Summary

• Dark Academia movies and shows on Netflix offer a combination of gothic imagery, dramatic storylines, and studious characters, satisfying fans of the genre.
• The streaming giants have raised the bar in creating and adding television series and movies that perfectly incorporate the dark academia aesthetic.
• From mysteries set in the 1800s to supernatural capers and secret societies, there's plenty of Dark Academia content on Netflix to cater to different preferences.

There are a lot of great Dark Academia shows and movies on Netflix for fans of the genre or those who are curious about it. Tweed jackets, elbow patches, and twisted journeys of self-discovery — these are the elements at the center of Dark Academia, an aesthetic that has established a presence in movies and television based on specific themes. It isn't just young people in prep school beige, peering out from behind rows of books; it's learning taken to its most impassioned, and often violent, extreme. Dark Academia as a genre can often boast beautiful gothic imagery, compelling and dramatic storylines, and an emphasis on studious characters.

The various streaming services have a vast collection of Dark Academia movies and shows that will have viewers reaching for their sweaters, scarves, and book bags. Dark Academia has only been growing in popularity, and the streaming giants have raised the bar when it comes to creating–and adding–television series and movies that perfectly incorporate the genre's moody settings and themes. Whether viewers like mysteries set in the 1800s, supernatural capers involving spell books, or secret societies full of sinister machinations, there's plenty to choose from to satisfy any Dark Academic.

30 Rebecca (2020)

• Stream on Netflix

One of the overlooked Dark Academia movies on Netflix is 2020's Rebecca, an updated adaptation of the novel by Daphne de Maurier which was famously adapted in 1940 by Alfred Hitchcock. This new version from director Ben Wheatley stars Lily James and Armie Hammer as a newlywed couple who arrive at the husband's estate where the new wife finds herself battling with the memory of his first wife. The movie doesn't hold up to the Hitchcock version, however, Lily James gives a strong performance that compliments the gripping combination of Dark Academia and film noir vibes.

29 Mary Shelley (2017)

• Stream now on AMC+

Mary Shelley was an esteemed author, a young woman who began writing Frankenstein at the age of 18. The movie Mary Shelley is a period drama with Elle Fanning playing the author in a Dark Academia movie that focuses on her romance with Percy Bysshe Shelley, which inspired her to write her groundbreaking horror novel. The movie allowed Fanning to shine in the role, one that led her to take on several other historical roles over her career. While the critical reviews were average, the movie delivered a dark look at the young woman with very dark literary ideas in her mind.

28 The Skulls (2000)

• Rent now on Apple TV & Amazon Prime Video

The Skulls is a 2000 movie that touched on the dark side of college academia. Director Rob Cohen and his The Fast & The Furious star Paul Walker teamed up here one year before they made their street racing movie to tell the story of a kid from the wrong side of the tracks (Joshua Jackson) who picked up a college scholarship as a champion rower. He then joins a secret society at the college known as The Skulls, which is based on the Skull and Bones secret society that allegedly existed at Yale and has members at all levels of the government. The movie was panned by critics but picked up a cult following and spawned two sequels.

27 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)

• Stream on Netflix

A Christmas musical that ignites the holiday spirit in a unique and stylish way, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey follows Jeronicus, an imaginative toymaker as he works towards assembling some of the most awe-inspiring creations of his career, only to be betrayed by his ambitious apprentice. Years later, when the once joyful Jeronicus has all but given up hope on completing his magnificent opus, his granddaughter appears in his workshop and inspires his ability to create. He rediscovers the spirit of the season and finds new meaning with his family just in time for Christmas.

26 The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

• Stream on Netflix

One of the most disturbing Dark Academia movies on Netflix is The Pale Blue Eye, based on the novel by Louis Bayard. Set in 1830, the movie sees a detective named Landon (Christian Bale) investigate the murder of a cadet at the West Point Academy. There, he meets an outcast named Edgar Allen Poe (Harry Melling) who helps with the investigation. Poe's work has an influence on many Dark Academia works, so it is interesting to see him as a character in one, especially with Melling's committed performance, and the gothic feel of the thriller keeps the tension high until the intriguing reveal of The Pale Blue Eye's true killer.

