When the sun never rises and the cold seeps into your bones, the Arctic becomes a perfect stage for terror. If True Detective: Night Country left you craving more chilling tales of isolation and dread, dive into these bone-chilling arctic horror stories where the frozen wilderness hides unspeakable horrors-and survival is never guaranteed. From shape-shifting aliens to haunted research stations, these films and series will freeze your blood and keep you on the edge of your seat long after the credits roll.
We’re currently in the midst of the winter season, when the temperatures drop and the night grows darker and longer, clawing away more and more precious minutes of sunlight. It’s the perfect time of the year for True Detective: Night Country, the fourth season of the crime drama anthology starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis. This season has already done a lot to differentiate itself from past storylines, with nods to the supernatural interspersed with prominent callbacks to the series’ first season.
As we inch ever closer to the season’s finale, you may be wondering: What should I watch after True Detective: Night Country? We’ve been thinking the same thing, which is why we’ve put together a list of the best arctic-themed horror movies and TV to watch after the story of Tsalal has concluded. From eldritch horror and psychological thrillers to nail-biting survival dramas and more, here are the best arctic horror stories to watch after True Detective: Night Country.
30 Days of Night
“30 Days of Night” plunges viewers into the eerie isolation of Barrow, Alaska, a town engulfed in a month-long polar night where the sun disappears for 30 days. As darkness falls, the town becomes prey to a brutal vampire assault led by the ruthless Marlow. Sheriff Eben Oleson, along with a dwindling group of survivors, must fight for their lives against these relentless predators in a chilling battle for survival. The film masterfully blends the harsh Arctic environment with intense horror, culminating in Eben’s ultimate sacrifice to save his wife and the remaining townspeople as dawn breaks. This gripping tale of survival and terror is a must-watch for fans of Arctic horror.
Director: David Slade
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston
Where to watch: Netflix
True Detective: Night Country takes place in Ennis, Alaska, a town which is experiencing an annual period of extended darkness known as “the Long Night” during the events of the series. 30 Days of Night features the same concept, as it is also set in an Alaskan town preparing for a month-long polar night for which the film takes its name.
David Slade’s action horror thriller has something that Night Country doesn’t though: Vampires. Lots of ’em. Adapted from writer Steve Niles and artist Ben Templesmith’s comic book miniseries, 30 Days of Night is a brutal and terrifying cat-and-mouse game, with the surviving human citizens of Barrow attempting desperately to wait out an invading horde of vampires long enough until the polar night ends and the sun rises. It’s a chilling, remarkable horror thriller with suspenseful action and enough blisteringly gorey violence to make your hair on stand on end and set your blood pumping. -Toussaint Egan
Devil’s Pass
Devil’s Pass (2013) is a chilling found-footage horror film inspired by the real-life Dyatlov Pass incident, where nine hikers mysteriously died in the Ural Mountains in 1959. The movie follows a group of college students who journey to the same remote location to uncover the truth behind the tragedy. As they encounter strange phenomena-such as inexplicable footprints, eerie howling, and a secret bunker with unsettling evidence-their expedition quickly turns into a fight for survival against unknown forces. The film blends suspense, supernatural elements, and a haunting atmosphere, making it a compelling pick for fans of arctic horror and mystery.
Director: Renny Harlin
Cast: Holly Goss, Matt Stokoe, Luke Albright
Where to watch: Tubi, AMC Plus, Shudder
The Dyatlov Pass is one of the most enduring and strange mysteries of the modern world. A group of nine hikers in the Ural mountains died naked and covered in snow with some very mysterious injuries, and despite advances in technology, no single theory seems to totally explain everything that happened to them. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the case is a huge inspiration for True Detective: Night Country and its dead scientists, which is exactly what makes this 2013 horror movie about the incident worth watching.
