History Main / GothicHorror

The name "Gothic" comes from a kind of architecture from TheMiddleAges (christened as such by those who considered it barbaric in comparison to classical architecture, the name coming from the barbarian tribe of the Goths). There were a lot of Gothic ruins lying around Britain, and people in the 18th and 19th centuries developed an interest in them because (a) ruins are always kind of mysterious and melancholy and creepy and (b) they evoked the time period they were built in, which was thought of as a [[TheDungAges barbaric]] time where people believed in (and did) all kinds of weird stuff. For this reason, most early Gothic horror novels were set in that era. They were usually also set in Catholic countries, because the Brits who wrote them [[CreepyCatholicism considered Catholicism sinister]] ([[EvilIsCool yet also kinda cool]]).

* ''VideoGame/Diablo'' has a very Gothic atmosphere, set in a remote town whose CreepyCathedral has become a literal {{Hellgate}}, through which a lone hero must enter the underground dungeons to defeat the outpouring demons and undead. ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' and ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' continue the trend, although also expanding it to other environments as well.

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'' is a Gothic romance which centers around the twisted love story between two vampires.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' has a very Gothic atmosphere, set in a remote town whose CreepyCathedral has become a literal {{Hellgate}}, through which a lone hero must enter the underground dungeons to defeat the outpouring demons and undead. ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' and ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' continue the trend, although also expanding it to other environments as well.

* Horace Walpole (1717-1797). His novel ''Literature/TheCastleOfOtranto'' (1764) makes him the TropeMaker. Also gave us HauntedCastle.

* Eliza Parsons (1739-1811). Better known for her novel ''The Castle Of Wolfenbach'' (1793).
* William Godwin (1756-1836). His novel ''St. Leon'' (1799) introduced the [[AncientTradition Rosicrucians]] and the idea of forbidden knowledge granting eternal life to the Gothic genre. He was also the father of Mary Shelley, and his ''St. Leon'' was a major inspiration for her ''Frankenstein''.
* William Beckford (1760-1844). Author of ''Literature/{{Vathek}}'' (1786) and started the subgenre of Orientalist Gothic, set in [[ArabianNightsDays a mythical Orient]] inspired by ''Literature/TheArabianNights''.
* Creator/AnnRadcliffe (1764-1823). Author of, among others, ''Literature/TheMysteriesOfUdolpho'' (1794) and ''Literature/TheItalian'' (1797). Notably replaced real supernatural events with the ScoobyDooHoax.
* Regina Maria Roche (1764-1845). Her novel ''The Children Of The Abbey'' (1796) was a best-seller of its time. But she is best remembered for the moodier ''Clermont'' (1798).
* Carl Friedrich Kahlert (1765-1813), ''alias'' Ludwig Flammenberg. He is better known for the novel ''The Necromancer'' (1794), also known as ''The Tale of the Black Forest''. The work was written in German and translated into English. The translator Peter Teuthold considerably revised the text and even added a chapter of his own. The Teuthold version is still the best known form of the work.
* Carl Grosse (1768-1847) ''alias'' Marquis de Grosse. Better known for ''Horrid Mysteries'' (1796), the English translation of his novel ''Der Genius'' (''The Guiding Spirit'', 1791-1795).
* Eleanor Sleath (1770-1847). Married name of Eleanor Carter. Better known for her novel ''The Orphan of the Rhine''(1798).
* Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810): The first important American Gothic writer, best known for ''Wieland'' (1798).
* Francis Lathom (1774-1832). His better known work in the genre was ''The Midnight Bell'' (1798). He is also known for ''The Mysterious Freebooter'' (1806), an early work of HistoricalFictionLiterature.
* Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775-1818). His novel ''Literature/TheMonk'' (1796) gave us the SinisterMinister, who, among other sins, enters into a DealWithTheDevil, as well as introducing the WanderingJew archetype to the genre.

