🏷 Discover The Best Dark Movies & TV Shows To Watch Today

48 titles with this tag

Dive into the shadowy world of cinema and television with our curated guide to the best movies and TV shows related to the theme of 'dark'. From psychological thrillers to supernatural horrors, this collection explores the depths of human fear, mystery, and the unknown. Whether you're a fan of chilling narratives or complex characters, these picks promise to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Cast

Bryan Cranston

Aaron Paul

Anna Gunn

RJ Mitte

Breaking Bad (2008) TV Show

8.9 18.1K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 5

Episodes: 62

Audience: TV-MA

Story: Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family's financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime.

Style: dark, violent

Plot: new mexico, drug dealer, narcissism, psychopath, terminal illness, outlaw, dark comedy, cancer, ...

Cast

Yang Kaiqi

Lei Wu

Titus Jin

Lord of Mysteries (2025) TV Show

8.7 147 votes

Genre: Action, Animation, Mystery

Country: China

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 13

Audience: TV-14

Story: In a Victorian world of steam, dreadnoughts, and occult horrors, Zhou Mingrui awakens as Klein Moretti. He walks a razor’s edge between light and darkness, entangled with warring Churches. This is the legend of unlimited potential…and unspeakable danger.

Style: dark, psychological

Plot: mythology, magic, puppeteer, tarot cards, transformation, immortality, reincarnation, supernatural, ...

Time: 19th century, 20th century

Place: britain

Cast

Roberto Benigni

Nicoletta Braschi

Giorgio Cantarini

Giustino Durano

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

8.4 14.1K votes

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Country: Italy

Duration: 116 min.

Audience: PG-13

Story: A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.

Style: dark

Plot: dying and death, bookshop, love of one's life, nazi, self sacrifice, loss of loved one, riddle, mass murder, ...

Time: world war ii

Place: italy

Cast

KJ Apa

Lili Reinhart

Camila Mendes

Cole Sprouse

Riverdale (2017) TV Show

8.4 13.7K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 7

Episodes: 137

Audience: TV-14

Story: Set in the present, the series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring the surreality of small-town life, the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade.

Style: dark, absurd, romantic

Plot: love triangle, casino, witch, killing, small town, amateur detective, magic, manipulation, ...

Cast

Alexander Dreymon

Eliza Butterworth

Mark Rowley

Ruby Hartley

The Last Kingdom (2015) TV Show

8.3 2.0K votes

Genre: Action, Drama, War

Country: United Kingdom

Seasons: 5

Episodes: 46

Audience: TV-MA

Story: A show of heroic deeds and epic battles with a thematic depth that embraces politics, religion, warfare, courage, love, loyalty and our universal search for identity. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the story of how a people combined their strength under one of the most iconic kings of history in order to reclaim their land for themselves and build a place they call home.

Style: dark, gritty, violent

Plot: based on novel or book, vikings (norsemen), royalty, historical fiction, king, historical, historical drama, costume drama, ...

Time: 9th century, middle ages

Cast

Michael C. Hall

Jennifer Carpenter

Geoff Pierson

David Zayas

Dexter (2006) TV Show

8.2 5.6K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 8

Episodes: 96

Audience: TV-MA

Story: Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.

Style: dark

Plot: based on novel or book, double life, homicide, vigilante, murder, serial killer, psychological thriller, killer, ...

Place: miami, florida

Cast

Han So-hee

Park Hee-soon

Ahn Bo-hyun

Kim Sang-ho

My Name (2021) TV Show

8.2 1.1K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Country: South Korea

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 8

Audience: TV-MA

Story: Following her father's murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss — and enters the police force under his direction.

Style: dark, absurd

Plot: undercover, fight, police, truth, revenge, murder, death, aggressive, ...

Cast

Lee Je-hoon

Kim Hye-soo

Cho Jin-woong

Jang Hyun-sung

Signal (2016) TV Show

8.2 191 votes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Country: South Korea

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 17

Audience: TV-MA

Story:  Detectives from the present and a detective from the past communicate via walkie-talkie to solve a long-time unsolved case.

Style: dark

Plot: corruption, investigation, murder, tragic past, signal, changing the past or future, butterfly effect, suspense, ...

Light the Night (2021) TV Show

8.2 56 votes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Country: Taiwan

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 24

Audience: TV-MA

Story: In the red light district of 1980s Taipei, women at a popular Japanese night club navigate jealousy, heartbreak, friendship and love.

Style: dark, bittersweet

Plot: corruption, friendship, love, murder, slice of life, betrayal, drugs, struggles, ...

Time: 1980s

Place: taipei

Cast

Kiernan Shipka

Ross Lynch

Lucy Davis

Miranda Otto

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018) TV Show

8.2 3.8K votes

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 36

Audience: TV-14

Story: Magic and mischief collide as half-human, half-witch Sabrina navigates between two worlds: mortal teen life and her family's legacy, the Church of Night.

Style: dark, chilling

Plot: witch, black magic, high school, based on comic, female protagonist, aunt niece relationship, spin off, witchcraft, ...

Cast

Jon Hamm

Elisabeth Moss

Vincent Kartheiser

January Jones

Mad Men (2007) TV Show

8.1 1.5K votes

Genre: Drama

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 7

Episodes: 92

Audience: TV-14

Story: Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.

Style: dark, intense

Plot: work, marketing, marriage, workplace, period drama, advertising, historical, advertising agency, ...

Time: 1960s

Cast

Pedro Pascal

Matias Varela

Damiu00e1n Alcu00e1zar

Francisco Denis

Narcos (2015) TV Show

8.1 3.3K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 3

Episodes: 30

Audience: TV-MA

Story: A gritty chronicle of the war against Colombia's infamously violent and powerful drug cartels.

