15 Best Gothic Horror TV Shows, Ranked – TVLine

More than just typical scary shows, there is something hauntingly atmospheric about gothic horror television series. Drawing primarily from European folklore, these stories involve the supernatural malevolence normally associated with ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and other paranormal creatures from the region. Slashers and zombies need not apply here, nor monsters originating from other parts of the world, these are more old world terrors. There is also a quiet romanticism about gothic horror stories, often involving forbidden temptation and dangerous liaisons.

From period pieces capturing the historical depictions of these scary stories to dramatic modern retellings, there are plenty of popular gothic horror shows to check out. These range from intentionally campy classics to series that keep their tone and frightening elements terrifyingly serious. Special consideration goes to shows that are not inspired by gothic literature but provide their own adaptations to these timeless stories. Here are the 15 best gothic horror TV shows ranked and ready for you to sink your teeth into.

When it comes to vampires, it’s hard to top Dracula in terms of name-brand recognition and iconography surrounding the undead count. After reinventing Sherlock Holmes, frequent collaborators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat reunited for the 2020 limited series “Dracula.” The story begins with the familiar narrative of Jonathan Harker (John Heffernan) visiting Count Dracula (Claes Bang) at his castle in Transylvania. After forcibly turning Harker, Dracula sets his sights on Agatha Van Helsing (Dolly Wells) and her descendants.

“Dracula” would warrant a higher spot on this list if it wasn’t for the story’s convoluted and tonally dissonant final episode. Still, the preceding two episodes provide a sumptuous reimagining of the vampiric legend, subverting expectations of the usual plot. Claes Bang is absolutely magnetic in playing the titular antihero, equally matched by Wells’ Van Helsing. A bold reinterpretation of the classic story, “Dracula” proves there’s plenty of life left in the undead count.

Don’t let the campy 2012 movie adaptation by Tim Burton color your perception, the original “Dark Shadows” took its scares very seriously. Premiering in 1966, the show centered on the Collins family, who live on a sprawling estate in coastal Maine. Governess Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) learns that the mansions on the property are haunted while the family’s vampiric ancestor Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) is freed from his tomb. Through magical means, the characters visit different points in the family’s history, each with their own paranormal menaces.

Just looking at the original “Dark Shadows” on paper, it’s wild the directions that this network soap opera took. Even beyond the ghosts, vampires, and time travel, the saga brought in witches, werewolves, even a phoenix, throughout its five-year run. There have been several attempts at a revival, including a “Dark Shadows” sequel series planned for The CW, but none could recapture the appeal of the original series. Unabashedly campy but with an unmatched scope and undeniable soap operatic sense of fun, “Dark Shadows” is an enormously influential gothic horror show.

Another saga of vampires and other classic gothic monsters, “The Vampire Diaries” is an adaptation of L.J. Smith’s popular novel series. The show is set in the small Virginia town of Mystic Falls, with teenage orphan Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) falling in love with vampire Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). This is complicated by Stefan’s brother, fellow vampire Damon (Ian Somerhalder), also falling for Elena as she is the spitting image of his lost love Katherine Pierce. As vampires and other monsters come to Mystic Falls, flashbacks reveal the intricate histories of the characters and the town itself.

Whereas “Dark Shadows” was a full-on daytime soap opera, “The Vampire Diaries” leans more into teen and young adult drama to great effect. So much of the show’s appeal is in its young cast, with Elena and the Salvatore brothers elevating the material. The show’s popularity inspired two spin-offs, “The Originals” and “Legacies,” while series co-creator Julie Plec has ideas for another “Vampire Diaries” spin-off. An eight-season saga with real-life plot twists shaping its love triangle and final death, “The Vampire Diaries” deservedly spawned its own enduring franchise.

AMC has created its own shared universe of television shows based on the works of author Anne Rice, officially dubbed the Immortal Universe. The second show in this line is “Mayfair Witches,” which explores the secret history of witches in this world. Neurosurgeon Rowan Fielding (Alexandra Daddario) learns that she’s the heir to the Mayfair dynasty, a powerful line of witches dating back for centuries. She also discovers an ancient order, the Talamasca, who supervises supernatural activity worldwide and a malevolent entity named Lasher (Jack Huston), who has menaced the Mayfairs for generations.

“Mayfair Witches” really feels like an expansive step forward for the Immortal Universe, creating a wider world that goes beyond Rice’s usual vampires. But the center of all this narrative ambition is the story of Rowan, a woman adrift who finds her place in the world and increasingly ready to fight its dangers. That makes this tale one of individual empowerment amid all the bloody mayhem and magical mischief from its premise. An ambitious story, “Mayfair Witches” brings multiple losses to keep its supernatural stakes high while carving out its own place in the Immortal Universe.

For those looking for a gothically tinged period piece witch story, 2014’s “Salem” delves into the rich history of witchcraft in America. This tale centers on Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery), a powerful witch who secretly manipulates colonists during the 17th century witch trials. As Mary plans to summon the Devil, her plot is complicated by the unexpected return of her lost lover John Alden (Shane West). This development leads to the formation of complex love triangles and deception all framed against the backdrop of the ongoing hysteria surrounding suspected witchcraft.