* Creator/ETAHoffmann (1776-1822). The most important German author of Gothic fiction. His novel ''The Devil's Elixirs'' (1815) is a classic of the genre. His best known work, however, is the short story "Literature/TheNutcrackerAndTheMouseKing" (1816).
* Charles Robert Maturin (1782-1824). Author of ''Literature/MelmothTheWanderer'' (1820), a notable use of the NestedStory style to tell a complex tale.
* Creator/WashingtonIrving (1783-1859): Author of numerous classic tales of terror. Some, like "Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow" (1820), have rational explanations a la Radcliffe. Others, like ''The Devil And Tom Walker'' (1824), are purely supernatural.
* Eaton Stannard Barrett (1786-1820). Wrote ''The Heroine'' (1813), a notable parody of the genre. Particularly of the ChangelingFantasy plots which had been used by several gothic novels. In these novels, characters of seemingly modest backgrounds often found themselves secret progeny of noble and/or affluent families. Barrett's "heroine", Cherry Wilkinson, is a farmer's daughter and an avid reader of gothic novels. She convinces herself that she is heiress Cherubina de Willoughby and embarks on a series of [[Literature/DonQuixote quixotic]] misadventures.
* Creator/LordByron (1788-1824). His ByronicHero was a major contribution to Gothic fiction. The type was introduced in the narrative poem ''Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'' (1812-1818). His poem ''The Giaour'' (1813) is one of the earliest depictions of vampires in fiction. The satiric poem ''Literature/DonJuan'' (1818-1824) is not part of the genre, however.
* Creator/JohnWilliamPolidori (1795-1821). He wrote the first vampire novel, ''Literature/TheVampyre'' (1819). TropeMaker of VampiresAreRich and GenrePopularizer of VampireFiction.
* Creator/MaryShelley (1797-1851). Her novel ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' (1818) gave us FrankensteinsMonster. She is also considered the first ScienceFiction writer.
* Creator/NikolaiGogol (1809-1852). Russian horror writer of ''Literature/{{Viy}}'', ''The Nose'', and ''Nevsky Prospekt''.

* Creator/EdwardBulwerLytton (1803-1873) of ItWasADarkAndStormyNight fame. He had an actual interest in the occult and the paranormal. He incorporated elements of his study in various tales, most notably ''Zanoni'' (1842). His most enduring work is probably ''The Coming Race'' (1871), combining elements of occultism, gothic horror, and science fiction.
* Creator/MarieCorelli (1855-1924) had this in some of her novels, notably ''Wormwood'' and ''Vendetta''.
* Creator/NathanielHawthorne (1804-1864): Intertwined Gothic Horror with the history of New England in such stories and novels as ''Young Goodman Brown'' (1835), ''The House Of The Seven Gables'' (1851), etc.
* Creator/EdgarAllanPoe (1809-1849). One of the most important writers of Gothic fiction; wrote the first GreatDetective [[MysteryFiction Mystery]]. He revisited classic gothic themes in the short stories "Literature/TheFallOfTheHouseOfUsher" (1839), and "Literature/ThePitAndThePendulum" (1842), among many other classics of the genre. His best known Gothic poem is probably ''Literature/TheRaven'' (1845).
* Creator/CharlesDickens (1812-1870). He gave us VictorianLondon or at least the Hollywood version of it. He tended to use old Gothic tropes in new ways. Such as secret heirs to prominent families ("Literature/OliverTwist", 1837-1839), and wicked uncles plotting or performing murder (Literature/TheMysteryOfEdwinDrood, 1870). All in an urban environment and graphically depicting the life of the low classes.
* Creator/JosephSheridanLeFanu (1814-1873). Better known as the author of ''Literature/{{Carmilla}}'' (1872). Gave us the OccultDetective and {{Lesbian Vampire}}s.
* Creator/PaulFeval (1816-1887) penned ''Literature/TheVampireCountess'' (1856), ''Literature/{{Knightshade}}'' (1860), and ''Literature/VampireCity'' (1875), all of which are classic examples of OurVampiresAreDifferent.
* George W.M. Reynolds (1814-1879). He wrote the serial novels ''The Mysteries Of London'' (c. 1844-1848), and ''The Mysteries Of The Court Of London'' (1848-1856). He was a pioneer of the "[[UrbanFantasy urban mysteries]]" style of gothic horror. Tales changing the story setting from the haunted castles of the past to the great metropolis of the Industrial Revolution. He luridly depicted the poverty, crime, and violence of London life. Reynolds also wrote three other gothic novels: ''Faust: a Romance of the Secret Tribunals'' (1847), ''Wagner the Wehr-Wolf'' (1846-7), and ''The Necromancer'' (1851-2).

