I was asked today what does the picture mean: a wolf howling at the moon? And somehow I wasn't found, you know. Because this picture, like many other symbols, is a layer of semantic shades, a kind of cultural archetype, something directly hinting at, say, genre frames. How can such symbols be used in movies? To fetishize (I remember I had a theory in my youth about modern youth, which unconsciously picks up the tradition of clan formation, dividing into cat people, wolf people, crow people), to hint in the form of neat Easter eggs, to laugh, to change, ascribing new meanings. And you can take and just build a visual series on them, getting what we have here - false-atmosphericity, dullness, a frozen cast that does not understand what is required of it, moderate commercial success.
Scoo.
At first, I tried hard to convince myself that it was cool, probably, when there was something like this on the drawer instead of what was going on here, but the further I went, the more I was not sure. Because in fact, this same melodrama, tinted with blood and all sorts of spiders, where instead of the plot - pretexts to put the character in the right situation, where there is not even a hint of intrigue and in general something new, where you can turn off the sound or engage in parallel affairs - you will not lose anything.
It is not even possible to say with a pure heart that such and such an actor played such and such a character, because all these faces are the same symbols as blood and spiders. Already one screensaver, a stamp on the stamp, gives this creation with a head.
And the most terrible thing here, I believe, is the same unsurprising fact that the peeple groans, without hesitation, by inertia reaching for what he has already seen hundreds of times, and therefore decided to himself that he fell in love. Smart directors are able to masterfully use this traction, giving out a lot of ambiguous, but fresh finds under seemingly similar attributes, and here you are simply used, undisguised and artlessly, wrapping your head in a black bag. Forget it, go on, it's a show at its worst, it's free junk reading with a "mystical" bias that's thrown into mailboxes and parcels.
Well, so be it, fans of Eva Green can stay, once again admire the crusts of their star.
“Penny Dreadful” (and I won’t call it anything else) is, concurrently, a series of many films, and to be exact, several science fiction novels, which we have already begun to forget. What these novels lacked now was a respectful retelling and interpretation of them in a new way, and this seductive opportunity was intercepted by Penny Dreadful, and, despite the unconventionality of the genre, did it brilliantly.
The main problem, no matter how ridiculous and brazen it would not sound so soon, is that the series perfectly conveys in a new way, without departing from the main advantages of the primary sources, these very novels of the early-late XIX century. While you delve into the empty, almost meaningless main original plot, you will be delighted by these unique characters: Victor Frankenstein and his “wonderful creation”, Dr. Van Helsing, Dorian Gray and several other famous fantasy-mystical characters from English novels, about which it would be a spoiler to say a word. You will be meticulously and incredibly interesting told about each, you will see how the characters come to life, and you will believe in them. You will be able, almost for the first time, to see how cult immigrants not only isolate themselves with their stories, which are known to everyone, but also interact with each other, creating a new and unique out of dozens already learned. But the series would not have survived three episodes, if not for the forced main storyline with unique characters. The whole reproach is that the story turned out to be almost empty, having only a pinch of interesting facts and further consequences, but nothing more. This is clearly visible when you see a flashback (different to the word), a long series. You know, it’s interesting, but it’s still wrong, because it’s like stretching an already boring plot. Everything changes before our eyes when this plot begins to work like one big (albeit old and unnecessary) gear, influenced by a bunch of other gears, each of which has a stunningly dramatic background: whether it’s the complicated story of Frankenstein’s creations, Van Helsing’s revelations or the doomed quest for self in Dorian Gray – and all this graceful mechanism working in Victorian England.
But if, suddenly, you are not so interested in fantastic cult characters, then something, and the acting you should notice. Undoubtedly, the most indisputable point is the chic role of Eva Green, for whom the serial role is a new experience. I do not hesitate to believe that the role of the seductive tormentor-medium Vanessa Ives is the best thing in her career. Her scenes with demonic possessions are incomparable. And then there's the place for the grand seventh series-reference (call it what you want), which I would call a homage to the movie "The Exorcist" ("The Exorcist" 1973), which is without exaggeration, chicly staged, and William Friedkin claps standing with me. For Timothy Dalton, it’s generally “comeback,” if I may put it that way; and Josh Hartnett (known probably only from the movie “Slevin’s Lucky Number”) showed something (both live and figurative) at the end of the season.
