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Lore

2017–2018Ended2 seasons12 episodes~40 min/epTV-14Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all shows

This anthology series brings to life Aaron Mahnke's titular podcast and uncovers the real-life events that spawn our darkest nightmares. Blending reenactments, animation, archive and narration, Lore reveals how our horror legends – such as vampires, werewolves and body snatchers – are rooted in truth.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Lore?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Lore streaming on Prime Video.

Subscription

Free

Reception

Is Lore worth watching?

Lore's Midcredits score is the 35th percentile of all shows, from 7K ratings across 2 sources. 63% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

35th percentile

Better received than 35% of shows

27th percentile among Documentary33rd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)35th
Approval (how many liked it)37th

Acclaim

Mixed: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

67 /100

35th percentile of all shows

25th percentile among Documentary34th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.9 — solid but not unanimous.

Approval

How many liked it

63% liked it

37th percentile of all shows

31st percentile among Documentary35th percentile among 2010s
63% rated it 7–1037% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

85th percentile

6.6K ratings across platforms

98th percentile among Documentary85th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 26% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the show's format shifted drastically between seasons, with the narration being the defining feature of season 1 and its absence making season 2 feel like a different, more conventional show.

Fans praised

  • informative historical horror with eerie re-enactments
  • compelling mix of documentary and dramatization in season 1
  • Aaron Mahnke's narration adds unique, creepy atmosphere

Detractors panned

  • season 2 dropped narration, becoming generic horror show
  • robotic, monotone narration ruins immersion in season 1
  • season 2 re-enactments lack context and feel slow

What stands out

Cinematography65

visually well-produced, especially season 2 production value

OriginalityDivisive60

unique docu-horror format in season 1, but season 2 feels generic

Sound and musicDivisive60

music choices praised in season 1, but season 2 uses generic sound

Acting55

some good actors but mixed quality, with detractors calling it cheesy

AtmosphereDivisive55

creepy in season 1, but season 2 loses eerie documentary feel

Plot and storyDivisive50

historical stories interesting but season 2 loses coherence

TensionDivisive50

slow build works in season 1, but season 2 fails to sustain suspense

Pacing40

slow, drawn-out episodes especially in season 2

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 1 point apart
  • US vs non-US 1 point apart

Episodes

2 seasons

Season 2 · 2018 · 6 episodes

  • S2E1

    Burke and Hare: In the Name of Science

    Oct 18, 201858 min
  • S2E2

    Elizabeth Bathory: Mirror, Mirror

    Oct 18, 201836 min
  • S2E3

    Hinterkaifeck: Ghosts in the Attic

    Oct 18, 201853 min
  • S2E4

    Prague Clock: The Curse of the Orloj

    Oct 18, 201840 min
  • S2E5

    Mary Webster: The Witch of Hadley

    Oct 18, 201835 min
  • S2E6

    Jack Parsons: The Devil and the Divine

    Oct 18, 201844 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Lore like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — a slow-burn watch that leaves you thinking.

Style

  • Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.
  • Cold and cerebral: Detached and precise; keeps the viewer at arm's length.

Feelings

  • Dread
  • Cold
  • Contemplative

Story

  • No archetype

How it leaves you

  • Thought-provoking
  • Unsettling

What it asks of you

  • Slow burn
  • Engaged
  • Affecting
  • Open-ended

Setting

  • Early modern
  • Stylized realism
  • Rural
  • Domestic
  • Institutional

Themes

  • Faith
  • Truth
  • Mortality
ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Heaviest: throughout
Told as
Anthology episodes · 6% of showsNew arc each season
ToneThe series treats its macabre subject matter with a solemn, academic distance, recounting historical horrors without sensationalism.
The rideThe mood is consistently tense and unsettling across episodes, with a steady undercurrent of dread and reflection.
StructureEach episode is a standalone documentary segment with a standard expository structure, employing no notable narrative devices beyond the anthology format.
Episode formatEach episode is a self-contained story with its own cast and setting, linked only by the narrated theme of real horror tales.
Season formatEach season covers a set of related stories with a new thematic focus, but the cast and settings change per episode within the season.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves viewers pondering the unsettling origins of cultural myths and the thin line between historical fact and legend.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThe series is a documentary anthology exploring real historical events that inspired horror legends, with no overarching narrative plot to fit archetypes.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9% (this title): Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% (this title) · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10% (this title): Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% (this title) · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5% (this title): Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% (this title) · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Society

Faith · 1% of showsTruth · 6% of showsMortality · 2% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series explores how folklore and myth arise from real events, questioning belief systems and the line between fact and fiction.
StanceThe series presents each story neutrally, letting the historical events and folklore speak for themselves without overt judgment.

The world

AmbientOrchestral classicalSupportive music · original score
SettingVarious historical settings across Europe and America, each episode recounting a different legend or true crime.
MusicThe score underpins the eerie atmosphere but is not prominent enough to be distinctive from the synopsis.

Content guide

Is Lore okay for kids?

TV-14

Lore is rated TV-14. As of August 29, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (58/100), sexual content at moderate (51/100), language at mild (21/100), drug and alcohol content at minimal (7/100) and frightening material at intense (72/100). Its violence and language have too few votes to rank. Overall it is heavier than 64% of TV-14 shows.

Ratings in 11 other countries
  • Canada18+
  • Germany16
  • France16
  • Belgium16
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK16
  • MexicoD
  • Norway18
  • ROAP
  • Spain16
  • SwedenFrån 15 år
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 50% of all showsHeavier than 64% of TV-14 shows
Violence & Gore
Moderate
too few votes to rank (8 votes)
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a TV-14 show
heavier than 79%
Profanity
Mild
too few votes to rank (8 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
None / Minimal
light for a TV-14 show
heavier than 5%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
heavy for a TV-14 show
heavier than 88%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is frightening material.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does Lore have?

MovieCove's classifier found 3 depicted content warnings in Lore: Gore or body horror (mild), Medical procedures (mild), Torture (mild). Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes or plot synopsis; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

Screened from limited information, so some warnings may be missing.

MildGore or body horrorMedical proceduresTorture

Cast and crew

Who is in Lore?

Cast

Aaron Mahnke
as Narrator
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Emmett J. Scanlan
as William Burke
Maimie McCoy
as Elizabeth Bathory
Josh Bowman
as Jack Parsons
Paula Malcomson
as Mary Webster
Steven Berkoff
as Dr. Kristoff Brehovy
Jürgen Prochnow
as Andreas Gruber
Robert Patrick
as Reverend Eliakim Phelps
Campbell Scott
as George Brown
Colm Feore
as Dr. Walter Freeman

More like this

What are shows like Lore?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Lore include Fear Itself (2008), American Horror Stories (2021) and Castle Rock (2018).

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What other shows share a tag with Lore?

51 other shows share the rarest tag below, kind of show: folk horror. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.