* Creator/CharlotteBronte (1816-1855). Gave us the MadwomanInTheAttic in ''Literature/JaneEyre'' (1847).
* Creator/EmilyBronte (1818-1848). Author of ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' (1847).
* Creator/WilkieCollins (1824-1889). Author of ''Literature/TheWomanInWhite'' (1859-1860).
* Mary E Braddon (1835-1915). Writer of sensation novels, which took on Gothic tropes like secret marriages and madwomen but generally left out supernatural elements. Author of ''Literature/LadyAudleysSecret'' (1862), one of the first mystery novels, and a possible forerunner to the FilmNoir genre.
* Creator/LouisaMayAlcott (1832-1888). While best known for ''Literature/LittleWomen'' (1868-1869), [[HeAlsoDid She Also Did]] reasonably successful "sensational" Gothic romances such as ''A Modern Mephistopheles'' (1877) under the pen name of A. M. Barnard, and one called ''A Long Fatal Love Chase'' that everyone in her own lifetime found too scandalous to publish. The latter was written in 1866 and first published in 1995.
* George Du Maurier (1834-1896). Author of the novel ''Literature/{{Trilby}}'' (1894), which was the TropeNamer and possibly the TropeMaker for TheSvengali. Also the grandfather of Daphne du Maurier, author of ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}''.
* Creator/{{Ouida}} (1839-1908) had Gothic elements in many of her stories. She even had some tales with [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies zombies]].
* Creator/AmbroseBierce (1842-1913?). Another precursor to the CosmicHorrorStory. His short story ''Literature/AnOccurrenceAtOwlCreekBridge'' (1890) is a classic case of DyingDream. The lesser known ''An Inhabitant Of Carcosa'' (1886) is an influential use of the EldritchLocation. The mysterious disappearance of this author has also inspired younger storytellers.
* Creator/HenryJames (1843-1916). Author of ''Literature/TheTurnOfTheScrew'' (1898).
* Creator/BramStoker (1847-1912). Gave us ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' (1897) and {{Uberwald}}.
* Isidore Ducasse (1847-1870), aka Le Comte de Lautréamont, although it was only a pseudonym. Author of the self-consciously outrageous ''Literature/LesChantsDeMaldoror'' (1868), later a canonical text for [[{{Surrealism}} the Surrealist movement]] in France and Belgium.
* Creator/RobertLouisStevenson (1850-1894) dabbled in this trope. Gave us the JekyllAndHyde trope through ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' (1886). Most of his other work, however, is swashbuckling adventure fiction, and his ''other'' most famous book, ''Literature/TreasureIsland'', is probably the definitive work of {{pirate}} fiction.
* Creator/MaryEleanorWilkinsFreeman (1852-1930): Author of regional Gothic tales like "A Symphony in Lavender" (1883), "The Twelfth Guest" (1893), "Literature/LuellaMiller" (1902), and "The Shadows on the Wall" (1903, adapted as an episode of Series/NightGallery).
* Creator/OscarWilde (1854-1900). Author of ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray'' (1890).
* Creator/ArthurConanDoyle (1859-1930). Creator of Literature/SherlockHolmes. His novel ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'' (1901-1902) uses classic gothic horror elements, but of course more in the Ann Radcliffe, ScoobyDooHoax style. (On the other hand, he also wrote "Lot No. 249", an early {{Mummy}} tale, in an era when fascination with AncientEgypt was gaining ground.)
* Creator/ArthurMachen (1863-1947). Author of ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan'' (1894).
* Creator/RobertWChambers (1865-1933). Paved the way for the emergence of the CosmicHorrorStory with ''Literature/TheKingInYellow'' (1895).

* Creator/MontagueRhodesJames (1862-1936). Credited with updating the ghost story for the 20th century. His works often used SealedEvilInACan. His short stories were collected in volumes such as ''Ghost Stories Of An Antiquary'' (1904), and its sequel ''More Ghost Stories'' (1911).
* Gaston Leroux (1868-1927): author of ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' (1909).
* Creator/EdithWharton (1862-1937): Disciple of Creator/HenryJames. Wrote classic ghost stories, collected in volumes like ''Tales Of Men And Ghosts'' (1910).
* Creator/AlgernonBlackwood (1869-1951). Influential writer of ghost stories. His better known works are ''The Willows'' (1907) and ''The Wendigo''(1910). Both are influential works in the CosmicHorrorStory genre.
* Creator/WilliamHopeHodgson (1877-1918). Author of ''Literature/TheHouseOnTheBorderland'' (1908), ''Literature/TheNightLand'' (1912), and ''Literature/CarnackiTheGhostFinder'' (1913).
* Hugh Walpole (1884-1941). Author in several genres. His better known gothic horror tale is ''Portrait of a Man With Red Hair'' (1925) …and yes, he ''is'' the descendant of Horace Walpole, the TropeMaker and author of ''Literature/TheCastleOfOtranto'' as earlier mentioned.
* Marjorie Bowen (1885-1952). Prolific author of gothic novels, horror tales, and historical novels. Several of her stories were collected posthumously in the collection ''Kecksies And Other Twilight Tales'' (1976). [[http://web.archive.org/web/20131203014156/http://www.violetbooks.com/bowen.html Her own life story]] was pretty horrific as well.
* Creator/DennisWheatley (1890 - 1977), author of ''Literature/TheDevilRidesOut''.
* Guy Endore (1900-1970): Author of the classic werewolf novel, ''The Werewolf Of Paris'' (1933).
* William Sloane (1906-1974): Author of two classic horror novels, ''To Walk The Night'' (1937) and ''The Edge Of Running Water'' (1939, filmed as ''The Devil Commands'' in 1941 with Creator/BorisKarloff).
* Daphne du Maurier (1908-1989). Granddaughter of the above-mentioned George du Maurier; wrote ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}'' (1938), ''Literature/JamaicaInn'' (1936) and the original short story on which ''Film/TheBirds'' was based.
* Two novels by Sarah Waters — ''Affinity'' and ''Literature/TheLittleStranger'' — are homages to the genre; the latter, in particular, is heavily reminiscent of ''Literature/TheTurnOfTheScrew''.