Over. It is difficult to say how the series will develop further, but I am afraid the outcome may be the same, and over time all the iconic characters will end, and there will be no uniqueness in the plot. The series mostly kills only one thing: its main storyline. And in the first season, it came out empty, sometimes boring, and in the end, the last series looked like an excuse for its emptyness, and originality in the end and does not smell. One thing pleases, and this is one very weighty, and above all, what you need to watch “Penny Dreadful” – a new look at the cult fiction novels of England, which to this day frighten with liveliness and believability.
Strengths (1 season):
(+) Retelling on the new and old way of the cult works of science fiction writers of England of the XIX century: “Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus”, “Dracula”, “Portrait of Dorian Gray”.
(+) A beautiful mix of characters from different novels
(+) Excellent operator work
(+) Eva Green and I Hope Her First Globe
(+) Atmospheric
(+) Episode 7: Tribute to The Exorcist (1973)
Weaknesses:
(-) Very weak and empty main storyline and its banal end
(-) Secondary heroes are only secondary characters.
(-) Bad work in action, especially in the dark.
Who to start watching: fans of Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. Eva Greene; Victorian England with an admixture of mysticism based on the novels of cult science fiction.
7.5 out of 10
Old London. Dorian Gray. Frankenstein. Vampires. Van Helsing. And the ancient Egyptian gods! What a cocktail! At first glance, it seems that nothing good will come of it. Collected as many characters as possible to attract the interest of the audience.
But then everything comes together and becomes inseparable from each other.
The interweaving of these different heroes, being justified, becomes quite interesting. Traditional characters appear in a new light. And it's a new surprise.
And a set of famous and beloved, at least by me, actors. The incomparable Eva Green is perfect for the role of a girl tormented by demons. The older Josh Hartnett doesn't disappoint at all. Beautiful Timothy Dalton. And so on.
Despite some over-examination of sexual scenes, still a series that is worth watching.
The gloomy streets of Victorian-era London are ideally suited to bringing together the most famous characters from classic horror literature of the period. Here you will meet Victor Frankenstein and his Creation, Dr. Van Helsing, the eternally young Dorian Gray, as well as vampires, werewolves, Egyptian gods and, of course, the devil himself. Against the background of these sinister places will unfold even more terrible and mystical events. The gray atmosphere of hopelessness, fear and terror of people no longer waiting for salvation. This whole environment of mysticism, gloom and mystery will grow from series to series. Therefore, if someone is frightened by the abundance of characters of varying degrees of horror, then I advise you to be patient and continue watching: then each of them will be considered in more detail and everything will fall into place.
In all this (at first glance) chaoticness, there is even a stated main character - Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), who is essentially not so main. But there is no dispute - his story will be the most mysterious and unsolved (in the first season certainly). It is with the appearance of Ethan that all the other characters come to the scene, who in the future will develop quite independently of the overall story, but still influencing it. Selection of actors and their play is the main component of the series. Each character is a person with a story. And when all the stories are finally told, the picture will come together.
The story of Vanessa (Eva Greene) is perhaps the most tragic, and the scenes of her obsession are simultaneously frightening and attractive. A girl confused in her feelings and once stumbled, pays for it in full. It is the heroine of Green that brings trouble to the heroes, keeps the audience in nervous tension. From a sweet and loving friend, she moves on to an unstoppable beast. The play of these two images is so subtly combined in the inimitable Eve: it beckons like a magnet. Fatal, gothic, daring, irreconcilable - a storm of emotions that Green juggles like a magician.
Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) and His Creation. These characters’ complex relationships make them both unhappy. Their history develops according to standards that are known to almost everyone. Rory Kinner embodied a complex, ambiguous image of the Being. He showed him as a victim of circumstances, forced to commit murder. His bitterness and anger is justified and just. The image of such a Creation can cause the viewer sympathy. Watching the development of their storyline is interesting. At the end of their union, the concluded truce causes almost tears of tenderness.
