Being the ghoul that I am, this series caught my attention immediately. Although I was wondering if it was going to be corny, or stupid, or not worth the hour and a half each episode. You know how it is these days… anything that used to be scary is now covered in glitter and “falling in love with you” (GTFOH). Well, if blood were glitter this guy would be a walking disco ball. This brand new Netflix series is a different look at one of the oldest monsters of our time. Aside from the blood, death, and dismemberment — this series is a little peculiar. But the real question here is: “Is it worth watching?” Fuck yes, and here’s why.
Ughhh… makes me want to do my nails right now!
So the trailer shows you a man depleted of almost all life (and nails), sitting in a room recounting everything that went on inside Dracula’s castle. His story — interwoven with horror and shock — is shown in great detail and is a little more twisted than I had initially anticipated. Usually vampires are known to kill their victims at the moment of consumption, so why was he left alive? “Only in blood do we find the truth”. Cringe-worthy moments of gore are delightfully scattered throughout the series. Each near 90-minute segment delved us deeper into the psyche of Dracula and into the uncanny limitlessness of his abilities. His counterpart — the nun (played by Dolly Wells) — is definitely not one to cross (ha!). She’s seen interviewing what’s left of a man in the trailer for a more intentional purpose — to finally be rid of Dracula. Everyone else has tried and died, but what makes her so confident? You need to watch and find out (not telliiiiiingggg). Now I can hardly talk about this series without ruining it but I can say that it is NOT for Twilight fans (yaaaaay!) and delivers a new view of the fiend — from one century to the next.
Through Claes Bang as “Dracula” we discover the secrets of the vampire. A vampire’s fears, desires, and most importantly throughout the series — debunking the vampire myths. Not just the myths, the reasoning behind the myths. Why can’t vampires look in mirrors? Why won’t they enter a home without being invited (other than common decency haha!)? Why is it that vampires can’t be in sunlight? Never did I ever stop to wonder why these things were a part of the vampire’s myth. I just let it go along with the rest of the story. In here, it’s a bit of “trial and error” science mixed with old school techniques to bring down an immortal serial killer by any means necessary.
As a vampire-nerd I was skeptical about watching the series, “Are they going to ruin the legend of Dracula?”. With other attempts at making a more “action-packed” version of the story, this one rings true to the general vibe of the legend. Don’t worry, Dracula can still read minds, transform into creatures, and turn mortals into the living dead for his own benefit. It’s bloody twisted (now I’m British haha!), thrilling, and mysterious –everything it needs to be. I don’t feel like it was ruined in any way, maybe even enhanced. Either way, you’ve got to be the judge for yourself. The three-part series is streaming on Netflix right now and is FOUR HOURS long in total (yikes!). Better hurry — before it gets dark.
Special shout out to all my Vampire Freaks 😉 I haven’t been on my profile in… forever!
MFKNZINE 