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. But 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 boast beautiful gothic imagery, compelling and dramatic storylines, and an emphasis on studious characters, but at its heart, it represents a lovesong to classic literature and the powerful transformation one can achieve from learning. Netflix has a vast collection of movies and television series that will have viewers reaching for their sweaters, scarves, and book bags.
Updated on April 29th, 2021 by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen: With the recent release of Netflix original series like The Irregulars, Dark Academia has only been growing in popularity, and the streaming giant has 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 gritty Victorian mysteries, supernatural capers involving spellbooks, or secret societies full of sinister machinations, there’s even more to choose from on Netflix to satisfy any Dark Academic.
15 The Frankenstein Chronicles
Based on the engrossing gothic tale from Mary Shelley, The Frankenstein Chronicles tells a very different story than most fans would expect. It begins with John Marlott (Sean Bean), an accomplished investigator, discovering the body of a dead child, only to realize that the “child” is a crude amalgamation of body parts.
As Marlott embarks on the mystery of the creature, the case takes him from the squalid streets of London to the House of Lords, and what he discovers makes him a long list of enemies. The pursuit of knowledge, for both him and whoever is making monsters in London, will straddle the abyss between life and death, reason and madness.
14 The Theory Of Everything
In The Theory Of Everything, Stephen Hawking is brought to life by Eddie Redmayne in a colorful performance that showcases the trials and tribulations of one of the modern era’s greatest minds. His highest highs and lowest lows are quantified as precisely as his own theories, so that fans may get a more realistic view of Hawking’s meteoric rise in the pantheon of public intellectuals.
The movie follows Hawkings’ time as a student at Cambridge University in the ’60s, where he falls in love with fellow student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), through his diagnosis of motor neuron disease at 21, and into his most ambitious goal yet: to beat the odds against him and break ground in medicine, science, and physics.
13 The Magicians
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 use it to prevent impending dangers to the institution and humanity en masse. The series is based on the novels of Lev Grossman.
12 Enola Holmes
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 in formal training, and thus is dismissed despite its immense efficacy.
11 Peaky Blinders
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.
10 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
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.
9 The Queen’s Gambit
The exciting miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, which has become the toast of Netflix — and chess set makers — chronicles real-life chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) who, after being orphaned by her parents, overcomes a painful struggle with addiction to become the greatest chess player the world has ever seen.
One of the oldest and most intellectually rigorous competitive games in the world, the chessboard becomes a parallel for Harmon’s life as she navigates its complexities. Not everything is as black and white, however, as she soon discovers on her journey to self-actualization and victory.
8 Hugo
A train station in 1930s Paris becomes home to a peculiar orphaned boy named Hugo, who takes on the job of maintaining the station clocks while protecting the notebook left to him by his deceased father. A toy merchant’s goddaughter becomes his only friend, and together they make the train station their playground and home.
Over time Hugo becomes curious about an automaton his father bequeathed him, a mystery that always proved too large for a little boy to solve. Eventually, he decides to follow the clues in his father’s notebook, repair the automaton, and discover the secrets he was always meant to know.
7 Hannibal
Long before he would help FBI agent Clarice Starling hunt Buffalo Bill, nefarious serial killer Hannibal Lecter was a respected doctor and friend to profiler Will Graham. When Will begins to take on increasingly disturbing cases, he begins therapy with Dr. Lecter to process the darkness that threatens to envelop his mind.
As Will is brought closer to the heart of his investigations, he realizes that the one man closest to him may be orchestrating the means of his unraveling. Their relationship takes many turns throughout the series as Hannibal morphs into the dangerous icon fans have grown to love and fear.
6 A Series Of Unfortunate Events
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 series of novels by the clever Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler).
5 The Irregulars
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 the franchise 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.
4 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Based on the popular comic book series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a much darker story of a young woman’s coming of age, juggling schoolwork and love with mastering her gifts in magic.
While Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) tries her best to live a normal life as a half-human, half-witch, forces of darkness begin to threaten not just her, but her friends, lovers, and family (which, like the much lighter-hearted ’90s television series based around Sabrina Spellman, includes Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda).
3 The Da Vinci Code
The DaVinci Code, the first movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s insanely popular Robert Langdon novels, sees Langdon (Tom Hanks) race to the Louvre Museum to determine what Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings may have to do with the biggest religious mystery of the century.
Full of excitement, puzzles, and gorgeous cinematography, fans will feel like they’ve stowed away in Langdon’s suitcase as they watch. Fortunately, the next movie in the series (Angels & Demons) is also available on Netflix should they be compelled to continue the adventure.
2 The Umbrella Academy
When their father dies unexpectedly, a group of special orphans -all born on the same day in the same year- reunite after years apart to discern the mystery of his demise. In another life they were superheroes, but after so long spent harboring grudges they’ll have to learn how to be a family again as adults, even as their powers threaten to increase their divisions.
The Umbrella Academy may focus on themes of abandonment, loss, and personal accountability, but there’s plenty of hilarity amidst the morose thanks to the idiosyncrasies of the beloved main characters.
1 Ares
When the possibility of joining Ares, a secret society from the Dutch Golden Age appears, an ambitious and curious college student decides to accept the invitation and leave her difficult home life behind her.
She joins other “novices” in an elaborate initiation ceremony, but being part of Amsterdam’s elite proves disturbing when novices begin to go missing, and she starts unraveling a dark secret at the heart of the prestigious society. Full of intrigue, plot twists, and striking imagery, this Dutch series straddles horror and drama in a way that is elegant and provocative.
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