Mystery, horror and cults: 13 series that fans of "Archive 81" will love

13. Equinox

Equinox

• Denmark, 2020
• Fantasy, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 6.1.

In 1999, young Astrid strangely lost her sister. She disappeared without a trace along with many other students after the holiday. After 21 years, one of the surviving schoolchildren unexpectedly contacts the heroine. He reveals to Astrid a frightening truth about the parallel world.

Danish series from the streaming service Netflix passed almost unnoticed and received not too high marks. But for all the awkwardness of the production, it has a very cool intricate story that combines mysticism and detective story.

12. The third day

The Third Day

• UK, USA, 2020.
• Thriller, drama, detective.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 6.4.

Sam saves a teenage girl who tried to kill herself and decides to take her home. She lives on the island of Osea, the path to which is flooded at high tide. Sam finds himself in a strange place inhabited by cult followers. However, the hero seems to be at home.

The series from screenwriter Dennis Kelly (author of the British "Utopia") is built in an unusual way: from the middle of the season, the main character and even the style of filming change. And even more interesting is that at first it is even difficult to understand the genre "third day": the project balances on the verge of a thriller, mysticism and personal drama.

11. Katla

Katla

• Iceland, 2021.
• Fantasy, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.0.

Volcano erupts near Vika, Iceland Katla. Almost all residents were evacuated, but a few families still remain in the district and specialists are working. Suddenly, a naked girl appears next to the volcano, completely covered in ash. As it turns out, 20 years ago she met one of the inhabitants of Vic and has not changed since then. And after that, the dead relatives of the inhabitants begin to come to the settlement.

unusual Icelandic series praised even the famous Hideo Kojima. The project combines the melancholy atmosphere of a small town, the entourage of the post-apocalypse and an intricate story about time travel.

10. Zero channel

Channel Zero

• USA, Canada, 2016-2018.
• Horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 7.2.

The series is built in an anthology format. Each season tells a different story based on creepypaste - a horror story from the Internet. Only the authors expand small plots to full-fledged horror.

The most interesting thing about Channel Zero is the first season, subtitled Candle Cove. It is based on a fictitious correspondenceCandle Cove / Ichor Falls from the Web: the interlocutors discussed the program that everyone saw in childhood, but later no one could find a single mention of its existence.

9. house with servant

Servant

• United States, 2019 - present.
• Horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 7.5.

A young family invites a nanny to the house for their child. That's just with the baby, and with the mother, everything is very strange. But the worker is also matched: she is a reserved and very religious girl who is clearly hiding something.

The project was created by the authorsixth sense" and "Invulnerable" M. Night Shyamalan. This director is very fond of intricate plots, in which each new twist completely changes the perception of history. And in the "House with servants" there are more than enough such moments.

8. Castle Rock

castle rock

• United States, 2018–2019.
• Horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 7.6.

Anthology series based on works Stephen King. In the first season, after the suicide of the head of the Shawshank prison, employees open one of the abandoned blocks and find an unknown person in it. In Season 2, Nurse Annie Wilks is stuck in a small town with her teenage daughter after a car accident.

Interestingly, the project cannot be called a film adaptation of any particular work of King. But it does feature many well-known characters and is set in Castle Rock, a place often featured in the horror master's books. But most importantly, the project perfectly conveys the eerie atmosphere of the author's novels.

7. alarm call

Calls

• France, USA, 2021.
• Fantasy, thriller, drama, detective.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.7.

The characters of each episode of this series call each other on the phone. And each of them gets into a strange story. One realizes that many years have passed during his short trip home. The other communicates with himself from the future. And all this is somehow connected with mysterious atmospheric phenomena.

For all the intricacy of the plot, the most unusual thing about this series is its form. It is all built only on the conversations of the characters, and the visuals are abstract computer graphics. However, "Wake Up Call" needs to be watched, and not just listened to. After all, the picture gives clues to what is happening.

6. Programmers (Developers)

Devs

• USA, UK, 2020.
• Fantasy, thriller, drama, detective.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.7.

The talented programmer Sergei is invited to the secret department of the Amaya company, which is developing a new quantum computer. Soon the man disappears. Lily - Sergey's fiancee - is sure that the company's management is hiding something. She decides to investigate this complicated case herself.

All eight episodes series written and directed by Alex Garland, director of Ex Machina and Annihilation. The director traditionally turned out to be a mixture of complex science fiction, detective story and chilling atmosphere. By the way, this project also has similar sounds to Archive 81: disturbing music in both cases was written by Jeff Barrow and Ben Salisbury.

5. American Horror Story

American Horror Story

• United States, 2011 - present.
• Horror, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 10 seasons.
• IMDb: 8.0.

Each season of this anthology references classic horror themes. It could be the story of a family visiting a haunted house, a freak circus, or a haunted hotel. And most often inamerican horror story"play the same actors, each time trying on new images.

Fans of Archive 81 should pay attention to the sixth season of "Roanoke", which beats the theme of the found film, as well as the seventh season with the telling title "Cult".

4. Utopia

Utopia

• UK, 2013-2014.
• Fantasy, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8.4.

It is believed that the graphic novel "Utopia Experiments" predicted several terrible cataclysms. And its lost sequel does contain facts about future events. When the manuscript falls into the hands of five unfamiliar people, the mysterious organization "Network" begins to hunt for the book.

Unfortunately, this confusing series, which tells about a global conspiracy, never received a worthy conclusion. The project was closed, and then a remake was released in the USA, which turned out to be much weaker than the original. But the existing two seasons are a great gift for all fans of intricate thrillers with elements black humor.

3. The ghosts of the house on the hill

The Haunting of Hill House

• USA, 2018.
• Horror, drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8.6.

A family with five children acquires an old mansion. The parents plan to renovate and profitably sell the house. But it turns out that the building holds many secrets, and this leads to tragedy. And even after many years, all family members have to deal with problems.

Director Mike Flanagan seems to take typical horror plots, but turns them into beautiful slow-paced dramas. Although he also does not forget to scare. And after the success of the first season, the author filmed a sequel to The Haunting of Bly Manor in 2020. This is a very different story based on the book The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. However, the atmosphere in it is not worse.

2. midnight mass

midnight mass

• Canada, USA, 2021.
• Horror, thriller, detective, drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7.7.

After serving four years in prison for a fatal accident, Riley Flynn returns to his hometown, located on the island. At the same time, a young charismatic priest arrives there, who seems to have supernatural powers. But perhaps this is not a gift, but a real curse.

This project Created by the author of The Haunting of Hill House. "Midnight Mass" in the same way begins in the style of a leisurely drama, which by the end develops into a dynamic and very scary horror. And besides, this series is a very ambiguous and bold statement about religion and its too ardent followers.

1. Dark

Dark

• Germany, USA, 2017–2020.
• Fantasy, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8.8.

In the small German town of Winden, located near the nuclear power plant, several children go missing. At the same time, mysterious events begin to occur in the district. Recently returned from psychiatric treatment, Jonas receives a note from his deceased father, and a very strange stranger settles in the hotel. All this is somehow connected with the life of several local families.

The German science fiction series instantly captivated critics and viewers. It's all about the very complex construction of the plot: with each season, the number of characters and times in which the action takes place is added. And in "darknessYou also need to carefully monitor the cause-and-effect relationships. Indeed, in this story, even the future influences the past.

What other TV shows reminded you of Archive 81?