[[folder:Authors influenced by Gothic Fiction]]

* Creator/AnneRice (1941– 2021)

* Creator/StephenKing (1947-)

* Creator/KimNewman (1959-)

* Creator/ClaudiaGray[[labelnote:*]]At least in her early works.[[/labelnote]] (1970–)

!!Non-literary works of (and inspired by) Gothic horror

* ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' is an FPS set in Lovecraftian dungeons and castles.

* Edith Wharton (1862-1937): Disciple of Creator/HenryJames. Wrote classic ghost stories, collected in volumes like ''Tales Of Men And Ghosts'' (1910).

* ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse'', a reimagining of Shirley Jackson's [[Literature/TheHauntingOfHillHouse novel]], about a family who moved to a haunted Gothic-style mansion and subsequently had their lives torn apart by the horrifying events that transpired there. The series places as much emphasis on family drama as it does ghosts.

* The song "Pale Spectre" performed by Blouse. is a cover of a song by The Wake, the latter being more upbeat while having a gothic theme. Blouse made it all-gothic.

* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' has GothicHorror themes, with heavy emphasis on symbolism, despair and {{Tragic Villain}}s. In contrast [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the original manga]] (and its TruerToTheText adaptation ''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood'') is more of a GaslampFantasy {{Thriller}}.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' certainly had the archetypal atmosphere in the Black Swordsman Arc, the Retribution Arc, and in ''The Prototype''. Traces of the genre are found throughout the series though, since it tends to overlap with DarkFantasy.
* ''Literature/{{Shiki}}'' is a pretty blatant contemporary homage to the genre, taking place in a secluded location with vampires and having some serious moral dilemmas and in general questioning the morality of man. In addition it is also a clear homage to Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/SalemsLot''.

* ''Anime/DeathParade'' has a gloomy and dark aesthetic, haunting sound design, and plenty of visual and thematic symbolism with elements of [[PsychologicalHorror psychological]] and [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]] as well. It features a CelestialBureaucracy who judge unsuspecting humans, and maintains an overall air of mystery and suspense throughout its short runtime, and it plays on the fear of the unknown with plenty of [[CrypticConversation intentionally vague dialogue]] and constant secrecy. Given the setting, the show has plenty of [[DeathTropes Death]] and AfterlifeTropes that are fairly customary for the genre as well, and the overall themes [[RomanticismVersusEnlightenment slowly slide down the scale from enlightenment to romanticism]].

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' is heavily inspired by the genre in both aesthetic and theme, and can be seen as a LighterAndSofter, "family-friendly" take on it. Not only does much of the story take place in a dark, gloomy castle, but its story features heavy elements of transgression (in the Beast's refusal to give SacredHospitality for petty reasons), doubling (in his similarities to and differences from Gaston) and liminality (him being a mixture of animal and man).

* ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}'' (1922) is often listed as the UrExample of the Gothic horror film genre, being a (loose) adaptation of Bram Stoker's ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. In some ways, ''Nosferatu'' is ''more'' gothic than ''Dracula'', since it drops the book's themes of Victorian modernity (steam-powered travel, blood transfusion) in favour of an earlier 19th Century, almost fairytale atmosphere.
* The ''Franchise/UniversalHorror'' movies of the early 20th century did not ''all'' belong to the Gothic subgenre, but their most prominent early specimen, namely the 1931 ''Film/{{Dracula|1931}}'' and ''Film/{{Frankenstein|1931}}'' laid the foundations of the then- and now-contemporary Gothic film expression. The ur-trifecta of 1931 Gothic horror films is rounded off by ''[[Film/DrJekyllAndMrHyde1931 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'', which was produced by Paramount and therefore isn't part of the Universal Monsters franchise.

