A TV show’s setting is just as crucial as its storytelling and characterization, and in fact, it will often inform how the characters live their lives. Both Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries have fascinating settings as the young adults on these popular dramas live in adorable small towns. (Well, at least at first glance, these places are cute.)
Fans of TVD can tune into the spin-off Legacies, but it’s fair to say that nothing will feel the same as the OG show, and part of that is the interesting town of Mystic Falls. It’s fun to compare Mystic Falls to Rosewood, where the liars on PLL reside, to see who wins the prize for being the most terrifying small town.
Mystic Falls: There Are Supernatural Creatures
Between the witches, werewolves, and vampires, Mystic Falls isn’t exactly a great place to live.
It’s not fun to think that between going from home to school and back again, it would be possible to run into some creatures. Because Mystic Falls has supernatural happenings and Rosewood doesn’t, this town wins in terms of its creepiness factor.
Rosewood: A Lot Of Murders Take Place
While there’s a lot of death and evil in Mystic Falls, the murder count in Rosewood does pile up pretty fast.
No one is safe and even one of Emily’s first love interests, Maya, is murdered at the beginning of the show. Because of these tragic passings, it seems fair to say that Rosewood is much creepier because anyone could go at any time.
Mystic Falls: Vampires Want What’s Owed To Them
The Vampire Diaries fans know that there’s a long history of vampires in the town of Mystic Falls. Elena’s best friend Bonnie lets the tomb open, and in doing so, she releases the vampires who want Mystic Falls to be their domain all over again.
This is incredibly creepy, as Rosewood doesn’t have any creatures who think that the town belongs to them.
Rosewood: There’s A Stalker
The mysterious A figure on Pretty Little Liars may have some flaws, but they are still pretty scary. And they are essentially a stalker.
While Mystic Falls has scary creatures (and lots of them), Rosewood has a bona fide stalker, and that makes it a lot creepier.
Mystic Falls: Elena Hangs Out In The Cemetery
Is there a creepier location than a cemetery? At the beginning of The Vampire Diaries, Elena spends a lot of time hanging out in the Mystic Falls Cemetery and she does some diary writing.
The girls on PLL don’t really hang out in such unnerving settings. Instead, they go to fancy coffee shops and restaurants, or each other’s houses, so it’s not quite as scary to see them in their daily lives.
Rosewood: It Looks Beautiful, Charming, And Wealthy
Rosewood is prettier and more charming than Mystic Falls, which makes it a lot spookier.
Every street is picture perfect, and yet a lot of evil is hiding everywhere. It’s impossible to take a look at any of the liars’ houses or the main street and not think about all of the murders that have taken place and all of the bad things that have occurred. No one would expect such evil in this kind of town.
Mystic Falls: The Salvatore House Is Basically Haunted
There are a lot of weird things about Mystic Falls, and the house that the Salvatore brothers live in is totally terrifying.
It’s basically a haunted house and would give any mansion on Halloween a run for its money. Kids could definitely come here on October 31st and they would probably have trouble making it through the entire place as they would find it so creepy.
Rosewood: Ali’s Disappearance Is Definitely Dark
Rosewood isn’t an actual town and Alison DiLaurentis isn’t a real person, yet her disappearance seriously freaks fans out.
Once fans learn the truth, it’s even worse. Ali only pretended to disappear? She actually ran away? Bethany Young was buried when she was actually still breathing and alive? It’s absolutely insane, and the idea that this could happen in such a pretty town is up there on the creep scale.
Mystic Falls: People Come Back From The Dead
Mystic Falls has a lot of people who come back from the dead. This has got to be one of the most horrifying things about this small town.
From Elena to her brother Jeremy, characters are constantly dying and then they’re back almost a minute later. It’s unnerving, to say the least.
Rosewood: Teens Always Get The Blame
There are many bad guys on Pretty Little Liars, but most of all, the main characters seem to get the blame for everything that happens in Rosewood.
Considering the fact that these main characters are teenage girls, that’s definitely creepy. It never occurs to the adults that these girls are super young and they are being tormented, too. It’s not fair that they are always getting into trouble when they’re the ones who are suffering the most.
