Best tv shows like Penny Dreadful
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 129000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: gothic, gothic horror, dark fantasy, atmospheric, scary, dark, stylized, period piece, psychological, supernatural thriller
Best tv shows and movies like Penny Dreadful (2014):
Similar in 83%
Carnivàle (2003)
Plot Summary:
Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In tracing the lives of two disparate groups of people, its overarching story depicts the battle between good and evil and the struggle between free will and destiny; the storyline mixes Christian theology with gnosticism and Masonic lore, particularly that of the Knights Templar.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, captivating, surreal, erotic, psychedelic, dramatic, apocalyptic, period piece, costume drama
Similar in 78%
Frankenstein (2004)
Plot Summary:
Frankenstein is a 2004 U.S. television miniseries (edited into a film) based on the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It follows the original book more closely than other adaptions. The story is of a scientist who brings life to a creature fashioned from corpses and various body parts.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 177 min
Plot tags: scary, serious, suspenseful, captivating, epic, suspense
Similar in 85%
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (2020)
Plot Summary:
Rooted in the conflict between characters connected to the deity Santa Muerte and others allied with the Devil, this saga explores an exciting mix of the supernatural and the combustible reality of 1938 Los Angeles, a time and place deeply infused with Mexican-American folklore and social tension.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, History, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: bleak, captivating, disturbing, demonic, atmospheric, detective, historical drama, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, period drama
Similar in 81%
Hammer House of Horror (1980)
Plot Summary:
Anthology series, in which each self-contained episode featured a different kind of horror. These varied from witches, werewolves, ghosts, devil worship and voodoo, but also included non-supernatural horror themes such as cannibalism, confinement and serial killers.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: anthology, scary, spooky, dark fairy tale, gothic, gothic horror, psychological, rough, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
American Gods (2017)
Plot Summary:
Based on Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel about an ex-con who becomes the traveling partner of a conman who turns out to be one of the older gods trying to recruit troops to battle the upstart deities.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, psychedelic, serious, supernatural thriller, erotic, atmospheric, spiritual, absurd, anime, dread
Similar in 76%
Superstition (2017)
Plot Summary:
The Mosley family keeps the secrets and dark history of a town located on the outskirts of New Orleans that is also a landing patch for the world's darkest manifestations of fear, guided into the world by a mysterious malefactor named The Dredge.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, gothic, gothic horror, dark fantasy, stylized
Similar in 76%
Salem (2014)
Plot Summary:
Set in the volatile world of 17th century Massachusetts, 'Salem' explores what really fueled the town's infamous witch trials and dares to uncover the dark, supernatural truth hiding behind the veil of this infamous period in American history. In Salem, witches are real, but they are not who or what they seem.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: scary, suspenseful, atmospheric, gothic horror, stylized, serious, erotic, sexy, gothic, bloody
Similar in 85%
Dracula (2013)
Plot Summary:
It's the late 19th century, and the mysterious Dracula has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He's especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night - useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: he hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan... until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: gothic, costume drama, captivating, sentimental, colorful, bloody, dark fantasy, period piece, spooky, fairy tale
Similar in 85%
Interview with the Vampire (2022)
Plot Summary:
Louis de Pointe’s epic story of love, blood, and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat De Lioncourt’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: costume drama, spooky, thrilling, gothic horror, homoerotic, southern gothic, romantic drama, queer cinema, period drama, cult film
Similar in 83%
A Discovery of Witches (2018)
Plot Summary:
Diana Bishop, historian and witch, accesses Ashmole 782 and knows she must solve its mysteries. She is offered help by the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, but he's a vampire and witches should never trust vampires.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 1107 min
Plot tags: stylized, romantic, captivating, scenic, costume drama, enigmatic, gothic, epic, sad, demonic
Similar in 88%
Night Gallery (1969)
Plot Summary:
Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although he did not have the same control of content and tone as he had on The Twilight Zone.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: anthology, psychological, supernatural thriller, scary, retro, mysterious, dread, mythical, creepy, dark fairy tale
