Dark academia has taken the online world by storm, with tweed blazers, horn-rimmed glasses, Gothic elements, and oftentimes, a deviant journey through self-discovery. The darker side of academic elitism appeals to many because of the twisted, yet comforting, vibes it emits, as well as all of its forbidden secrets.
Dark academia's character archetypes are bewitching as well, filled with studious, principled students, and young personalities that are intelligent and driven. Strolling into a secret library, solving a dark mystery, or studying near a fireplace with your closest friends is just part of why it's the perfect genre to dive into, with the best dark academia TV shows and films capturing the essence of the niche. As fans eagerly wait for additional details about the upcoming Harry Potter TV series on Max, it's the perfect time to delve into similar gothic masterpieces on both the small and big screens.
12 'The Skulls' (2000)
Director: Rob Cohen
The late '90s and early 2000s were a jubilee of dark academia and elitist Ivy League worlds. Paul Walker and Joshua Jackson starred in one of the most underrated dark academia movies of the time: The Skulls. The unfairly overlooked 2000s movie follows the lives of a secret society deep within the walls of Ivy League's most prominent campus where power and the elite are bred.
Only a few are chosen to join the society, where they are then groomed, and wealthy bloodlines bond into dangerous and mysterious plots. The Skulls deserves a mention because of its incredibly sinister, dark atmosphere. Watching the lives of these perfect young men begin to crumble under the weight of their own wrongdoings fits the aesthetic exquisitely.
11 'Dorian Gray' (2009)
Director: Oliver Parker
Ben Barnes launched a thousand dark academia dreams with the 2009 adaptation of Dorian Gray. He played the part of devilishly young and handsome, Dorian, so well that many Harry Potter aficionados fan-casted him as a young and powerful Sirius Black almost immediately. Set in Victorian London, the film follows the naive protagonist as he explores the city and soon wishes to stay young forever – a strange portrait of him might just fulfill that.
The movie is full of Victorian costumes that border on dark prep-school attire, and it portrays the lascivious lust of Dorian and his queer sexual exploits flawlessly. Its dreamy atmosphere is a warm welcoming hug as Dorian increasingly loses parts of himself in the charismatic social whirlwind of Victorian London.
Dorian Gray
RDramaFantasyThriller Release Date September 9, 2009 Director Oliver Parker Cast Colin Firth , Ben Barnes , Rebecca Hall , Rachel Hurd-Wood , Emilia Fox , Ben Chaplin Runtime 112 minutes10 'Cruel Intentions' (1999)
Director: Roger Kumble
Among the classic dark academia films, Cruel Intentions takes place in the upscale world of Manhattan, where wealthy and popular Kathryn unravels her wild exploits at the prep school she attends. In the twisted world of step-siblings, Kathryn and Sebastian, the two wager diabolical bets of sexual conquest in order to try to one-up each other. Young Annette becomes their next pawn after she writes about how she intends to stay "pure" until marriage.
Kathryn and Sebastian wage a deal that if he can seduce Annette, Kathryn gets his vintage car, and if he fails, she will finally sleep with him. The movie is a deviant depiction of corrupted youths in the wealthy prep school world. Cruel Intentions has enough of a seedy atmosphere and preppy outfits to fit the dark academia bill perfectly.
Cruel Intentions
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Two vicious step-siblings of an elite Manhattan prep school make a wager: to deflower the new headmaster's daughter before the start of term.
Release Date March 5, 1999 Director Roger Kumble Cast Sarah Michelle Gellar , Ryan Phillippe , Reese Witherspoon , Selma Blair , Louise Fletcher , Joshua Jackson Runtime 97 Minutes Main Genre Drama9 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' (2018 - 2020)
Developer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina did an incredible job of filling the dark witchy-academia hole that had been missing in pop culture for so long. It is based on the Sabrina the Teenage Witch comics that follow Sabrina Spellman and her adventures in the world of witchcraft as a normal teenager. The show takes on a much darker tone though: there are no more happy-go-lucky crushes and a wise-cracking black cat – Kiernan Shipka's Sabrina traffics in horror and the occult.