Like “The Vampire Diaries,” “Salem” is one of those gothic horror shows full of young attractive people getting caught up in paranormal mayhem. The 17th century setting works well for the story, albeit one that takes significant creative liberties with its titular historical events. But, really, you’re not watching “Salem” for a history lesson so much as a show full of period piece intrigue, supernatural violence, and salacious relationships. On that score, “Salem” fully delivers as it weaves its own devilish take on the New England community’s claim to infamy.

Stephen King’s 1978 short story “Jerusalem’s Lot” serves as the basis for the 2021 period piece horror series “Chapelwaite.” Set in a 19th century coastal Maine community, sea captain Charles Boone (Adrien Brody) inherits his family’s estate of Chapelwaite and moves in with his children. However, Charles learns his relatives aren’t as deceased as he thought while his new home and the surrounding town have their own fair share of dark secrets. This extends to the nearby abandoned town of Jerusalem’s Lot, which has become the home to a growing coven of vampires.

With its period piece setting, “Chapelwaite” provides a grim and grounded alternative to flashier, modern vampire stories. This is a tale where truly no one is safe, including Charles’ children, as the vampires make their presence known with bloodthirsty fury. Though a second season was in development, “Chapelwaite” was cancelled by MGM+, ending the Boone family saga. Still, the first season tells a complete satisfying story elevated by its strong cast and thoroughly evocative setting.

Prolific horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan got inspiration from the works of author Henry James to create 2020’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor.” Primarily drawing from James’ 1898 novella “The Turn of the Screw,” the show follows Dani Clayton (Victoria Pedretti) after she’s hired as an au pair for a wealthy British family. Moving into the palatial Bly Manor, Dani discovers the children to be troubled as she reconciles with her own painful past. However, the mansion also holds several ghostly secrets, including a malevolent spirit who has begun targeting the children from beyond the grave.

Flanagan incorporates elements from a number of James’ stories into crafting “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” really leaning into the romantic quality of the source material. The ghostly scares are still present, of course, and, like many romances, the relationships in this story are doomed for tragedy. Like Flanagan’s previous television work, the show was made for repeat viewings, with “Bly Manor” containing plenty of things to look for in a rewatch. A more melancholic and atmospheric show from Flanagan, “The Haunting of Bly Manor” excels with its haunting mood.

Charlaine Harris’ novel series “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” captures the timeless appeal of Southern Gothic horror and was adapted into the HBO series “True Blood.” The show is set in a world where the existence of vampires has gone public after the introduction of synthetic blood for them to drink. The story centers on Louisiana woman Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who falls in love with Civil War-era vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). The tension between humanity and vampires grows more complicated as other monsters surface throughout Sookie’s home of Bon Temps.

Full of salacious sex and violence, “True Blood” delivers all the thrills and bad romances possible from its monster mash premise. Like any modern drama with vampiric overtones, the interpersonal dynamics are unabashedly soap operatic with all of its complicated dangerous liaisons. But for as over-the-top as things get, and they do frequently, Paquin reliably lights up the screen opposite co-stars Moyer and Alexander Skarsgård. A blood-soaked delight that delivers exactly what the audience tunes in for each episode, “True Blood” takes full use of its Southern Gothic atmosphere.

While Archie Comics’ most magical character Sabrina Spellman had gotten the live-action television treatment in the ’90s, her debut in the streaming era veered into outright supernatural horror. The show featured a different sort of teenage witch in its Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka), who had to reconcile being half-witch and half- human, with decidedly more hellish stakes. As Sabrina attends a magical academy, she is targeted by nefarious figures, including Lilith (Michelle Gomez) and Father Faustus Blackwood (Richard Coyle). With the satanic stakes rising, Sabrina must literally go through Hell to save her hometown of Greendale from the forces of supreme evil.

Right from its opening scenes, it’s clear that “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is a love letter to classic horror, particularly horror cinema. But more specifically, the show is so deliciously gothic with its setting, from the creepy town of Greendale to the Academy of Unseen Arts and even the Spellman residence. The show is full of dark rituals, scheming witches, and dark magic, while staying within its teen drama sensibilities. An unapologetically campy ride, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is another hit Archie Comics reimagining.

Konami’s long-running video game series “Castlevania” was adapted into a Netflix original animated series in 2017. Drawing primarily from the games “Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse” and “Castlevania: Curse of Darkness,” the show is set in a 15th century Wallachia terrorized by vampires. Monster hunter Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), sorceress Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso), and the dhampir Alucard (James Callis) move to slay Alucard’s father Dracula (Graham McTavish). However, there are other vampire factions around Dracula vying to seize control and plunge the world into darkness, with only the intrepid heroes capable of stopping them.

