The Upside Down, and 8 Fictional Worlds We’d Rather Never Visit

A new season of Netflix’s ’80s horror darling Stranger Things has arrived. The series creators, the Duffer Brothers, and its charming cast have all returned, including Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice), David Harbour (Marvel Studios’ Black Widow), Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes), and Finn Wolfhard (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and many more. Despite its expansive story, the series is yet to fully illuminate the mysteries surrounding the Upside Down, the strange parallel dimension around which the series’ supernatural horror revolves.

RELATED: Will ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Explain What the Upside Down Is?

But perhaps it’s best it remains a mystery. After all, what we know makes it seem like an objectively terrible place. Sorry, Kate Bush, nothing can stop Stranger Things’ nightmare dimension from ranking among other terrifying fictional worlds we would never dream of visiting. Ever.

The Upside Down from ‘Stranger Things’ (2016 – present)

First introduced in the first season of Stranger Things, the Upside Down is a haunted reflection of our world. To make matters worse, the Upside Down is host to the myriad of monsters that frequently assail the series’ characters and their hometown of Hawkins, Indiana.

From ever-present storms to the hostile wildlife that calls it home, Stranger Things never stops reiterating that you should never under any circumstances willingly venture into the Upside Down.

Arrakis from ‘Dune’ (2021)

Better known as Dune, Arrakis is the most iconic fictional planet in all science-fiction. Featured most recently in the 2021 sci-fi epic Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049), Arrakis was created by Frank Herbert for his novel Dune and its many sequels. A planet characterized by its relentless desert climate, Arrakis is so hostile to life that humans require a still-suit (a sophisticated outfit designed to save, recycle and store moisture) to survive under its sun.

Beyond its unforgiving climate, Arrakis is the center of political turmoil. Various houses, native tribes, and political factions fight over Spice Melange, a narcotic substance generated by the series’ iconic giant sandworms that serve as the most valuable resource in the universe. In Villeneuve’s adaptation of Herbert’s novel, unsuspecting hero Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is thrust into a war for Arrakis and its spice, a conflict set to transform his family’s future and the known universe forever.

Westeros from ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011 – 2019)

Fantasy worlds typically conjure feelings of wonder, awe, and magic at first sight. In Westeros, from HBO’s Game of Thrones, there’s plenty of wonderment to be had, provided that you can stomach the constant war, political intrigue, and the army of undead that lurks in the continent’s snowy north.

Game of Thrones isn’t your typical fantasy epic. It’s an intense political drama that depicts the struggles and intrigues of the many warriors and political leaders in competition for Westeros’ iron throne. Based on the ongoing fantasy series created by George R. R. Martin, a spin-off prequel show, House of the Dragon, is currently in the works, set three hundred years before HBO’s original series.

Oceania from ‘1984’ (1984)

Since its debut in 1984, a science-fiction film based on George Orwell’s groundbreaking dystopia novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Oceania remains the picture-perfect example of a world no moviegoer would want to visit.

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Unlike most other fictional hellscapes, Oceania is a purgatory of humanity’s own design. A totalitarian state governed by the Party, Oceania keeps its population in check through brainwashing, propaganda, and constant surveillance from the seemingly omniscient Thought Police. A chilling allegory for political repression gone too far, anyone with common sense would be glad never to set foot in this ruthless superstate.

The Continent from ‘The Witcher’ (2019 – present)

The unnamed continent of The Witcher is as terrifying as it is majestic. Created by series author Andrzej Sapkowski, the continent has appeared in Netflix’s live-action TV series, its animated spin-off film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf as well as CD Projekt Red’s video game adaptations of Sapkowski’s fantasy series, which culminated in the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

As remarkable as Sapkowski’s fantasy universe is, the Continent should be one of the last places on your places-to-visit lists. Teeming with monsters and magical creatures, humanity’s last line of defense is made up of witchers, mutated humans equipped with monster-slaying silver swords and devastating magical signs. The Netflix series follows a witcher, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), as he navigates his destiny alongside his adoptive daughter Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan).

Cronenberg Dimension from ‘Rick & Morty’ (2013 – present)

Rick & Morty, the acclaimed adult animated sitcom created by Dan Harmon (Community) and Justin Roiland (Adventure Time), has shown us plenty of bizarre planets and universes. It’s one of the best shows on Adult Swim, despite being guilty of depicting some pretty gruesome and unpleasant fictional worlds.

Take the “Cronenberg Dimension” from the ninth episode of Rick and Morty’s first season. In what is actually the series’ main timeline, scientist Rick Sanchez and his nephew/sidekick Morty unwittingly transform the planet’s population into grotesque mutants that look like they were ripped right from the brain of body-horror godfather David Cronenberg (Crimes of the Future) — hence the name. They are forced to leave their native universe, leaving their friends and family amidst the ruins of a collapsed world. If anyone else were in their shoes, we wouldn’t blame them for calling it quits on that world as well. It’s unlikely that neither Rick, Morty, nor any viewer with common-sense plans to give the Cronenberged Dimension a visit anytime soon.

Panem from ‘The Hunger Games’ (2012)

The setting for 2012’s The Hunger Games and its sequels, Panem, is a totalitarian nation divided into thirteen districts in varying states of social and economic disarray. It is ruled by President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) and home of the infamous Hunger Games, an annual event that pits teenagers from Panem’s thirteen districts against each other in a grizzly battle royale death match.

After an ecological disaster and a global conflict ended civilization as we know it, Panem rose from the ashes of what was once North America. A police state that entertains itself with the televised deaths of young people every year, Panem was a great setting for Suzanne Collins’ young adult dystopia, but it’s certainly not a state anyone should ever actually want to visit.

Arrowhead Dimension from ‘The Mist’ (2007)

Adapted from the Stephen King novella of the same name, 2007’s The Mist remains one of the boldest and most relevant monster movies to date. Directed by Frank Darabont (The Green Mile), the film begins with a storm that leaves Bridgton, in Maine, completely enveloped by an otherworldly mist. Soon, monsters beset the town, terrifying extra-dimensional creatures set on hunting the unsuspecting human populace.

While never actually named during the events of the story, the dimension from which the film’s monsters sprung forth was discovered during a secret military experiment known as Project Arrowhead. Originally designed to create a window into other worlds, the experiment was a little too successful, releasing the Mist and its many trans-dimensional beasts into the world. Wherever hell these creatures come from, it would be wise to stay away.

KEEP READING: ‘Stranger Things’: Everything We Know So Far About the Upside Down