In Devil’s Pass, sometimes known as The Dyatlov Pass Incident, five students recreate the path of the original hiking party in hopes of discovering what happened to them. Instead, what they find is a bizarre set of conspiracies that tie together everything from the Philadelphia Experiment to MothMan. The movie relies mostly on a creepy and effective found footage format, but things don’t really pop off until the group finds a seemingly abandoned Soviet military base. While the movie’s twists and turns may not have a lot to do with Night Country, Devil’s Pass is a fun and very cold horror movie that’s heavy on Dyatlov details that will help give a little bit of extra context to Night Country’s finale. -Austen Goslin
Insomnia (1997)
Insomnia (1997) is a Norwegian thriller set in the Arctic city of Tromsø, where the relentless midnight sun exacerbates the psychological strain on a Swedish detective investigating the murder of a teenage girl. After accidentally shooting his partner during the manhunt, the detective, Jonas Engström, conceals the truth, leading to a tense cat-and-mouse game with the killer who knows his secret. The film masterfully explores themes of guilt, moral ambiguity, and the torment of sleeplessness under the unyielding Arctic daylight, making it a gripping and atmospheric addition to the genre of Arctic horror stories.
Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Bjørn Floberg
Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Tubi
While modern audiences might be more familiar with Christopher Nolan’s 2002 remake of Insomnia starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams, the original 1997 Norwegian film features one of the best performances of Stellan Skarsgård’s formidable career.
Insomnia follows the story of Jonas Engström (Skarsgård), a Swedish police officer now living in Norway who is sent to investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl in a region of the arctic known colloquially as “the Land of the Midnight Sun.” While pursuing the suspect on foot, Jonas accidentally shoots and kills his partner with a gun he illegally retained from his time in the Swedish police. Haunted by the murder and his ever-worsening insomnia, Jonas must track down the original killer while staying one step ahead of his peers from discovering his own culpability. A delirious, paranoia-inducing thriller with suspenseful editing and a tortured, melancholic performance by Skarsgård, Insomnia is so damn good – it just might keep you up at night. -TE
The Last Winter
The Last Winter is a chilling eco-supernatural horror set in the Arctic, where an oil company’s drilling operation awakens vengeful spirits determined to protect the land from exploitation. As rising temperatures and melting permafrost unleash dangerous methane emissions, the crew faces not only environmental collapse but also terrifying paranormal phenomena, including ghostly caribou and a monstrous Wendigo spirit. The film blends slow-burning political tension with supernatural horror, highlighting nature’s wrath against human greed in a haunting, atmospheric narrative.
Director: Larry Fessenden
Cast: Ron Perlman, Pato Hoffmann, James LeGros
Where to watch:AMC Plus, Shudder
Practically a movie about Tsalal itself, The Last Winter follows a group of scientists at a remote arctic research base as they study the effects of oil drilling in the Alaskan wilderness. Of course, the base itself is mostly run by the oil company looking to drill there, so their findings are heavily monitored. But as the drilling in the area continues, strange things start happening at the base that seem determined to sabotage the greedy company.
Steeped in supernatural strangeness and a deep fear of environmental doom, The Last Winter is a fascinating horror movie that does more than most to suggest that people and companies have no business invading the world’s coldest corners. -AG
The Terror (Season 1)
Season 1 of The Terror dramatizes the harrowing 1847-48 Royal Navy expedition led by Sir John Franklin, which sought the elusive Northwest Passage but became trapped in Arctic ice. As the crew faces starvation, mutiny, and the brutal elements, they are also stalked by a monstrous, supernatural polar bear inspired by Inuit mythology. The series explores the collapse of order and humanity under extreme conditions, with survival becoming a desperate battle against both nature and an otherworldly menace. A mute Inuit woman, an outcast who follows her tribe’s animistic beliefs, becomes the captains’ unexpected ally amid the unfolding horror.
Creator: David Kajganich
Cast: Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Paul Ready
Where to watch:Prime Video, Shudder
Neither arctic horror nor television get much better than The Terror’s first season. The show tells a fictional version of the true story of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, two polar exploration vessels that get trapped in the ice somewhere in Northern Canada. The series provides an absolutely unrelenting vision of both 19th century exploration and being trapped on a boat with people you hate.
