Television series

Trese

Name: Trese
Genre: Anime, Horror, Supernatural
Released: 2021
Cast: Shay Mitchell, Ryoko Shiraishi, Liza Soberano, Matthew Yang King, Ken Uo

Trese is a Manila-set anime noir that weaves Philippine folklore into crime procedural. Alexandra Trese is a detective who navigates a criminal underworld where mythical creatures hide in plain sight. It's moody, visually distinctive, and treats its source mythology with genuine respect—perfect for viewers who want their horror grounded in cultural specificity rather than Western clichés.

TVMaze rating

3.3

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A gorgeously animated gothic horror series that proves Netflix anime can achieve real atmospheric depth. Like Trese, it builds dread through lore and visual storytelling as much as plot, with a protagonist caught between worlds.

But The pacing stumbles in season two, and if you need constant action rather than mood, long stretches will feel slow.

Hellboy2019

A detective diving into a world of supernatural creatures and occult bureaucracy, featuring practical creature design and pulp-noir sensibility. It shares Trese's commitment to world-building over jump scares.

But The film feels overstuffed and tonally uneven, lurching between grittiness and camp in ways that don't always land.

The Midnight Gospel2020

An adult anime that respects its audience's intelligence and dares to blend horror, philosophy, and the surreal. Like Trese, it treats fantastical elements as genuine rather than decorative.

But It's meditative and experimental—if you want plot-driven entertainment, this will feel deliberately difficult.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Trese

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Blade Runner 20492017

Both treat their world-building as non-negotiable, trusting viewers to absorb setting through immersion rather than explanation. Both are fundamentally about isolation and duty in corrupted systems.

A sci-fi noir that proves you can build an entire film from atmosphere and visual storytelling rather than exposition. It shares Trese's commitment to treating fantastic elements as naturalized and real, never winking at the audience.

But Nearly three hours with minimal dialogue and no action sequences for long stretches; it actively resists the viewer's desire for conventional drama.

Constantine2014

A supernatural detective series centered on a protagonist navigating a hidden magical underworld. It has the same noir-inflected tone and procedural rhythm as Trese, just executed in live-action.

But Only one season before cancellation; it ends on a cliffhanger rather than a real conclusion.

Grimm2011

A cop discovers a hidden world of folklore creatures operating in his city. Like Trese, it treats mythological investigation as crime-solving, and finds humor in the collision of mundane policing and the fantastic.

But Six seasons means uneven quality; many episodes rely on formula, and the mythology deepens unevenly.

The Witcher2019

Henry Cavill hunts monsters in a richly developed fantasy world. It shares Trese's commitment to treating creatures as complex rather than simply evil, with similar episodic-mystery structure.

But Season one's timeline structure confuses viewers, and the show struggles with tonal consistency between its darker and lighter impulses.

Supernatural2005

Two brothers hunt supernatural creatures in a vast, sprawling mythology. Like Trese, it builds a cosmology where folklore operates beneath the surface of ordinary American life.

But Fifteen seasons means commitment; quality varies wildly, and later seasons lose the grounded procedural feel.

Midnight Mass2021

Mike Flanagan's miniseries brings genuine dread to a small community's supernatural crisis. It shares Trese's respect for atmosphere and character work, with horror that earns its emotional weight.

But Religious themes dominate; the pacing is deliberately slow, and if you want action or conventional scares, this will frustrate.

Penny Dreadful2014

A literary horror series that treats supernatural mythology as serious drama. It has Trese's commitment to atmosphere and its willingness to let scenes breathe without constant plot movement.

But Genuinely bleak and occasionally meandering; it's more interested in mood than payoff, which can feel frustrating if you need resolution.

Paprika2006

Both use animation to depict supernatural incursion into the mundane world with a visual specificity live-action cannot match. Both treat their fantastic elements as genuinely unsettling rather than fantastical.

Satoshi Kon's anime film weaves together dreams, technology, and supernatural intrusion with visual audacity and genuine psychological horror. It's a masterclass in using animation to depict the illogical and nightmarish.

But The plot becomes deliberately fractured and surreal in its final third; if you need narrative coherence, you'll find it exhausting rather than exhilarating.

Memories of Murder2003

Both are detective stories where the system itself is the true antagonist. Both treat their country's specific history and culture as integral to the mystery, not backdrop. Both end uncertain, trusting the viewer to sit with that discomfort.

Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece is a crime procedural haunted by institutional corruption and the weight of unsolved violence. It shares Trese's commitment to moral complexity and visual atmosphere over conventional plot satisfaction.

But Korean cinema; subtitles required. The ending offers no catharsis—it's deliberately ambiguous and emotionally devastating in ways that feel unresolved.