Style: dark, gritty

Plot: cocaine, drug dealer, outlaw, based on true story, drug cartel, conflict, drugs, drug lord, ...

Time: 1980s

Place: colombia

Cast

Jung Hae-in

Koo Kyo-hwan

Kim Sung-kyun

Son Suk-ku

D.P. (2021) TV Show

8.0 267 votes

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama

Country: South Korea

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 12

Audience: TV-MA

Story: A young private's assignment to capture army deserters reveals the painful reality endured by each enlistee during his compulsory call of duty.

Style: melancholy, dark, gritty

Plot: desertion, investigation, based on comic, mission, escape, soldier, military life, military police, ...

Cast

Robin Wright

Michael Kelly

Constance Zimmer

Patricia Clarkson

House of Cards (2013) TV Show

8.0 3.2K votes

Genre: Drama

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 6

Episodes: 73

Audience: TV-MA

Story: Betrayed by the White House, Congressman Frank Underwood embarks on a ruthless rise to power. Blackmail, seduction and ambition are his weapons.

Style: cynical, dark

Plot: corruption, usa president, manipulation, politics, revenge, breaking the fourth wall, power politics, political corruption, ...

Cast

Penn Badgley

Charlotte Ritchie

Griffin Matthews

Anna Camp

You (2018) TV Show

8.0 4.0K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 5

Episodes: 50

Audience: TV-MA

Story: A dangerously charming, obsessive man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of women who fascinate him.

Style: dark, psychological

Plot: new york city, based on novel or book, jealousy, infidelity, cheating, obsession, female friendship, addiction, ...

Society of the Snow (2023)

8.0 3.5K votes

Genre: Drama, History

Country: Spain, United States of America

Duration: 143 min.

Audience: R

Story: On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to take a rugby team to Chile, crashes into a glacier in the heart of the Andes.

Style: inspiring, dark

Plot: rescue, friendship, based on novel or book, prayer, brotherhood, based on true story, rugby, uruguay, ...

Time: 1970s

Cast

Mariska Hargitay

Ice-T

Kelli Giddish

Peter Scanavino

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) TV Show

8.0 4.3K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 28

Episodes: 595

Audience: TV-14

Story: In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

Style: dark, gritty

Plot: detective, sexual abuse, sex scandal, domestic abuse, sexual violence, domestic violence, criminal, sex trafficking, ...

Cast

Scoot McNairy

Josu00e9 Maru00eda Yu00e1zpik

Alejandro Edda

Luis Gerardo Mu00e9ndez

Narcos: Mexico (2018) TV Show

7.9 1.5K votes

Genre: Crime, Drama

Country: United States of America

Seasons: 3

Episodes: 30

Audience: TV-MA

Story: See the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel as an American DEA agent learns the danger of targeting narcos in 1980s Mexico.

Style: dark, gritty

Plot: corruption, cocaine, tiger, usa–mexico border, based on true story, drug cartel, marijuana, mariachi, ...

Time: 1980s

Place: mexico

Cast

Abimana Aryasatya

Bront Palarae

Dimas Danang

Endy Arfian

Ghost in the Cell (2026)

7.9 16 votes

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller

Country: Indonesia, South Korea

Duration: 106 min.

Story: In a notorious prison, an invisible force begins killing inmates brutally, compelling enemy gangs and corrupt guards to work together as they try to survive the mounting bloodshed.

Style: dark, intense, brutal

Plot: prison, prisoner, prison cell, gore, terror cell, satire, jail, inmate, ...

Cast

Tom Hardy

David Hayman

Jonathan Pryce

Oona Chaplin

Taboo (2017) TV Show

7.9 1.5K votes

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Country: United Kingdom

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 8

Audience: TV-MA

Story: Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London from Africa in 1814 along with fourteen stolen diamonds to seek vengeance after the death of his father.

Style: dark, slow burn, gritty

Plot: london, england, africa, corruption, blackmail, british empire, greed, investigation, ...

Time: 19th century

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Exploring the Dark Side: Must-Watch Movies

The world of cinema is rich with films that delve into the darker aspects of life, offering viewers a glimpse into the eerie, the mysterious, and the downright terrifying. Here are some standout movies that masterfully capture the essence of 'dark':

Psychological Thrillers That Keep You Guessing

"The Silence of the Lambs" - A gripping tale of a young FBI agent's encounter with a brilliant but psychopathic serial killer, this film is a masterclass in tension and character development.
"Black Swan" - This psychological horror explores the dark side of perfectionism in the world of ballet, blending reality with haunting hallucinations.

Supernatural and Horror Classics

"The Exorcist" - A landmark in horror cinema, this film tells the chilling story of a young girl's demonic possession and the desperate attempts to save her.
"The Shining" - Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this psychological horror film is a haunting exploration of isolation, madness, and the supernatural, set in an isolated hotel.

Dark Themes in Television: Series That Captivate

Television has also embraced the dark theme, producing series that are both critically acclaimed and widely popular. These shows offer complex narratives and deeply flawed characters that resonate with audiences:

Crime and Mystery Series

Shows like "True Detective" and "Mindhunter" delve into the minds of criminals and the detectives who pursue them, offering a dark and often disturbing look at the criminal psyche. These series are known for their intense storytelling and stellar performances.

Supernatural and Fantasy Dramas

For those who enjoy a blend of dark themes with supernatural elements, series like "Stranger Things" and "The Witcher" provide a perfect mix. These shows combine eerie atmospheres with compelling characters and intricate plots, making them must-watches for fans of the genre.

Whether you're in the mood for a movie night or looking to binge-watch a new series, the dark theme offers a vast array of options to explore. From the psychological depths of human nature to the supernatural and beyond, these films and TV shows are sure to leave a lasting impression.