* The Film/HammerHorror canon is a series of Gothic horror movies made by the British company Hammer Film Productions between the 1950s and the early '70s. They were influential enough for "Hammer horror" to become a distinct subgenre label that was also applied to entirely unrelated, but similar productions.

* ''Film/BlackSunday''[='=]s style, cinematography and story all hearken back to older Gothic horror films of the 1930s.

* ''Film/TheManWithTwoBrains'' is a modern day take on and an AffectionateParody of Gothic Horror.
* Creator/GuillermoDelToro's films ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' and ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' are both gothic ghost tales, set in a remote orphanage in 1930s Spain and a decaying mansion in Edwardian England, respectively. His other films consistently draw influence from classic gothic fiction as well even if they occupy various other genres themselves.
* Of all the possible films, ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' goes in this route in the climax. [[spoiler:The third act is set in a opulent Edwardian English estate on a dark and stormy night, with the characters being stalked by a bloodthirsty creature which is a product of freakish genetic mad science and slinks around on all fours in the shadows like a nightmarish werewolf or vampire.]]
* ''Film/TheInnocents'' - an adaptation of ''Literature/TheTurnOfTheScrew'' - is set entirely in an elegant country mansion (aside from a brief interview scene at the start). Although it is a ghost story, there is enough ambiguity to suggest that Miss Giddens could be driven mad by the vastness of the house. She often only sees the ghost at a distance, reaffirming that anything could be hidden in such a large house.
* ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'' uses a Hollywood mansion to this effect - which houses two {{White Dwarf Starlet}}s. One is confined to a wheelchair and the other is a recluse, and the horror comes from how the latter can torture her sister emotionally. The film was going to be shot in colour, but the lead actress Creator/BetteDavis pushed for it to be done in black and white to help with the Gothic image.
* ''Baby Jane'''s SpiritualSuccessor ''Film/HushHushSweetCharlotte'' utilises a SouthernGothic touch for a decaying plantation house. Charlotte becomes convinced that the house is haunted by her murdered lover Drew.
* ''{{Film/Gaslight}}'' is more of a thriller than a horror, but it involves a woman being driven mad while in a spacious London manor.
* ''Film/TheReflectingSkin'' puts a midwestern spin on gothic fiction by setting a tale of serial killers, lust, and madness amongst amber waves of grain and rotting barns.
* 2020's ''Film/LetHimGo'' plays on this, by having a plot set in the mid-1960's where a couple journeys into the hills and valleys of North Dakota to confront a family living in an off-grid, dilapidated residence, with a mother and her child (the couple's grandson) being held against their will after her new husband moved them there. The climax of the film takes place during the middle of the night in the mansion, as one of the characters to rescue the mother and her child.
* ''Film/TheBrood'' is Creator/DavidCronenberg's take on Gothic Horror, updated to a late '70s institutional setting, with a dangerous psychiatric method unearthing deadly secrets and emotional trauma being physically expressed as BodyHorror, and a remote patients' retreat location standing in for the requisite haunted castle. A good example of the Southern Ontario Gothic subcategory described above.

* ''Film/PhantasmIVOblivion'' has many scenes with gothic imagery like a cemetery, a mortuary, a dry and crooked desert tree, lots of abandoned places and buildings. There is also the main character who likes to chill in dark places with a lit candelabra by his side and there is a Dr Jekyll-like scientist with a bunch of secrets.
* Giorgino (1994). The movie features a town with a dark secret, a gloomy mansion, a haunted forest, an old creepy asylum and lots of other things in a similar vein.
* ''Film/TheOthers'': A movie about a haunted castle with many gothic themes.
* ''Film/KillBabyKill'': The whole story revolves around a vengeful ghost of a little girl, who torments the small, desolate village of Karmingam. Additionally, we have a haunted manor, an evil aristocrat, a village witch, and a whole bunch of corpses.

* ''Series/DarkShadows'', the {{Trope Maker}} for the {{Supernatural Soap Opera}}, is famous for using every Gothic trope in the book. It had everything from witches, vampires, a werewolf, a FrankensteinsMonster, ghosts, {{Captain Ersatz}}es of Dorian Gray and Jekyll and Hyde, and even an EldritchAbomination.

