction by del Toro himself. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities positions itself as anthology series set to give new minds a chance to shine in a crowded medium.
Many of Guillermo del Toro’s films are tied to fairy tales and Gothic horror, making him an obvious person to head the Netflix miniseriesCabinet of Curiosities. The anthology series is made up of eight episodes, each directed by a filmmaker at differing points in their careers, including the famous Guillermo Navarro and Vincenzo Natali, and newcomers like Keith Thomas. The stories throughout the series are creepy and mysterious and arerooted in the traditions of both the Gothic and Grand Guignol genres.
Cabinet of Curiositieshas a 93% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
Some ofH. P. Lovecraft’s work is adapted inCabinet of Curiosities, alongside stories written by various directors, including del Toro himself. Grim and filled with disturbing characters on par withdel Toro’s scariest movie creatures,Cabinet of Curiositiesearned positive reviews from critics following its 2022 release. Still, the Gothic horror miniseries remains largely underrated compared to other relatively newer horror releases.
Penny Dreadful
Penny Dreadful is a gothic horror thriller series that follows characters forced to brave historic British literature creations in Victorian London. Centering on Vanessa Ives across the series, the show has Vanessa and her allies face-to-face with supernatural entities that will challenge their reality while dealing with their own personal demons.
Like many Gothic horror series,Penny Dreadfulpulls from well-known Gothic fiction, specificallyfamous characters associated with 19th-century Victorian literature, like Henry Jekyll, Count Dracula, and Dorian Gray. Set in 1891 London, the first season ofPenny Dreadfulsees American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) team up with explorer Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton), the doctor Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and medium Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) to tackle various supernatural threats.
Any well-versed horror fan is sure to have a fun time pointing outPenny Dreadful’s numerous referencesto both classic and contemporary supernatural stories. It’s also quite easy for audiences to get caught up in the series' overall engrossing mystery narrative, which is supported by the series' bloody imagery and strong performances. Despite earning a positive reception in each of its three seasons, theGothic horrorseries came to a natural end in 2016.