Everything about this series screams dark academia. There are references to Shakespeare's Macbeth, and Sabrina wears dark prep school-chic clothing, complete with bobbed hair and headbands, black tights and knee socks, and argyle sweater vests straight out of the Ivy Leagues. In the show, Sabrina must choose between the fascinating witch world she was born into and her group of human friends.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
TV-14DramaFantasyHorror Release Date October 26, 2018 Cast Lucy Davis , Miranda Otto , Richard Coyle Seasons 48 'The Magicians' (2015 - 2020)
Creators: Sera Gamble and John McNamara
Lev Grossman's The Magicians is one of the best fantasy book adaptations streaming on Netflix right now – it's also one of the grossly overlooked dark academia shows. The series is filled with the quintessential dark academic atmosphere including magic, historical classrooms, Gothic settings, and just enough mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The series follows Quentin Coldwater who gets recruited to a secretive academy and discovers that he can use magic. The series is much more grown-up than the likes of Harry Potter though, as the characters are older, and the magic system is more complicated and alluring. His group of friends begins to lose themselves in their new dangerous world, creating a sensual dark academia series that weaves in morose relationships, high stakes, and devastating goodbyes.
The Magicians
TV-14DramaFantasyMystery Release Date December 16, 2015 Cast Arjun Gupta , Stella Maeve , Hale Appleman , Summer Bishil , Jason Ralph , Olivia Taylor Dudley Seasons 57 'Maurice' (1987)
Director: James Ivory
Maurice is one of the first excellent film forays into the dark academia aesthetic. The movie combines the perfect elements of the genre: the romanticization of the posh Ivy League university setting, scandalous love secrets, and school backdrops so luscious that they seem straight out of a dream.
The movie provides a look into the surreal lives of the wealthy and the queer, with superb acting and an exquisite capture of its time period. It takes place in 1909 and follows a young man named Maurice Hall who enters Cambridge and slowly realizes he is gay – he also crucially befriends the wealthy Clive Durham. Maurice embarks upon a journey of secrets and tumultuous relationships to hide both his and his lovers' reputations.
6 'A Discovery of Witches' (2018 - 2022)
Producers: Bad Wolf and Sky Studios
A Discovery of Witches follows Diana Bishop, the last in a long line of distinguished witches. In a world where demons, witches, and vampires live discreetly among humans, Diana has immersed herself into a career as a historian. She loves alchemy most though, and while visiting Oxford, she makes a discovery that changes her life forever.
Based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches is a wonderfully underrated treasure in the dark academia aesthetic. It provides brooding relationships, lots of preppy fashion, and a dark atmosphere bathed in Gothic architecture – it also features one of the most powerful TV witches. Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode make sure that every mystery and secret that they unravel is drenched in chemistry.
A Discovery of Witches
Drama HorrorMysteryThriller Release Date January 17, 2019 Cast Matthew Goode , Teresa Palmer , Owen Teale , Alex Kingston , Valarie Pettiford Seasons 15 'Penny Dreadful' (2014 - 2016)
Creator: John Logan
Penny Dreadful does not take place in a university or school. Despite this, the beloved series fits the dark academia aesthetic incredibly well. From its incredible Victorian-era sets and costumes, its Gothic landscapes and atmosphere, and its ever-mysterious monsters and creatures, Penny Dreadful ticks every box.
It is more of a psychological thriller than most that take place in the genre as well. The series follows Ethan Chandler in 1891 London, as an American gun show and roadshow artist. He is hired by the adventurers, Vanessa and Malcolm to help rescue Malcolm's daughter from a creature. They also get support from a young doctor named Victor Frankenstein, who has his own trouble being hunted by a monster. The show is filled with dark mystery and suspense, where personal demons become stronger than vampires and immortal beasts.