Sumptuously animated and without holding back on the gore and sex, “Castlevania” is a mature translation of the classic video games. The show maintains all the kinetic monster-slaying action that made the franchise such a beloved presence for decades, boasting an anime-inspired art style. After its conclusion, the series went on to spawn a sequel series “Castlevania: Nocturne,” following Trevor and Sypha’s descendants battling vampires centuries later. A rebirth of the video game franchise in animation, “Castlevania” is one of Netflix’s greatest animated shows.

Charles Addams’ wonderfully macabre comic strip characters The Addams Family were updated for the streaming era with the live-action show “Wednesday.” Named for the family’s young daughter Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), the Netflix original series has the morbid teenager transfer to Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s cold and standoffish nature causes friction between her and her classmates while she develops the psychic abilities she inherited from her mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Using these abilities, Wednesday solves a murder mystery around Nevermore as well as trying to protect her roommate Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers).

The Addams Family has always embraced gothic trappings with their domestic life and those elements remain prominent in “Wednesday.” Like many Addams Family stories, “Wednesday” isn’t particularly scary, more teen than scream, but it definitely contains the usual horror aesthetics with the franchise. Ortega leads an all-star cast and gives a commanding performance, making the closed-off Wednesday Addams an unfailingly intriguing protagonist. A fresh teen drama take on the classic characters, “Wednesday” reinvigorates Addams’ altogether ooky family for Netflix.

Gothic horror legends collide in the 2014 series “Penny Dreadful,” set in an atmospheric 1890s London. The show starts with American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) hired by Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) to rescue his daughter from a vampire. Along the way, Ethan, and his companion Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), encounter everyone from Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) and his monsters to the eternally youthful Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney). This culminates in a showdown with Count Dracula (Christian Camargo) when the legendary vampire makes his own arrival in London.

“Penny Dreadful” is a veritable treasure trove of gothic monsters and villains that populate its darkly stylish vision of Victorian London. Running for 27 episodes, the series never feels like it’s treading water as it presents a tale full of vampires, werewolves, and witches, just to name a few familiar frights. But more than just offering a parade of classic monsters and era-appropriate literary characters, the show provides a compelling mystery and battle between good and evil. The time is monstrously right for “Penny Dreadful” to rise from its grave, its 2020 spin-off “City of Angels” notwithstanding.

Mike Flanagan’s most personal work in television or film to date is the 2021 limited series “Midnight Mass.” The Netflix original show follows Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford), who returns to his hometown of Crockett Island after being imprisoned for a drunk driving accident. His arrival coincides with that of the community’s new Catholic priest: Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater), who reinvigorates the parish’s faith by performing miracles. However, the sinister truth about Father Hill and the source of his powers comes to light as religious fervor consumes the town.

Wearing his Stephen King influences proudly on his sleeve, Flanagan crafts a small-town horror story that steadily escalates until all hell breaks loose. But even without the supernatural shenanigans, Flanagan weaves a devastating story about guilt, the loss of faith, and sobriety, illustrated by the best monologues he’s ever written and directed. That said, the series delivers its bloody terror too, particularly with its titular midnight mass ceremony where the truth stands revealed to the community. An emotionally resonant limited series that blends paranormal scares with soul-baring vulnerability, “Midnight Mass” is contemporary gothic terror at its best.

While Anne Rice’s work had been adapted for the screen before, AMC’s Immortal Universe based on her novels feels like the adaptation it deserved all along. The show that launched this shared television universe was 2022’s “Interview with the Vampire,” with journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) encountering vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson). Louis recounts how he was turned into a vampire by Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) in 1910 New Orleans and the conflict that eventually arose between them. Molloy notices inconsistencies within Louis’ story, leading to fresh layers of the narrative he’s being told.

“Interview with the Vampire” goes grandly over-the-top, embracing the campy elements of the source material while maintaining a bloody edge. The dynamic between Louis and Lestat makes for the real appeal of the show, tense and playful all at once. This underscores the vampiric fury that punctuates the series, including some particularly gory season finales. An adaptation that finally does the late Anne Rice’s best-selling work justice, “Interview with the Vampire” provides a rich retelling of the undead saga.

Mike Flanagan’s first Netflix television project was 2018’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” a thematic remix of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel of the same name. The narrative is split between two periods, starting with the Crain family moving into the notorious Hill House in 1992 to renovate and sell it. This is juxtaposed with the surviving members of the Crain family in 2018 reconciling with their shared trauma and unresolved business with the house. The series gradually reveals what exactly happened to the Crain family in that tragic summer and why it continues to haunt them decades later.

All these subsequent years and projects later, “The Haunting of Hill House” is still Flanagan’s ultimate masterpiece. Other shows he’s created might have more salient themes, but in terms of sheer scares and a sumptuously gothic setting, no other series does it better. The writer-director packs the story with ghosts too, making it perfect for rewatches, while the cast has since named the show’s spookiest moments. A classic haunted house story with a modern edge, Flanagan delivered a gothic magnum opus in his reimagining of “The Haunting of Hill House.”