The subtle, almost autistic image of the eternally young Dorian Gray perfectly succeeded Reeve Carney. Such a sublime, renounced and very beautiful image of a mystical man who has his own secrets and inefficiencies. His story is just sketched, but the blanks for the second season are left good.
Tales are not as scary as they might be. Personally, a set of all sorts of mystical creatures did not scare me at all, except for the scenes of obsession, which Eva Green conveyed in all its glory. The seed on which the whole plot rests is frankly weak, but it is very suitable as a reason for combining all storylines into one. The end of the season is also very predictable, but the remaining open cards give hope for a good second season.
8 out of 10
The series intertwines the stories of famous heroes of Gothic classic novels such as Dracula, Dorian Gray and Frankenstein. If you are a fan of the above, you will love the series. If you have never read these books and have not watched the film adaptation, then everything that happens on the screen may seem nonsense.
The advantages of the series include a talented acting, beautiful costumes and scenery corresponding to the era, an extraordinary plot. The dialogues of the characters also correspond to the style of the time, often filled with philosophical meaning. Sometimes it seems that you are reading a classic novel, and not just watching the series.
The idea of the series - to connect famous literary heroes, very interesting. But the scenario in some places looks unfinished, events do not always unfold logically, there is a lack of dynamics of actions. The series is beautiful, aged in one style, but slightly not modified, the plot is raw. There is an intrigue, but for some reason there is no impatience to solve it, there are a lot of frightening moments, but they do not cold the blood.
Still, by and large, Scary Tales was enjoyed, thanks to the air of Victorian gloomy London and stunning acting, as well as the presence of long-known and beloved literary characters.
Hopefully in season two, the creators will correct their mistakes as they have some interesting material.
Honestly, after reading the short summary and watching the trailer, I realized that the series is a little not for me. Because all the books have already been read separately from Wildovsky ' Portrait of Dorian Gray' to Shelley' Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus'. But then I remembered how beautifully almost all of those characters were put together in 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' and voila, I'm sitting with chips at the computer screen.
So I’m not going to talk about actors for long because Eva Green is Eva Green and she’s always going to be great. But everyone else didn’t play badly, but they didn’t use their full potential. What a cool actor Josh Hartnet is, but in the series he just indistinctly ran back and forth with guns, periodically cried, then ran again, then talked to everyone in a row, and, almost forgot, cried again.
The trouble here was not in him at all, but in the writers, who not only shoved too many too bright characters into the series, but also too freely disposed of their fates (read completely rewritten some stories).
Because of this, Dorian Gray was dead and just walking and smiling around the corners, and Dr. Frankenstein stamped his creatures every third Monday.
Next, the series will have a very difficult work, whether it will make it or not – it is difficult to say now, but a couple of episodes next season I will watch for sure.
The first thing you need to know about this series is that it is incredibly boring. For the entire first season, nothing will happen in the series, except the acquaintance of the main characters with each other and long, infinitely long dialogues, which are well, naturally impossible to listen to in such horse numbers. Action and intensity are not here.
During the first two episodes you expect that the series is about to accelerate, and the real show will begin, the creators even make a timid attempt to surprise the viewer, but in fact, if you are minimally educated and familiar with the style and characters of the Victorian era, you will yawn sweetly or give five to the neighbor with the words: ' Well, I told you!'.
All actors ' star cast ' the series is used in vain. These roles could play completely different, little-known people, if the authors were betting on a quality fascinating script, and not on how to lure people with famous names and a popular black topic.
This series can be recommended only to those who have not watched any other film or series on a given topic, but poorly maintained here. In other words, nobody.
The atmosphere of Victorian London has always had a special meaning for lovers of horror. It is here, despising his native Transylvanian mountains, equips his lair sinister vampire Dracula, on the night foggy pavements, wander insatiable in their hunger werewolves, and even the ancient spirits of Egyptian deities, strangely organically echo their spells of the battle of Big - Ben. Undoubtedly, where is it without the narcissistic Dorian Gray, the dual madness of Jekyll-Hyde, and also without Dr. Frankenstein, in whose anatomical workshop there are so many dark secrets.
