Television series
Luna Nera
Luna Nera is a lush Italian fantasy-drama about a teenage midwife in the 1600s caught between witchcraft accusations, forbidden love, and her own magical destiny. It's gorgeously shot, emotionally grounded despite the supernatural elements, and deeply invested in its characters' inner lives. For viewers who want period drama with real stakes and magic that matters.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like slow-burning folk fables where the magic stays ambiguous and the village's suspicion does most of the damage, and you don't mind subtitles.
Skip it if you need brisk plotting or a clear supernatural rulebook; this moves at a deliberate, almost hypnotic pace, and its bleak mood can wear you down.
What it asks of you: Six roughly forty-six-minute episodes, a short binge; it asks for patience with silences and close attention to faces, customs and whispered rumour rather than set pieces.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Witcher2019
A sorceress, a warrior, and destiny itself collide across a richly-imagined fantasy world. Sweeping, violent, and genuinely moving in ways that sneak up on you. Season one especially nails the tone.
But The narrative jumps timelines without warning, which confuses many viewers in the first few episodes. Some find the pacing uneven.
Penny Dreadful2014
Gothic Victorian horror woven from classic literature. Every episode crackles with dread and sensuality. The performances are extraordinary and the dialogue alone is worth the price of admission.
But It moves slowly and demands patience. Also genuinely disturbing at times—this isn't comfortable viewing, and some find it relentlessly bleak.
Gretel & Hansel2020
A darkly lyrical reimagining of the fairy tale with genuine unease and beauty. Gorgeously composed, deeply feminist, and willing to let silences speak. A visual and emotional feast.
But Very slow, very deliberately paced. If you want plot momentum, this will test you. Some find it precious or too precious.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Luna Nera
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
A Dark Song2016
Both are about young women caught between worlds, using magic not as spectacle but as desperate spiritual work—the supernatural as a way to process unbearable grief.
Two grieving people attempt an occult ritual in an isolated Irish house. It's hypnotic, intimate, and about loss and forgiveness wearing the clothes of supernatural horror. Achingly human.
But Barely leaves one room. Extremely slow. If you need plot or action, this will exhaust you. Some find it pretentious or emotionally manipulative.
More like this (8)
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina2018
A darker take on witchcraft in modern America. Stylish, unsettling, and genuinely funny. It understands that teenage girls' lives matter and treats its horror seriously.
But The tone wobbles between camp and genuine dread. Also, it cancels on unresolved cliffhangers, which will frustrate you if you get invested.
His Dark Materials2019
Beautifully adapted epic fantasy with complex theology, stunning visuals, and young protagonists who face real moral choices. Each world feels lived-in and dangerous.
But Requires genuine attention across multiple seasons to pay off. The pacing is deliberate to a fault for some viewers, and the child-centric focus puts some off.
The Miniaturist2017
Dutch Golden Age Amsterdam, magic boxes, and secrets that unravel with hypnotic precision. It's intimate, visually stunning, and morally ambiguous in ways that linger.
But Only three episodes, so if you want deep investment, you'll be hungry for more. Some find the pacing glacial and the magic underdeveloped.
Harlots2017
Eighteenth-century London told through the lives and agency of sex workers. Sharp, funny, genuinely tender, and historically grounded. Women's stories told with real urgency.
But Sexually explicit and violent. Some find the period detail overwhelming or the tone inconsistently dark and comedic.
Supernatural2005
Two brothers hunt monsters and uncover mythology across a vast, messy America. It's funny, scary, and genuinely moving about loyalty. Perfect for long, comforting binges.
But Runs for fifteen seasons, which means inconsistent quality and some truly terrible episodes. The machismo can curdle into something exhausting.
Vampire Academy2022
Young women navigate magical politics and forbidden love with wit and genuine stakes. Funny, stylish, and unafraid to be a bit trashy while still mattering.
But Cancelled after one season. The mythology is dense and sometimes confusing. Some find it too light for the darkness it touches.
La Bête Humaine1938
Both understand fate not as mystical inevitability but as the weight of desire, class, and circumstance—characters trapped by what they are, fighting against the inescapable.
Renoir's masterpiece: a train engineer destroyed by desire, destiny, and forces beyond his control. Poetic, erotic, fatalistic. Watch how Renoir finds humanity in the trapped and doomed.
But It's seventy years old. The pacing is meditative rather than propulsive. Some find the subtitles or the historical remove create distance.
Mulholland Drive2001
Both are about young women with power they don't fully control, navigating worlds—supernatural or social—that will punish them. Both understand that destiny can be another word for being swallowed whole.
Lynch's Hollywood nightmare: beauty, ambition, and the dissolution of self. It operates like a dream—gorgeous, cruel, impossible to shake. A film about the machinery that destroys people.
But Structurally disorienting on purpose. Three hours that demand active engagement. If you want clarity or a logical ending, this will infuriate you.
People
Cast
Writing
- Francesca ManieriCreator
- Laura PaolucciCreator
- Tiziana TrianaCreator