Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings.   For today’s blog post, I have decided to share another list of films to fit a vibe or feeling.   Today’s vibe is movies for dark and stormy nights.   Now, this can mean watching them on literally dark and stormy nights.   But, seeing as these films have the energy of a dark and stormy night about them, you can watch them anytime to get that spooky dark and stormy night energy.   So, without further ado, let’s look at some films for dark and stormy nights!

Frankenstein (1931) & Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

~Of course, I just had to begin with the first two Universal Monster films in the Frankenstein series.   After all, these films literally utilize lightning in bringing the Monster to life!   I have loved both of these films as long as I can remember, and I did just finish Frankenstein Week here on White Rose of Avalon, so these appearing on this list should not be surprising.   The beautiful and haunting black-and-white of these stunning films really adds to the tone of a spooky, dark, and stormy night.   Plus, they make an excellent double feature if you want to bask in the energy of this world for a little longer!

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

~The Tim Burton take on the Washington Irving story is a yearly Autumnal rewatch for me.   It truly is stunning and strange in the best ways possible.   The whole town of Sleepy Hollow in this version truly feels like existing in one long, dark, and stormy Autumn night!

Crimson Peak (2015)

~This Guillermo del Toro film is highly underrated in my opinion.   It truly is a modern take on Gothic tropes, in the best ways.   The film is visually stunning and gives all of the feelings of running through the halls of a dark castle on a stormy night.    And is that not the definition of a dark and stormy night energy?   If you love Gothic Romance and have not checked this one out yet, I definitely recommend giving it a watch!

Dracula (1931)

~Yes, another Gothic Romance film, for that truly is the energy of a dark and stormy night for me, in many ways!   If you have never checked out this film starring Bela Lugosi, know that Dracula is truly a timeless classic.   Like with the Frankenstein films I mentioned above, it is a Universal Monsters film, and the black-and-white of the film does truly add to the eerie atmosphere.   Truly, most Universal Monsters films fit the vibe of a dark and stormy night perfectly, but I chose to mention only a few of my favorites, lest the list be only those films!

Nosferatu (1922), (1979), or (2024)

~Of course, I could not do this list without mentioning Nosferatu.   After all, each of these films fits the dark and stormy night Gothic energy beautifully!   Are these films technically just other versions of Dracula?    Of course.   Does that make them less incredible to watch?   Never.   In fact, Robert Eggers’ version from 2024 quickly became my favorite adaptation of Dracula, and my favorite Vampire film of all time (and that is saying a lot, as I adore the Vampire subgenre)!   I listed all three here, as you cannot go wrong with any of them when you want the dark and stormy night vibes.   You can even do a triple feature to truly have a full night of this energy!

The Witch (2015)

~I would be remiss not to include Robert Eggers’ debut film in this list.   The Witch is incredibly atmospheric, and that is basically a prerequisite for dark and stormy night viewing!   The story is made all the more fitting to the vibe of this list by just how eerie the whole energy is.   If you love Witch films and have yet to check this one out, I could not recommend it highly enough.   Oh, and as a side note: to be honest, basically all of Robert Eggers’ films fit this vibe, but like with the Universal Monsters films, I did not want the list to just be his filmography.

Penny Dreadful (2014-2016)

~Okay, so this is a bit of a cheat, as it is a television series.   However, it is my list, so I make the rules, and this is perhaps the most suited to the vibe of the list out of all the recommendations here!   Penny Dreadful is a three-season-long Gothic series that has a total of 27 approximately hour-long episodes.   It is one of those shows that was perfectly plotted out, the three seasons tell a complete story arc, which is quite refreshing, as there is not a sense that a season was tacked on because of popularity, nor that it ended too soon.   The show combines the plots of several Gothic novels to create its own unique story set in the late Victorian period in London.   The novels it utilizes for the plot include, most notably, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.   Beyond that, there is so much lore built for the show to tie everything together in the horror fantasy world the series created.   I truly could not recommend this one enough, as it is pretty much a yearly Autumnal rewatch for me, and I think far too few people talk about how great it is!

~I hope you have enjoyed this list of recommendations.   What other films do you watch to feel the energy of a dark and stormy night?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a simple one I created for the theme.

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