The other characters, which are given a central place in this story, no less mysterious. Sir Malcolm Murray, the heroic explorer played by Timothy Dalton, does not lose hope in the desperate search for his kidnapped daughter, not shying away from methods, clutching at any straw. And in his assistants he has a beautiful witch-like medium Vanessa, played by Eva Greene, in whose magical eyes sometimes obsession with half-sanctity slips. Josh Harnet appears in the unusual role of a cowboy, whose past is as dark as his puppy eyes on his overgrown bearded face, and the appearance of beauty Billy Piper in the role of a street girl in general is extremely unexpected. In general, the cast of this series is very interesting, which gives hope that a fairly predictable beginning will wrap up for the audience in a fascinating narrative.
A huge plus is the realism and strong contrast that was inherent in London at the time. Poverty and poverty against lacy outfits and family jewels, luxurious carriages passing through dirty and destroyed streets - all this helps to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the narrative and, despite the fantastic plot, helps to believe. In addition to the scenes, which are very attractive and exciting with their drama, intensity and external performance, there are moments that are very repulsive and can be said to cause disgust. The question immediately arises, in the pursuit of realism and authenticity of the atmosphere, do the creators of the series overstep the stick? However, these same moments help this project, despite the novelty of the topic to break out of this twisted dark mass of horror films and TV series.
In “Pinny Horrors” there is no place for horrors at all, the main thought is tragedy, fear, hatred, and sometimes the main enemy of the heroes is misunderstanding each other. Their worst persecutor is not supernatural beings, but their own mistakes, cowardice, cruelty, and criminal complacency. Thus, the horror retreats, turning into a drama and watching the emotional experiences of the characters, and even more so if it is in a beautiful acting performance much more interesting than catching some vampires in the basements.
8 out of 10
8 points for actors, script, external performance and carefully sustained style of the entire narrative. Cons – excessive anatomy of some moments, which just “gets” in the eye, and in fact, the series, against the expectation is not particularly exciting. Looking forward to the second season, I hope it will be more dynamic.
Penny Dreadful is a stable phrase of the XIX century, used for low-quality horror novels in a cheap edition. So why does this name match the content?
The first season contains a whole mess of storylines, without any stable connection between its characters, if in "American Horror Story", the stumbling block was the purchased house, then here it was only to rely on a beautiful plot denouement of the main plot line.
Only two characters are responsible for the main line, and perhaps the reason for my negative assessment lies in them. The first is "the one who orders music" - Ser Malcolm, throughout the season, doesn't know what he wants to do with his vampire daughter Mina (worse, the character who has no purpose, only the one who knows where to go but doesn't know what's going to happen).
This is the second character, “the main killer of all script minds” – the medium Vanessa, “Fräulein” through each episode feels that somewhere, something must happen, so all the other attempts are just inappropriate for this bundle of characters with their plot branches, which should be revealed, I believe, in the second season of this opus. Other heroes of horror films, of course, touch on different ideas, but without any development or compassion, what to yourself, what to the characters of Vanessa and Malcolm.
Bottom line:
“Boulevard Horrors” is an incoherent and pathosous television action, devoid of any dynamics, stuffed with a whole troupe of literary heroes whose development is stuck at the very beginning of their appearance.
Even though I’ve watched all the episodes of the first season, I don’t think this series is very high, because I don’t think it carries any little Malian cultural value.
There are no new ideas in the series, all the characters are known, may look different, but these are minor nuances. What made me happy was the cast. The centerpiece is Eva Green and her character Vanessa Ives. It is worth noting that lately in all the films and TV series with her participation, Eva becomes a key figure, she knows how to attract attention and fascinate, although I do not consider her a beauty, and sometimes even vice versa, but she is charismatic unconditionally and there seems to be no role that could embarrass her, even in this series she was a medium and obsessed and a traitor and whore and whore and whore just wasn’t. The presence of Tim Dalton and Josh Hartnett was also pleased, in principle I liked everything except the creation of Frankenstein.