* ''Series/TheFallOfTheHouseOfUsher2023'' is a modernized amalgamation of several Creator/EdgarAllanPoe stories and tells of a corrupt and wealthy family who is targeted by a supernatural killer.

* The song "Pale Spectre" performed by Blouse. It is a cover of a song by The Wake, the latter being more upbeat while having a gothic theme. Blouse made it all-gothic.
* The song "Go Away" by Music/StrawberrySwitchblade. A short story in the form of a song with a couple of gothic twists and brooding sound.

* While Gothic themes had been baked into ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' from the very beginning[[note]]with both ''Series/DarkShadows'' and ''Film/TheBlackRoom'' being among Dave Arneson's key inspirations for his ''TabletopGame/{{Blackmoor}}'' campaign[[/note]], ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' (1983) was the first outright Gothic horror adventure module. It saw the PlayerParty trapped in a haunted castle smack in the middle of {{Uberwald}}, which is lorded over by an ancient TragicVillain vampire named Count Strahd von Zarovitch. The module was so popular, it was eventually expanded into an entire setting, consisting of mostly independent dark realms surrounding equally larger-than-life romanticized villains. The original module has since been rebooted as ''TabletopGame/CurseOfStrahd''.
* ''TabletopGame/MyLifeWithMaster'' puts the players in the shoes of [[TheIgor the eponymous Master's minions]] as they struggle to preserve the slivers of rationality and humanity -- or jump head-first off the slippery slope. The nature and character of the "Master" are entirely up to the players, but s/he naturally gravitates towards an unholy fusion of [[AManOfWealthAndTaste Dracula]] and [[MadScientist Dr. Frankenstein]].

* ''TabletopGame/ATouchOfEvil'' is an {{Adventure Board Game|s}} set in a secluded village of Shadowbrook in the early 19th century, where player-controlled heroes battle classic Gothic villains like vampires, ghosts, and reanimated monsters.

* Pacesetter's game ''Chill''.

* ''[[TabletopGame/OrbisAerdenReignOfTheAccursed Orbis Aerden: Reign of the Accursed]]'': Set in the fictional world of Aerden. The players take the role of Godspawn: monstrous descendants of a fallen god who operate a secret society very similar to ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade''. The setting has many gothic tones and despite being at about the 19th century, steam power and electricity are still unknown and most people live in the large gothic cities and wilderness around them is still largely unexplored.
* The ''TabletopGame/BigEyesSmallMouth'' supplement ''Cold Hands, Dark Hearts'' adds the Gothic setting to the game... except it's all {{Animesque}}, resulting in a mix of Japanese bakemono and oni with Western vampires and sorcerors.

* ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}'' an FPS set in Lovecraftian dungeons and castles.
* ''VideoGame/HauntingGround'' is essentially a Gothic horror game -- a young, delicate heroine ventures/flees through an incredibly elaborate castle inhabited only by Frankensteinian servants and sexually abusive vampires whose motivations are vague but clearly malicious. Keeping her fear to manageable levels is actually a game mechanic.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' starts off as a {{Reconstruction}} of Gothic horror, with the player character being thrown into the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood-obsessed]] Victorian city of Yharnam to fight [[NotUsingTheZedWord Beasts]], which are Yharnamites claimed by a [[ThePlague plague outbreak]] of lycanthropy that turns them into [[AnimalisticAbomination what werewolves would look like if they got a healthy dose of Chernobyl radiation]]. All of this is pretty effective at making those [[DeadHorseTrope moldy old Victorian horror tropes]] suddenly scary again. Midway through the game, though, you [[CosmicHorrorReveal dive head-first]] into outright LovecraftLite territory. And while it is often said that the Gothic is merely a RedHerring to distract from the game's Lovecraftian nature, it is ultimately more of creative blend of these two -- and many others -- flavors of horror (cf. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW6_0rr1IG8 this video]] examining the essential Gothic themes in ''Bloodborne'').

* ''VideoGame/{{Harvest}}'' is a mod for ''Amnesia'', likewise set in a dark, decaying, and haunted castle, albeit without any vampires.

* ''VideoGame/{{Mythos}}'' is a love letter to the Gothic horror films of the early 20th Century, revolving around the mysteries of London's dreaded Harborough Asylum -- a place rumored to be full of ghosts, zombies and other nasties.

