The Best Gothic Horror Series Ever Made needs more recognition, every frame is a masterpiece

Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published 1 second ago

A big-budget gothic horror series is so rare that it can be counted on one hand, and it's even rarer that one is allowed to run long enough to tell a complete story from start to finish. 10 years ago, Penny Dreadful premiered on Showtime, bringing viewers to dark Victorian London where ghosts are real.

Dr. Frankenstein is the main character, and everywhere you look, there is a cult worshiping the demon and looking for a new sacrifice. There has never been anything like this Penny Dreadful since, and it is a wonder that we ever found this strange, uneven series where every frame looks like a piece of art.

Penny Dreadful Takes Full Advantage of the Gothic Horror Community

Penny Dreadful it begins with several stories that sometimes intersect: the main plot involves Malcolm Murray (former James Bond Timothy Dalton) looking for his daughter with the help of his childhood friend, Vanessa (Eva Green), a spiritualist. Running alongside the story of Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway, he was Narek in Star Trek: Picard) and his Creature (another Bond alum, Rory Kinnear) as they quietly lurk on the fringes of society.

Finally, we have Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney) in all his hedonistic glory, which is sometimes helpful, sometimes the devil on one's shoulder. And there's Ethan (Josh Hartnett), an American in London who crosses paths with a mysterious king for mysterious reasons.

Like Alan Moore League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Hugh Jackman Van Helsing, Penny Dreadful makes full use of classic characters available in the public domain. That's a big part of the fun of the series, which ends up bringing in werewolves, vampires, Jekyll/Hyde, Jack the Ripper, and a few others you can name to become villains. Go in as blind as possible to the various twists, betrayals, and surprises if you can help it.

Penny Dreadful Has No Detractors, Season 2 Loved By Those Who See It

Penny Dreadful Season 1 is the weakest of the three, while Season 2 achieved the rare distinction of a 100 percent new rating while taking the story in a wild new direction. This is because Who is Dr Billie Piper, who gave the best performance of her career, and the show's creative team, who found the right balance between macabre and dark humor. Season 3 moves parts of the story to America, swapping Victorian London for the Wild West, and despite major changes to the setting, it still works.

Every single season was nominated for and won many awards, including the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Eva Green as the best TV actress for Season 2. It may not be a fancy award, but when you make a horror series, there is no higher honor than seeing horror fans. your work.

There's a Spinoff Series Including a Notable Star Trek Adventure

The three seasons tell a complete story Penny Dreadfulbut years after the show ended, it came back with a spinoff, Penny Dreadful: City of Angelsstarring Natalie Dormer as Magda. He is a demon that changes the landscape of 1938 Los Angeles forever.

It only lasted one season, but while the original series featured Shazad Latif, known as Ash Tyler in Star Trek: Discoveryspinoff features Ethan Peck, Adoption Spock, aside For the Next Generation Brent Spiner. Focused on traditional Mexican history, it's not as exciting as the original Victorian London horror, but it's still a well-made, beautiful series that stands out today.

Originally a Showtime series, Penny Dreadful broke free and is now available on Pluto TV in addition to Paramount+. Penny Dreadful: City of Angels available exclusively for purchase through Amazon, YouTube, AppleTV, and Vudu. If you've never seen the original and are looking for something delightfully different, or you're craving a big-budget horror series that manages to tell the perfect story ten years later, there's no better place.