25 The Goldfinch (2019)

• Stream now on Prime Video

Based on the novel by Donna Tartt, Ansel Elgort stars in The Goldfinch, a movie about a young man whose mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City when he was 13. After her death, he set out to survive on his own after taking a famous painting from the museum after the bombing called The Goldfinch. Not all Dark Academia movies take place in university settings, and the idea of the illustrious world of art plays a big role in this movie, which plays in the same sandbox as the best of the genre.

24 The Magicians (2015-2020)

• Stream now on Netflix

For fans of blending magic with their scholastic endeavors, The Magicians will take them on an enchanted, angst-ridden adventure accompanying Quentin Coldwater, a student of Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, as he acquaints himself with the realm of magic. Along with his group of grad school chums, Quentin endeavors to not only learn about wielding magic himself as a magician but also use it to prevent impending dangers to the institution and humanity en masse. The series is based on the novels of Lev Grossman.

23 Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

• Stream now on Netflix

The Dark Academia Netflix movie franchise continues in Enola Holmes 2. The sequel finds Enola attempting to get her own detective business off the ground when she begins looking into the disappearance of a young factory worker. Brown continues to be charming and heroic in this role, ensuring that she will have a great new franchise once Stranger Things ends. The new movie also has the added benefit of including more of Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes, with great chemistry shared between him and Brown. The movie continues to draw influence from Arthur Conan Doyle's work while being its own thing as well.

22 Tolkien (2019)

• Stream on Fubo

While he is best known for his fantastical worlds of elves and hobbits, J.R.R. Tolkien worked as an English professor and published several academic works as well. In the 2019 biopic Tolkien, Nicholas Hoult stars as the esteemed author in this movie that tells the story of his early life as a professor and author, and the moments that led to his creation of his magical world. Much of the movie takes place during his time as a teenager where he fell in love with his future wife, and then his time at Oxford, where he developed his love for language.

21 School Ties (1992)

• Stream on Prime Video

Released in 1992, School Ties is another movie that shows the dark side of elite schools and the separation between the haves and have-nots. The movie takes place in 1955 and follows a working-class teenager who received a football scholarship to an exclusive Massachusetts prep school. However, he finds it hard to fit in and hides his Jewish heritage from his new friends, knowing their negative stereotypical views. The cast had some of the top young stars of the era, with Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Ben Affleck, and Cole Hauser in the cast as students.

20 A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)

• Stream now on Netflix

Based on the popular series of books, A Series Of Unfortunate Events focuses on the tragic story of three orphaned children — Klaus, Violet, and Sunny Baudelaire — as they attempt to discern the truth about their parents' sudden demise. Their only remaining guardian, the mercurial Count Olaf, inspires anything but familial comfort. As Olaf plots to get his hands on the siblings' fortune, they are obliged to outsmart him, though his disguises and elaborate plans make it increasingly difficult. The show is based on the novels by the clever Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler).

19 The Haunting Of Bly Manor (2020)

• Stream now on Netflix

From television horror hit-maker Mike Flanagan, The Haunting of Bly Manor is hailed as one of the scariest Dark Academia shows on Netflix. The series is the follow-up to Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House and features much of the same cast from that show. Taking inspiration from the works of writer Henry James, the show follows a young governess who is hired by a man to care for his orphaned niece and nephew at the Bly estate. Once there, the young woman finds strange occurrences that hint at dark secrets. Like Flanagan's other shows, The Haunting of Bly Manor will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

18 Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

• Stream on Netflix

Based on the real-life Shelby family, who built an empire of gambling and bootlegging from the ashes of the war and a ruined England, Peaky Blinders displays the raw talent and resourcefulness that can result from education found in the gritty streets of Birmingham. The popular series follows the main protagonist Tommy Shelby on his rise through his family's hierarchy and the criminal hierarchy of Birmingham. Eventually, his influence and power reach further than he ever dreamed; to the English aristocracy, where his street smarts are pitted against the nobles' book learning to astonishing results.

