Dracula

I don’t normally review shows/series but I have stuff to say. The first two episodes are probably my favorite Dracula adaptations to date. Hokey dialogue aside, it actually manages to make Dracula scary, which shouldn’t be that hard, but everyone always seems to fail at it. The first episode is a horror story, through and through, but the second episode is something else entirely.  One of the most exciting things about this series was the change in genre between episodes. The voyage to England, which is barely touched upon in most adaptations, is possibly the most interesting portion of this tale. Rather than horror, this is more of a mansion murder mystery, but confined entirely to a ship. It’s incredible how surprising they were able to make this episode, when the end seems to be a forgone conclusion, at the start.  Then we change genres again, in ways I won’t spoil, for the final chapter. I have to say, the first half hour of this is riveting. I was so excited by the premise of this episode, it took me a while to realize that it was being completely squandered. The middle wastes the potential of the set up by focusing far too much on the other characters, when all we desperately want to see is Dracula, now more than ever. Then it has an ending that can only be described as bizarre. Just a real weird way to end what had otherwise been a tremendous series. The conclusion was so disappointing, it cast a shadow over the whole experience, I’m afraid. Still, if ever there was a way to have made a Dark Universe Dracula movie work, this was it, just cut off the last hour.