The Best Horror Movies Set In The Victorian Era

Summary

• Victorian horror movies capture the era’s spooky essence.
• The Limehouse Golem offers a tense and satisfying murder mystery.
• The Lighthouse delivers a unique and disturbing Victorian horror experience.

The Victorians were known to adore all things ghosts, vampires, and other creatures that go bump in the night. Seances were never more popular, and short tales of horror called penny dreadfuls were available to buy at most stores. As such, it makes sense that many horror movies would take advantage of this spooky era for their settings.

Introducing viewers to the world of gothic horror, and incorporating love, societal problems, and terrifying monsters as the cherry on top, these horror movies are some of the best vehicles for horror and are sure to be even more heart-stopping than more modern horror movies. Experts in subtlety over jumpscares, these are the kind of films that leave all those who watched them feeling haunted for days after.

9

The Limehouse Golem

A Chilling Whodunit Movie

Victorian London had plenty of horror, mystery, and even murders, all of which are present in the film The Limehouse Golem. Deriving the name from folklore, “Golem” is the nickname the locals bestow upon their mystery murderer who has taken a string of lives within the Limehouse docks. Police Inspector John Kildare is on the case to find evidence of the true murderer before widow Elizabeth Cree is falsely accused and hanged.

This race against time to find one heinous murderer is one of the most tense cinema experiences, and watching the mystery unfold is nothing short of satisfying. Relying more on the horrors of humanity, The Limehouse Golem is an understated and underrated mystery horror movie for any fans of period pieces.

8

The Lighthouse

A Mind-Bending Experience

For those looking for a more unique Victorian horror movie, The Lighthouse may just be the perfect viewing experience. Set on an isolated island housing a lighthouse, two lighthouse keepers start their sojourn in normalcy, although Ephraim finds himself tasked with the most taxing work, such as carrying heavy barrels up the stairs and keeping the machinery in working order, all the while he is locked out of the lantern room.

The movie, and the sanity of the leads, begin to unravel. Perhaps it was their long stay on the island, a lack of food, or perhaps they really fell victim to the superstition surrounding seagulls. Either way, the strange scenes become increasingly disorienting and disturbing, culminating in one of the most surreal horror movies of all time.

7

Sleepy Hollow

Beware The Headless Horseman

Based on the classic novel The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 1999’s Sleepy Hollow takes place in the fictional hamlet of the same name, where police constable Ichabod Crane finds himself chasing after a string of decapitations that have gripped the rest of the inhabitants with fear. The town elders believe it is the risen spirit of a Hessian soldier who took part in the American Revolutionary War, seeking his head.

It turns out they aren’t far from the truth, something that even skeptic Ichabod Crane must come to terms with during his stay in Sleepy Hollow. The headless rider is certainly a sight to behold, as he careens fearlessly on his dark steed, armed with the means to swipe off the head of his next victim. As one would expect from Tim Burton, the movie is a zany, rather over-the-top, but an extremely dark and enjoyable spectacle all the same, and Christopher Walken makes for a terrifying headless horseman.

6

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

The Closest Shave Anyone Can Get

Beginning his career on stage, Sweeney Todd was given a movie adaptation in the mid-2000s with legendary film director Tim Burton at the helm. Widower Benjamin Barker returns from exile to London after 15 years, taking on the false name Sweeney Todd and opening up a barbershop above Mrs. Lovett’s meat pie bakery, known for serving the worst pies in London. Armed with his old straight razors, Todd swears vengeance on the corrupt judge Turpin, who falsely accused him.

As a musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street veers more into black comedy territory, filled with plenty of somber yet catchy tunes and buckets of blood as Todd bleeds London dry. While it doesn’t deliver scares in the traditional sense through the mediums of bloodthirsty vampires and wrathful spirits, it instead shows the depraved depths humans can stoop to, especially when the truth is revealed at the end. In Sweeney Todd, no one gets their happy ending.

5

Crimson Peak

Monsters Lurk Beneath Beauty

New hopeful writer Edith Cushing meets baronet Thomas Sharpe, who has come to America seeking investors for his new digging machine, which he intends to use to save his family’s clay mines. Financially rejected by her father, Thomas instead becomes romantically involved with his daughter as a way of accessing her family’s fortune to invest in his properties. All the while, Edith is visited by crimson ghosts, with one delivering a chilling warning.

Married life for her is anything but romantic, as the Sharpe estate is in all states of disrepair, and her sister-in-law Lucille feeds her poison as a way to slowly kill her, leaving the fortune to fall to them. Eventually, she overcomes the threat of Lucille, who is the true monster of this movie, and not the ghosts, despite their frightening appearance. Haunting, gothic, and even romantic, Crimson Peak has all the elements of a great Victorian horror flick.

4

The Wolf Man (1941)

A Classic Masterpiece

The Universal Monster movies brought many legendary creatures to the screen that have gone down in history, including The Invisible Man, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Bride, and of course, The Wolf Man. Though there are a few remakes, nothing can quite compare to the original 1941 version. Though old black-and-white movies may be polarizing to viewers more accustomed to modern special effects, it is important to look back on the origins of movies to see how far they’ve come.

After saving a woman from a wolf attack, Larry Talbot is bitten during the confrontation and suffers the curse of lycanthropy. The movie culminates in the tragedy of Larry killing the woman he loves, in a tragic ending scene that will forever mark the memory of those who see it.

3

Interview With The Vampire

One Of The Most Iconic Vampire Movies Of All Time

Anne Rice found fame in her best-selling novel, which received an excellent movie adaptation with a star-studded cast, including the talents of actors such as Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, and the breakout role of Kirsten Dunst.

The two lead vampires, Lestat and his fledgling, Louis, live together in contention, eventually inducting the young Claudia into their coven as a peace offering from Lestat to Louis. The movie spans years, right up to modern times, or at least the 80s, when one interviewer has the misfortune of meeting Louis and hearing his life’s story. Melancholic, gothic, and a beautiful masterpiece overall, Interview with the Vampire is a must-see horror drama.

2

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

A Gothic Romance Adaptation Of The Famed Novel

Dracula is one of the most famous gothic horror novels of all time, penned by Irish author Bram Stoker back in the late 1800s, and inspired by the Scottish castle known as Slain’s Castle. Like the book, 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula tells the tale of the Transylvanian Count Dracula seeking to buy property in England. Estate agent Jonathan Harker meets with the Count to finalize the sale, becoming acquainted with the eccentric and reclusive man and his beautiful brides.

The movie remains mostly faithful to the book, only with even more gothic romance involved, such as the reincarnation of the Count’s love in the form of Mina Harker, which makes his immediate love for her more believable, and more romantic. Beautifully haunting and melancholic, this movie might be one of the best ways to experience Dracula in a digital format.

1

Nosferatu (2024)

Brings The Classic Movie To A Modern Audience

Nosferatu is one of the earliest horror movies ever made, released way back in 1922, so closely resembling the plot of Dracula that those involved in its making were sued by the Stoker estate, resulting in the movie almost being lost to time. Thankfully, the movie was spared, which allowed horror fans to see this early vampire film revolving around Count Orlok and his coveting of Ellen Hutter, which led to his downfall.

The 2024 version brought the film to a modern audience, including full audio, but stayed completely faithful to the original story. This results in one of the most achingly cold movies of all time, with stellar performances by all, but most notably Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgard. They truly brought their characters to life, and the story of love, desire, loss, and sensuality will be one for the ages.