17 The Irregulars (2021)

• Stream now on Netflix

When even the famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes can't solve the case, a group of misfits who live on the streets of gritty Victorian London are called upon to lend their talents to its shadowy machinations by his esteemed associate Dr. John Watson. This is Holmes' as fans have never seen before, and the eccentric characters are as unique as the series of supernatural capers they help solve. Viewers will enjoy helping "The Irregulars" solve their puzzles as much as the intriguing setting, which vacillates between the criminal underworld and the royal palace.

16 A Discovery Of Witches (2018-2022)

• Stream on Prime Video

Based on the novels by Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches is a Prime Video Dark Academia show about a witch and a vampire who protect powerful texts at the Oxford Bodleian Library. In the world of the series, vampires and witches are long-time enemies, but here they realize they have to work together to keep a specific book out of the hands of people who wish to unleash a great evil on the world. The cast includes Matthew Goode as vampire Matthew Clairmont and Teresa Palmer as witch historian Diana Bishop. There were three seasons of the series and a total of 25 episodes.

15 Jane Eyre (2011)

• Stream on Starz

There have been several adaptations of the Charlotte Bronte book Jane Eyre, but one of the best arrived in 2011 from director Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective). This Dark Academia movie stars Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre, an orphan with a dire childhood who found a home with St. John Rivers. Once she turned 18, she went to Thornfield Hall where she became a governess. However, she soon falls in love with Mr. Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall (Michael Fassbender). The movie won several awards and even picked up one Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.

14 Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities (2022– )

• Stream now on Netflix

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro has played with the Dark Academia genre before in Crimson Peak and other projects, but he has a lot of fun embracing it in this twisted Netflix series. Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is an anthology horror series that features eight separate stories that are told with that gothic feel placed within modern settings. Other filmmakers such as Vincenzo Natali, Ana Lily Amirpour, and Jennifer Kent helm some of the other stories. The anthology ensemble also includes actors such as Andrew Lincoln and Dan Stevens. While perhaps not as impactful as some of Guillermo del Toro's best movies, it is a strong anthology series for fans of the filmmaker.

13 An Education (2009)

• Stream on Hulu

Released in 2009, An Education was a coming-of-age drama based on the memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber. In the movie, Carey Mulligan stars as Jenny, a schoolgirl who meets a charming con man who seduces her (played by Peter Sarsgaard). A period picture, the story takes place in 1961 in London and Jenny has dreams of attending Oxford when she meets David. She then allows him to manipulate her and her parents, and soon learns that things are not always as good as they seem as she almost ruins her entire chance for an education and future. The movie picked up three Oscar nominations, including one for Mulligan.

12 Enola Holmes (2020)

• Stream now on Netflix

The free-spirited and dynamic younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, the famous consulting detective, finally embarks on her own exciting adventure in Enola Holmes, starring Millie Bobby Brown as the titular Holmes sibling. Well-versed in martial arts, physics, astrology, history, and methods of deduction, she puts all of her incredible skills to work discerning the whereabouts of her missing mother, with no help from her famous older brother. Though her educational background is formidable, it isn't based on formal training and thus is dismissed despite its immense efficacy.

11 Sherlock (2010-2017)

• Buy on Apple TV & Prime Video

Before he was Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Benedict Cumberbatch took on the role of Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest fictional detective. In this series, created by the BBC, Holmes and his partner John Watson (another MCU veteran in Martin Freeman) had four seasons and some of Holmes' most popular cases as the intellectual detective solved the toughest of crimes. The episodes were all feature-length, with three in each season, and one special that arrived in 2016. Of the Dark Academia shows on streaming services, Sherlock remains one of the smartest.