* ''Videogame/{{Vampyr 2018}}'' is set in the 1918 London, during [[UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu the Spanish flu pandemic]] and its protagonist is a genius doctor who gets involuntarily transformed into a vampire.
* The original ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' had a very Gothic atmosphere, set in a remote town whose CreepyCathedral had become a literal HellGate, through which a lone hero must enter the underground dungeons to defeat the outpouring demons and undead. ''Videogame/DiabloII'' and ''Videogame/DiabloIII'' continued the trend, although also expanding it to other environments as well.
* The original ''VideoGame/MaxPayne1'' is not itself a Gothic horror, but the eponymous protagonist's PrivateEyeMonologue is saturated with Gothic imagery.
* ''Videogame/DarkestDungeon'' takes place entirely on old estate grounds, ruins, and woodlands that evoke the classic Gothic horror environment, coupling it with aspects of {{Cosmic Horror|Story}}: the player's heroes do battle with zombie and undead, as well as corrupted wildlife, twisted plant life and fungi, demonic pig-men, and monstrous humanoid fish-people, as well as facing the deformed and twisted cultists of the titular Darkest Dungeon. The ''Crimson Court'' expansion takes it even further into the realms of Gothic horror, with vampires being the main enemy, although these vampires are akin to [[OurVampiresAreDifferent blood-sucking insects who wear the trappings and thin demeanor of nobility to cover up their depraved cruelty and ravenous hunger]].
* Creator/HideoKojima's [[AuthorAppeal love]] of Film/HammerHorror movies caused him to incorporate prominent gothic elements in ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', despite it being largely RealRobotGenre. Both Psycho Mantis and Gray Fox's storylines in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' are gothic horror (Mantis is mutilated, masked, was traumatised by the destruction of his Russian village, and possesses women; Gray Fox is a technologically-revived corpse likened to a "ghost"), and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' feature a vampire and a ghost respectively.
* The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series is saturated with Gothic imagery, from having Count Dracula himself as the recurring BigBad, to being set in giant castles haunted by classic Gothic monsters like skeletons, vampires, and AnimatedArmor.
* ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'', a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Castlevania'', inherits most of its Gothic trappings, but is rooted in medieval demonology instead of vampire lore.
* ''VideoGame/AVampyreStory'' is a parody/deconstruction of the feminine Gothic fiction (exemplified by ''Literature/TheMysteriesOfUdolpho'' and ''Literature/JaneEyre''): the protagonist Mona is a 19 years-old opera starlet who is seduced by an ancient vampire, locked up in his castle, and turned undead herself. However, the vampire is nowhere close to a brooding ByronicHero but is actually rather pathetic and [[spoiler:gets killed off early in the story, returning as a ghost]], while Mona is largely uninterested in romance and just wants to resume her opera career, refusing to accept that she has been turned into an immortal blood-sucker and to generally be terrified of anything.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'', in a stark contrast to the series' usual Zombie Survival genre, takes place in a desolate Romanian village surrounded by four ancient castles, and the enemies fought are mostly [[WolfMan Lycans]] and ancient husks walking around wielding medieval weapons. While the five main bosses are all empowered by the same pseudo-scientific mold that was the source of the zombies in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'', it was spread to them by someone with more advanced knowledge of it than the creators of Evelyn, resulting in them sharing traits with classical Gothic monsters.
** Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters are, most obviously, [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]]. While the daughters are out for just your flesh, Dimitrescu specifically drinks blood [[spoiler:because she was hemophiliac before the mold turned her into what she is]], and has a special taste for the blood of virgins. Her castle is also the most gothic environment in the game (as in the architectural style, not the genre), and her boss fight even contains a stealth shout-out to ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. Dracula, in case you didn't know, means [[spoiler:Son of the Dragon]].
** Angie and Beneviento parallels both the creepy, possessed dolls, and ghosts in general. The main gimmick of her area are evil dolls, while she herself is a noblewoman clad in a black shawl that covers her face and is a [[spoiler:MasterOfIllusion]].
** Moreau is the hardest to place, since he seems to draw inspiration from multiple different sources. Aesthetically, he's based on the malformed hunchback, but the fairy tale in the beginning associates him with the Fish King, and the watery area he's found in seems to draw parallels with Merfolk. He also has more ghouls under his command than the rest.
*** The Slavic ''utopiec'' (plural form: ''utopce'') would be the closest classification for Salvatore - ''utopce'' are Slavic water [[DemonOfHumanOrigin demons of human origin]] that [[WasOnceAMan were once humans unlucky enough to drown]]. ''Utopce'', according to the folk tales, were either ChaoticEvil or ChaoticNeutral, depending on the region. Seeing one or a small group of these demons leaving their habitat was considered to be a lucky omen.
** Heisenberg, while not being one himself, is in command of the [[WolfMan Lycans]]. He combines this with Frankenstein-influences, considering his experiments with reanimating the dead through mechanics, and visually he seems inspired by the popular image of Dr. Van Helsing, though he shares little else in common with the good doctor.
** The final boss, Lady Miranda, mainly draws her design from ravens and CreepyCrows, but her six wings also makes her resemble the biblical Seraphim, which would make her a FallenAngel, a.k.a. a demon. Fitting, considering that she originated the four others.
* ''[[VideoGame/QuestForGloryIV Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness]]'' took the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series to the Gothic setting, albeit mixing it with [[LovecraftLite Lovecraftian elements]]. While the ultimate evil in this installment is an unknowable EldritchAbomination from beyond, its narrative focus is much more on the families of [[{{Ruritania}} Mordavia]] [[UntrustingCommunity living in isolation and fear]] of dark magic unleashed by [[SinsOfOurFathers their ancestors' transgressions]] in pursuit of {{immortality}}. The [[PrecursorHeroes greatest heroes]] of Mordavia (at least until the PlayerCharacter arrives) are [[MortalityGreyArea trapped between life]] [[UnfinishedBusiness and death]], unable to help their people ''or'' to move on. The main "villain" is a {{tragic|Villain}} and [[SympathyForTheDevil sympathetic figure]] who combines traits of both the [[ByronicHero Tyrant]][[note]]charisma, sex appeal, manipulative nature, dark powers, a mad passion to transgress natural boundaries in pursuit of personal liberty, and blindness to the costs of said transgression[[/note]] and the [[TheIngenue Maiden]][[note]]raised in the men's world, she turned to dark magic to prove herself to the patriarchy, but was cast out by it and later turned into a vampire by the previous Tyrant against her will; her motivation to summon the Dark One is to restore the freedom of day-walking that she was robbed of, while her kidnapping of Tanya was out of a desire for a family that she could no longer have; finally, she falls in love with the Hero and gives her life to save his in the end[[/note]]... and that's just scratching the surface of the treasure trove of Gothic themes and motifs found in this game.
* ''VideoGame/BloodyHellHotel'' has players take control of a vampire turning their dilapidated estate in to a hotel catering to 19th century humans while battling the monsters in the crypt below.