Penny Dreadful
TV-MA Release Date April 28, 2014 Cast Eva Green , Josh Hartnett , Timothy Dalton , Harry Treadaway , Reeve Carney , Rory Kinnear , Billie Piper , Helen McCrory Main Genre Horror Seasons 34 'Black Swan' (2010)
Director: Darren Aronofsky
A movie where the protagonist's psyche deteriorates, director Darren Aronofsky's masterpiece is a captivating yet disturbing psychological thriller that delves into the dark world of ballet. Black Swan revolves around Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a talented ballerina whose pursuit of the lead role in "Swan Lake" leads her down some unsettling paths. Her obsession with the prima ballerina position is further fueled by a mysterious newcomer.
Exploring the real and imagined consequences of obsession with perfection as an artist, Black Swan applies dark academia aesthetics and concepts to the rigorous training ballerinas go through behind the scenes. As Nina's determination leads to her sense of self and reality's dramatic transformation, audiences are taken along for the frightening ride.
Black Swan
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Release Date December 3, 2010 Director Darren Aronofsky Cast Natalie Portman , Mila Kunis , Vincent Cassel , Barbara Hershey , Winona Ryder , Benjamin Millepied Runtime 110 Main Genre Thriller 3 'Dead Poets Society' (1989)
Director: Peter Weir
Director Peter Weir's Dead Poets Society is a classic in the genre, with the coming-of-age film known for its heartfelt story set within the conservative Welton Academy in the 1950s. When an unconventional English teacher, John Keating, played by Robin Williams, arrives, everything changes. He encourages a profound transformation in his students by teaching them to embrace the power of poetry and seize the opportunities that life presents – and allow for a bit of rebellion, of course.
With great emphasis on individualism and its link to the power of literature to change lives, Dead Poets Society celebrates what genuine learning can help achieve among even the most stubborn students. The timeless classic is a more lighthearted example of dark academia, which is still worth watching again today.
Dead Poets Society
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Release Date June 2, 1989 Director Peter Weir Cast Robin Williams , Robert Sean Leonard , Ethan Hawke , Josh Charles , Gale Hansen , Dylan Kussman Runtime 128 Main Genre Drama2 'Wednesday' (2022 - )
Creators: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar
In the newest foray into dark academia television, Tim Burton's Wednesday takes on the weird, the outcasts, and the gothic school of Nevermore Academy. Unlike previous Addams Family titles, this Netflix original focuses on their oldest daughter and the chaos she causes at school with her morbid humor, macabre interests, and deadpan face.
Wednesday's deadpan face is no accident either. Burton fell in love with a scene where Jenny Ortega didn't blink, so he asked her to do it for the rest of the show. Wednesday's cold, emotionless personality, and defiant nature fit right into the aesthetic, along with the gothic sets. Watching Wednesday Addams transform from a “freak” into finding her own people will warm anyone's cold heart, with many fans eagerly anticipating the return of one of the streaming platform's biggest hits.
Wednesday
TV-14ComedyCrimeFantasy Release Date November 23, 2022 Creator Alfred Gough, Miles Millar Cast Jenna Ortega , Hunter Doohan , Christina Ricci , Percy Hynes White Seasons 21 The 'Harry Potter' Film Series (2001 - 2011)
Directors: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates
The Harry Potter film series is one of the most well-known portrayals of dark academia. The wonderful world of magic introduced children all over the globe to this dark, prestigious aesthetic as Harry Potter makes his way through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The films provide stunning settings in a world of magic and libraries, ancient secrets that rely on books and smarts, and a look into a doomed boy's coming of age.
It's worth noting that while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 holds the highest ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, it provides the least amount of the dark academia aesthetic. The first three movies, as well as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, really lean into the style of studying with friends in an old castle while trying to figure out the secrets of their worlds.
Harry Potter
Created by J.K. Rowling First Film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Latest Film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma WatsonncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kr6a%2F02abmqqbYq6krcOepKKZXaK8t7XErGSappRiwaa4xK%2BgrKGfo3q0sdGinKxn