15 Movies Like ‘Ebenezer’ That You Have to Watch

Directed by Ti West, the 2026 dark fantasy film ‘Ebenezer‘ reimagines Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella by filtering the classic holiday ghost story through gothic atmosphere, psychological dread, and black comedy. Starring Johnny Depp as an eccentric and deeply misanthropic Ebenezer Scrooge, the film leans into the eerie, macabre roots of Victorian supernatural fiction and spectral visitations.

Audiences captivated by this stylistic reinvention often gravitate toward films that combine gloomy period settings, chilling phantoms, and profound moral reckonings. Whether featuring gothic Victorian mysteries, haunting ghost stories, or idiosyncratic performances by Depp, these fifteen films share key narrative and aesthetic sensibilities with ‘Ebenezer’.

‘Sleepy Hollow’ (1999)

Directed by Tim Burton, this gothic horror film stars Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, an eccentric New York constable sent to investigate a string of mysterious decapitations in an isolated village. Relying on forensic deduction rather than local superstitions, Crane gradually uncovers dark family secrets, witchcraft, and the spectral wrath of the Headless Horseman. The production features misty autumnal woodlands, expressionistic architecture, and an eerie balance between dark humor and macabre violence. Depp delivers a stylized performance defined by fastidious mannerisms, faint-hearted eccentricities, and deep psychological trauma. Fans drawn to Depp’s shadowy period atmosphere and gothic theatricality in ‘Ebenezer’ will find similar stylistic choices throughout ‘Sleepy Hollow’.

‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ (2007)

Johnny Depp portrays Benjamin Barker, an unjustly exiled barber who returns to Victorian London under an alias to exact vengeance upon the corrupt judge who ruined his life. Teaming up with Mrs. Lovett, the vengeful barber operates a grimy razor shop above her pie bakery, descending into madness and violent retribution. The film captures a smog-choked, grim portrait of nineteenth-century London, drained of color to mirror the despair and moral rot of the era. Depp combines musical performance with gothic melodrama, portraying a tragic and obsessive protagonist consumed by past grievances. The grim Victorian aesthetic and Depp’s macabre presence directly align with the bleak London landscape established in ‘Ebenezer’.

‘From Hell’ (2001)

Adapted from Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s graphic novel, this period thriller features Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick Abberline, an opium-addicted police detective investigating the Whitechapel murders. Abberline experiences clairvoyant visions that help him trace the killings to high-level conspiracies and institutional corruption in 1888 London. The film portrays the dark, impoverished underbelly of the Victorian capital through shadowy alleyways, cobblestone streets, and dense fog. Depp balances intellectual observation with melancholic sorrow as he navigates the psychological toll of investigating gruesome crimes. The film shares the gritty period authenticity, London setting, and sinister tone that underpin the ghostly encounters in ‘Ebenezer’.

‘A Christmas Carol’ (2009)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, this performance-capture dark fantasy adapts Charles Dickens’ novella with Jim Carrey performing Ebenezer Scrooge alongside the visiting spirits. The narrative leans heavily into the frightening supernatural elements of Dickens’ text, featuring a harrowing encounter with Jacob Marley’s ghost and a terrifying hearse chase orchestrated by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Zemeckis uses dynamic camera movements and stark lighting to accentuate the grim poverty and haunting apparitions lurking within Victorian London. Carrey portrays Scrooge as a stooped, embittered recluse whose psychological defenses crumble under relentless ghostly scrutiny. Like ‘Ebenezer’, this interpretation emphasizes the horror and genuine dread inherent to the classic ghost story rather than treating it merely as festive cheer.

‘Scrooge’ (1951)

Also released under the title ‘A Christmas Carol’, this British adaptation features Alastair Sim in his career-defining performance as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. Director Brian Desmond Hurst crafts a somber, expressionistic atmosphere that highlights the cold economic disparities of Victorian England alongside spectral visitations. The apparition of Jacob Marley, portrayed by Michael Hordern, stands out for its unsettling wailing and psychological terror. Sim depicts Scrooge’s redemption with dramatic nuance, transitioning convincingly from hardened avarice to emotional vulnerability. Depp acknowledged Sim’s performance as a key reference point when shaping his own portrayal of the character in ‘Ebenezer’.

‘Crimson Peak’ (2015)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, this gothic romance follows an aspiring American author who marries an enigmatic baronet and moves into his decaying English manor, Allerdale Hall. As red clay bleeds up through the estate’s floorboards, the young bride encounters terrifying crimson apparitions warning her of sinister family secrets. The film blends classic Victorian ghost-story conventions with lavish period design, practical visual effects, and intense psychological conflict. Del Toro approaches the ghosts not as monsters, but as spiritual manifestations of past tragedy and moral guilt. This deliberate fusion of Victorian dread, spectral apparitions, and tragic history resonates with the dark fantasy tone of ‘Ebenezer’.

‘The Woman in Black’ (2012)

Set in early twentieth-century England, this gothic ghost story follows Arthur Kipps, a widowed lawyer tasked with settling the affairs of Eel Marsh House. Located across a causeway that floods at high tide, the isolated mansion is haunted by the vengeful spirit of a scorned mother targeting the village’s children. The production relies on heavy atmospheric tension, creaking floorboards, and chilling Victorian imagery to generate supernatural suspense. The narrative explores themes of grief, regret, and the inability of restless souls to find peace in the mortal world. The chilling apparitions and gloomy historical aesthetic will appeal to viewers who appreciate the eerie tone of ‘Ebenezer’.