[[folder: Web Video]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BlackfordManor'' is a animated short about Josette Gray, a maid who comes to work for the mysterious Lord Montague [[spoiler: who may be a werewolf.]]
[[/folder]]

* Washington Irving (1783-1859): Author of numerous classic tales of terror. Some, like "Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow" (1820), have rational explanations a la Radcliffe. Others, like ''The Devil And Tom Walker'' (1824), are purely supernatural.

* James Hogg (1770–1835). Best known for ''Literature/ThePrivateMemoirsAndConfessionsOfAJustifiedSinner'' (1824), which gave us the {{Doppelganger}}. The eponymous Sinner supposedly makes a DealWithTheDevil, but it is never clear if this is true or all in his head. Also makes chilling use of PsychologicalHorror and RashomonStyle.

There were a few more notable Gothic authors in the early 20th century (Creator/DaphneDuMaurier, for example), but by the 1950s or so the genre had given way to modern {{Horror}} and [[PsychologicalThriller Psychological Thrillers]], or--in the U.S.--the SouthernGothic subgenre. Spearheaded by writers such as Creator/WilliamFaulkner and Eudora Welty and later picked up by the likes of Creator/FlanneryOConnor and Harper Lee, Southern Gothic literature transposes Gothic gloom and terror to the post-Civil War DeepSouth. In Canada, some authors transposed Southern Gothic themes to Toronto and its surrounding region, creating Southern Ontario Gothic.

* ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}''

* ''VideoGame/Quake|I''

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} Strahd von Zarovich]] contemplating [[VideoGame/{{Castlevania}} the miserable little pile of secrets that is man]].]]

* The song "Go Away" by ''Music/StrawberrySwitchblade''. A short story in the form of a song with a couple of gothic twists and brooding sound.

* The song "Go Away" by ''Music/Strawberry Switchblade''. A short story in the form of a song with a couple of gothic twists and brooding sound.

* The song "Go Away" by {{Strawberry Switchblade}}. A short story in the form of a song with a couple of gothic twists and brooding sound.