The ships’ crews (which include stars like Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, and Ciaran Hinds) fall victim to infighting, weather, sickness, and supernatural forces, all while trying to survive the horrifying cold that surrounds them. All great cold-weather horror is about being trapped somewhere with nothing but the weather to stop you, and The Terror gets at that feeling better than almost anything. The cramped quarters of the ship give way to vast expanses of freezing ocean that look so cold you can practically feel them through your TV screen. -AG
The Thing
The Thing is a quintessential Arctic horror film that masterfully blends isolation, paranoia, and extraterrestrial terror. Set in an American research station in Antarctica, the story follows a group of scientists who encounter a shape-shifting alien capable of imitating any living being it assimilates. As the alien infiltrates the team, suspicion and fear escalate, leading to a tense battle for survival in the unforgiving frozen wilderness. The film’s chilling atmosphere, groundbreaking special effects, and themes of mistrust have made it a lasting influence on the genre and a perfect companion to the eerie, sunless setting of True Detective: Night Country.
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Wilford Brimley
Where to watch: Digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, and Vudu
The blueprint for every Arctic research base story told after it, John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece of cold-weather terror has only gotten better with age. The story, one of numerous adaptations of the short story “Who Goes There?,” follows a group of scientists who accidentally become the target of a creature from another world that can take the shape of any organic life it encounters, meaning that no one can trust each other, or even know if they themselves are still human. Of course, adding to the fear is the fact that they’re all trapped in their research base with nothing but Antarctic wilderness around them for miles in any direction.
Night Country’s parallels to The Thing are unmistakable, but the horror classic demands a revisit if you haven’t done so recently. Few movies have ever had the quality of disgusting creature effects Carpenter’s movie employs, but it’s the similarities and references to the base itself and its scientists that most closely link the movie to True Detective’s latest season. -AG
What are the most chilling arctic horror stories to watch after True Detective Night Country
Here are some of the most chilling Arctic horror stories to watch after True Detective: Night Country:
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The Terror (AMC+, Netflix): A historical supernatural thriller based on Dan Simmons’ novel about John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition. It masterfully blends psychological horror, isolation, and supernatural elements in a frozen wilderness setting, much like Night Country.
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30 Days of Night (Netflix): A vampire horror film set during the polar night in Alaska, known for its intense atmosphere and terrifying creatures that prey on a town plunged into darkness for a month.
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The Head (Max): A murder mystery set in an Antarctic research station with a suspenseful, eerie vibe and disappearing people, sharing thematic similarities with Night Country.
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Fortitude: A thriller series set in a remote Arctic town with dark secrets and chilling mysteries, praised for its atmospheric tension and complex characters.
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A Murder at the End of the World (Hulu): Set in a secluded Icelandic resort during the Arctic winter, this murder mystery offers a pulpier, Agatha Christie-inspired northern-set story that Night Country fans will appreciate.
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Yellowjackets: Though not strictly Arctic, this series features supernatural horror and survival in a northern wilderness, with a dark mystery and strong character development that resonates with Night Country’s tone.
For a literary option, Dark Matter by Michelle Paver is an unsettling audiobook about an Arctic expedition plagued by supernatural occurrences, ideal for fans of chilling polar horror.
These selections combine isolation, supernatural dread, and the unforgiving Arctic environment to extend the haunting experience of True Detective: Night Country.
Which Arctic horror stories feature supernatural elements like The Terror or Fortitude
Several Arctic horror stories feature supernatural elements similar to those in The Terror and Fortitude:
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The Terror (AMC, based on Dan Simmons’s novel) famously blends historical Arctic exploration with a supernatural horror element-a monstrous creature from Inuit mythology stalking the doomed crew of the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus. This series uses the supernatural to heighten the psychological and physical terror of isolation and survival in the Arctic.
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Fortitude (Sky Atlantic) incorporates eerie and supernatural undertones within its thriller narrative set in a remote Arctic town. The show combines mysterious deaths and strange phenomena with a chilling atmosphere that evokes a sense of otherworldly dread.
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A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke is a gothic horror novel set in the Arctic with supernatural elements woven into its story of a deserted shipwreck and dark historical secrets. It features hauntings, strange visions, and folklore that contribute to the chilling atmosphere.
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Dan Simmons’s other novel, Abominable, also delves into Arctic horror with supernatural themes, involving a monstrous creature in the icy wilderness.
These stories share a common thread of Arctic isolation amplified by supernatural forces, blending folklore, myth, and psychological horror to create a uniquely chilling experience.