‘Corpse Bride’ (2005)

Co-directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson, this stop-motion animated fantasy stars Johnny Depp as the voice of Victor Van Dort, a timid young man in a drab Victorian town. After accidentally reciting his wedding vows in a graveyard, Victor finds himself dragged into the colorful Land of the Dead by an undead bride named Emily. The film contrasts the rigid, repressive customs of the living Victorian upper class with the lively, musical camaraderie of the afterlife. Depp brings gentle vulnerability to his performance as Victor navigates moral dilemmas involving honor, love, and mortality. The marriage of Victorian social critique, supernatural world-building, and Depp’s distinctive character voice makes this a natural companion to ‘Ebenezer’.

‘The Pale Blue Eye’ (2022)

Christian Bale stars as Augustus Landor, a retired detective summoned to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1830 to investigate a cadet’s ritualistic murder. To decipher the cryptic clues and occult symbols surrounding the case, Landor enlists the help of an eccentric young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe. The film captures a bleak winter landscape dominated by snowdrifts, candlelight, and psychological despair. As the investigation deepens, the line between rational deduction and macabre obsession becomes increasingly blurred. The somber winter atmosphere and gothic literary underpinnings echo the chilling aesthetic present throughout ‘Ebenezer’.

‘The Limehouse Golem’ (2016)

Set in Victorian London during the 1880s, this gothic mystery follows Inspector John Kildare as he investigates a sequence of gruesome murders terrorizing the district of Limehouse. The public attributes the atrocities to the Golem, a mythical clay monster, while Kildare explores the theatrical and music-hall community for the human killer. The production presents a dark, fog-laden metropolis filled with gaslit streets, macabre stage plays, and social inequality. Bill Nighy delivers a restrained performance as an honorable detective confronting depravity and moral hypocrisy within high society. The film shares the gritty period realism, dark psychological undercurrents, and Victorian setting that define ‘Ebenezer’.

‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ (1992)

Francis Ford Coppola directs this elaborate adaptation of the classic vampire novel, following Count Dracula as he journeys from Transylvania to Victorian London. Gary Oldman portrays the titular count as a tragic yet monstrous nobleman seeking his reincarnated lost love across centuries. Coppola utilizes in-camera practical effects, shadow puppetry, and gothic expressionism to construct a surreal, nightmarish atmosphere. The film contrasts the rational modernity of nineteenth-century London with ancient, supernatural forces invading its streets. The lavish gothic sensibility, theatrical intensity, and psychological depth reflect the visual and tonal storytelling explored in ‘Ebenezer’.

‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ (1994)

Kenneth Branagh directs and stars as Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious medical student who becomes obsessed with conquering death through radical science. After creating a living creature from salvaged corpses, Victor abandons his creation, initiating a cycle of vengeance and personal tragedy. The film combines high melodrama, operatic staging, and gothic horror to examine the moral responsibilities of creation. Robert De Niro portrays the Creature as an articulate and tormented soul driven to violence by human cruelty and rejection. Like ‘Ebenezer’, the production delves into nineteenth-century literature to examine the psychological consequences of hubris and emotional detachment.

‘Dark Shadows’ (2012)

Directed by Tim Burton, this gothic fantasy comedy stars Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, an eighteenth-century nobleman cursed into vampirism and buried alive by a vengeful witch. Unearthed two centuries later in 1972, Barnabas returns to his crumbling ancestral manor to restore his family’s fishing empire and protect his eccentric descendants. The film juxtaposes traditional gothic horror aesthetics, complete with gargoyles and secret passages, with bright 1970s popular culture. Depp delivers an ornate, formal performance filled with deadpan theatricality, aristocratic posturing, and supernatural turmoil. Audiences who appreciate Depp’s blend of dark comedy, brooding gothic persona, and eccentric physicality in ‘Ebenezer’ will find similar elements here.

‘A Christmas Carol’ (1984)

George C. Scott stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in this grounded British-American television film directed by Clive Donner. Filmed on location in the historic market town of Shrewsbury, the production portrays the gritty, harsh realities of nineteenth-century urban poverty. Scott delivers a layered, calculating performance that presents Scrooge as an embittered merchant whose cynicism stems from painful youthful abandonment. The ghostly visitations are depicted with dramatic sobriety, emphasizing the moral stakes of Scrooge’s potential damnation rather than light fantasy. Its solemn commitment to the source material’s darker social and supernatural elements offers a strong parallel to the vision of ‘Ebenezer’.

‘Scrooged’ (1988)

Richard Donner directs this dark satirical comedy starring Bill Murray as Frank Cross, an arrogant television executive orchestrating a cutthroat holiday broadcast. Visited on Christmas Eve by three disruptive apparitions, Frank is forced to confront his traumatic childhood, his mistreatment of colleagues, and his fiery demise. The film incorporates grotesque practical makeup effects and macabre imagery, particularly through the decaying corpse of Frank’s former boss and a grim reaper carrying lost souls. Murray balances sharp cynicism with emotional realization as his character is gradually humbled by supernatural intervention. The blend of black humor, ghostly dread, and a path toward moral redemption mirrors the tonal balance pursued in ‘Ebenezer’.

Share your thoughts in the comments on which of these gothic ghost stories and dark holiday tales captures the spirit of ‘Ebenezer’ best.