Similar in 76%
Dark Shadows (1966)
Plot Summary:
Dark Shadows is an American gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements. It was unprecedented in daytime television when ghosts were introduced about six months after it began. The series became hugely popular when vampire Barnabas Collins appeared a year into its run. Dark Shadows also featured werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and a parallel universe. A small company of actors each played many roles; indeed, as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor. Major writers besides Art Wallace included Malcolm Marmorstein, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and Violet Welles. Dark Shadows was distinguished by its vividly melodramatic performances, atmospheric interiors, memorable storylines, numerous dramatic plot twists, unusually adventurous music score, and broad and epic cosmos of characters and heroic adventures. Now regarded as something of a classic, it continues to enjoy an intense cult following. Although the original series ran for only five years, its scheduling as a daily daytime drama allowed it to amass more single episodes during its run than most other science-fiction/fantasy genre series produced for English-language television, including Doctor Who and the entire Star Trek television franchise. Only the paranormal soap opera Passions, with a total of 2,231 episodes, has more.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: gothic, gothic horror, surreal, soap opera, atmospheric, stylized, scary, dark, spooky, retro
Similar in 80%
Helstrom (2020)
Plot Summary:
Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity — each with their attitude and skills.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: suspense, dark, suspenseful, semi serious, anime
Similar in 77%
Van Helsing (2016)
Plot Summary:
Vanessa Helsing, the daughter of famous vampire hunter and Dracula nemesis Abraham Van Helsing is resurrected five years in the future to find out that vampires have taken over the world and that she possesses unique power over them. She is humanity’s last hope to lead an offensive to take back what has been lost.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, suspenseful, apocalyptic, scary, gothic, humorous, dark, serious, bloody
Similar in 78%
American Horror Story (2011)
Plot Summary:
American Horror Story is an anthology horror drama series.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 338000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: anthology, psychological, atmospheric, scary, tense, captivating, unusual plot structure, bad ending, offbeat, slasher
Similar in 79%
The Sandman (2022)
Plot Summary:
A wizard attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. Fearful for his safety, the wizard kept him imprisoned in a glass bottle for decades. After his escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 165000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: dark fantasy, gothic, fairy tale, supernatural thriller, dark, psychological, psychedelic, political, anime, epic fantasy
Similar in 76%
Carnival Row (2019)
Plot Summary:
In a mystical and dark city filled with humans, fairies and other creatures, a police detective investigates a series of gruesome murders leveled against the fairy population. During his investigation, the detective becomes the prime suspect and must find the real killer to clear his name.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 80000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 56 min
Plot tags: dark fantasy, detective, captivating, erotic, atmospheric, gothic, sweet, sad, gloomy, costume drama
Similar in 86%
True Blood (2008)
Plot Summary:
True Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in northwestern Louisiana. The series centers on the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress with an otherworldly quality.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 257000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: sexy, tense, stylized, serious, erotic, supernatural thriller, gothic, bloody, scary, funny
Similar in 81%
The Originals (2013)
Plot Summary:
A spin-off from The Vampire Diaries and set in New Orleans, The Originals centers on the Mikaelson siblings, otherwise known as the world's original vampires: Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. Now Klaus must take down his protégé, Marcel, who is now in charge of New Orleans, in order to re-take his city, as he originally built New Orleans. Klaus departed from the city after being chased down by his father Mikael, while it was being constructed and Marcel took charge. As Klaus has returned after many years, his ego has provoked him to become the king of the city. "Every King needs an heir" says Klaus, accepting the unborn child. The child is a first to be born to a hybrid and a werewolf.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 145000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, stylized, gothic, supernatural thriller, gloomy, humorous, bloody, grindhouse
Similar in 86%
Midnight, Texas (2017)
Plot Summary:
Welcome to a place where being normal is really quite strange. In a remote Texas town no one is who they seem. From vampires and witches to psychics and hit men, Midnight is a mysterious safe haven for those who are different. As the town members fight off outside pressures from rowdy biker gangs, ever-suspicious cops and their own dangerous pasts, they band together and form a strong and unlikely family.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: mystical, romantic, disturbing, sentimental, captivating, gothic, dark
Similar in 82%
Grimm (2011)
Plot Summary:
After Portland homicide detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he's descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," he increasingly finds his responsibilities as a detective at odds with his new responsibilities as a Grimm.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 128000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, captivating, exciting, scary, suspenseful, serious, detective, neo noir, dread, atmospheric
Similar in 82%
The Woman in Black (2012)
Plot Summary:
The story follows a young lawyer, Arthur Kipps, who is ordered to travel to a remote village and sort out a recently deceased client’s papers. As he works alone in the client’s isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover tragic secrets, his unease growing when he glimpses a mysterious woman dressed only in black. Receiving only silence from the locals, Kipps is forced to uncover the true identity of the Woman in Black on his own, leading to a desperate race against time when he discovers her true identity.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 191000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada, USA, Sweden
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: gothic, gothic horror, suspense, scary, atmospheric, terrifying, suspenseful, twist ending, dark, creepy
Similar in 80%
The Wolfman (2010)
Plot Summary:
Lawrence Talbot, an American man on a visit to Victorian London to make amends with his estranged father, gets bitten by a werewolf and, after a moonlight transformation, leaves him with a savage hunger for flesh.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 111000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: gothic, suspense, dark, period piece, gothic horror, scary, bloody, splatter, cult classic, exciting
Similar in 82%
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Plot Summary:
An adaptation of Angela Carter's fairy tales. Young Rosaleen dreams of a village in the dark woods, where Granny tells her cautionary tales in which innocent maidens are tempted by wolves who are hairy on the inside. As Rosaleen grows into womanhood, will the wolves come for her too?.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: gothic, fairy tale, sexy, surreal, atmospheric, dark fantasy, scary, dark, cult classic, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Plot Summary:
When Dracula leaves the captive Jonathan Harker and Transylvania for London in search of Mina Harker -- the spitting image of Dracula's long-dead wife, Elisabeta -- obsessed vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing sets out to end the madness.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 234000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: gothic, scary, dark fantasy, atmospheric, gothic horror, visually stunning, period piece, visually appealing, sexy, suspense
Similar in 90%
Byzantium (2012)
Plot Summary:
Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: gothic, dark, atmospheric, dark fantasy, serious, bleak, splatter, scary, stylized, offbeat
Similar in 88%
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Plot Summary:
A vampire relates his epic life story of love, betrayal, loneliness, and dark hunger to an over-curious reporter.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 342000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: gothic, gothic horror, scary, suspenseful, melancholic, visually appealing, dark, surprise ending, captivating, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Crimson Peak (2015)
Plot Summary:
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds… and remembers.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 156000
Genere: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: gothic, dark fantasy, gothic horror, atmospheric, suspense, dark, twist ending, suspenseful, scary, fairy tale
Similar in 89%
Dracula Untold (2014)
Plot Summary:
Vlad Tepes is a great hero, but when he learns the Sultan is preparing for battle and needs to form an army of 1,000 boys, including Vlad's son, he vows to find a way to protect his family. Vlad turns to dark forces in order to get the power to destroy his enemies and agrees to go from hero to monster as he's turned into the mythological vampire Dracula.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 205000
Genere: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: gothic, dark fantasy, exciting, scary, suspenseful, serious, fairy tale, epic, intense, psychotronic
Similar in 78%
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Plot Summary:
New York detective Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of mysterious deaths in which the victims are found beheaded. But the locals believe the culprit to be none other than the ghost of the legendary Headless Horseman.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 379000
Genere: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: USA, Germany, UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: gothic, dark, scary, dark fantasy, atmospheric, gothic horror, fairy tale, suspenseful, surreal, captivating