In fact, I watched the season, but I did not understand the main idea, maybe not it, the series does not instill any correct principles and generally some kind of “dirty”, “dark”, “incomprehensible”. But something catches, perhaps just the actors, I hope that if it continues after all, some idea in the finale will be outlined and everything will end logically. For now, no more than
We live in interesting times. Full-length movies are slowly but surely bent as we know them, but television is experiencing a rebirth. HBO, Netflix and others are driving the industry forward. “House of Cards”, “True Detective”, “Underground Empire”, “Breaking Bad”, “Fargo” – the list can go on for a long time. In terms of quality, budget, elaboration, cast, many projects can freely compete with feature films. Many famous directors shoot or produce for TV, and the stars of the first magnitude with pleasure are removed from them. Many genres have migrated from cinema to television and feel like a fish in the water.
Cheap Horrors — they're called Boulevard Horrors — they're also called Scary Tales, or Penny Dreadful, that's proof. Sam Mendes and John Logan, the people responsible for Skyfall, decided to create a horror thriller based on the stories and style of tabloid stories that were popular in the middle of the last century. In fact, being a crossover of famous works and urban legends of Victorian England, the series gives a good reason to guess, what would happen if all these characters really met in one place? Want to see Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and Van Helsing together? - Please! All classic plots are rewritten with the inclusion of new heroes and are closely intertwined. There were also mentions of Dracula and Werwolf, and given that the show has been renewed for season 2, the list of famous characters may well expand. Yes, we’ve seen Van Helsing with Hugh our Jackman and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with similar ideas, but the teleformat opens up entirely new possibilities in storytelling and character discovery.
The cast of "Horrors" is truly gorgeous. Eva Green is the adornment of the entire series. She's just getting a lot of money right now, and that's great. It was also nice to see Josh Hartnett and Timothy Dalton missing from the big screens again, who is very good here.
Unfortunately, the creators did not manage to go through the entire season at the same pace: in “Horrors” a very cheerful start, sagging mid-season and the finale with intrigue. But the backlog for season 2 is already quite good.
A good plot, a special gothic-dark atmosphere of Victorian London of the 19th century, great music and a well-chosen cast, coupled with the fact that the cat cried high-quality horror stories, only confirms that Penny Dreadful definitely should not be missed.
We can safely say that the horror genre was fully born and descended from the pages of such brilliant authors as Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Robert Stevenson and even the legendary work of Oscar Wilde. No modern and former film is not able to fully reveal the spirit and horror that is sharpened in this literary classic and certainly the idea of combining all these works into one full-fledged story has already inspired a certain confidence.
Especially considering the fact that the inspiration of the creators of the series were absolutely cheap at the time books “Penny dreadful”, which were sold for pennies, but were very popular among the ordinary gray mass, which lacked thrills. Summarizing all this, we can only say that something more outstanding was expected, but the creators of the series John Logan and Sam Mendez still got something.
The famous screenwriter Logan and the no less eminent director Mendez seem to have worked well on “Skyfol Coordinates” and this allowed them to pour their work into a completely different channel and genre. What they successfully reflected on the screen. The series became a literal material embodiment of horror, fear, violence, nightmares and incredible violence both in physical form and over the moral component of the viewer. Impressive, however, is how realistic that time of Victorian London was, gloomy, dark, dirty, devastating and extremely insecure.
This alone brings to the series a great level of suspense, which keeps very smooth throughout all 8 episodes of this season. When both torn limbs, internal organs, pieces of flesh, rivers of blood, brutal violence and the like become tinsel and an addition to the atmosphere filled with fear, horror, tension and suspense in the best traditions of horror films and thrillers.
The series is first and foremost a story. The creators of the series managed to finish the incredible. They not only introduced several legendary genre characters in the person of Victor Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, Van Helsing, Dracula, Werewolf and many others into one project at once, but also preserving the personal merits of each and at the same time revealing the story of each on the screen. Thus, the interaction between the characters is minimized, each of the characters reveals their personal story and against the background of what is happening on the screen, this creates an even larger story with an abundance of parallel developing storylines like a tangled tangle of events.
One of the main advantages of the series can be considered a luxurious cast. Magnificent Eva Green becomes the unambiguous treasure of this series and once again incredibly convincingly personifies the image of the Fatal Woman full of various mysteries on the screen. Special respect deserves how magnificently she played the obsession of her heroine and for this one I want to applaud her magnificent game.
It was a pleasure to see Sir Timothy Dalton, whom I have not seen for a long time in such a spectacular and interesting image that allowed me to remember how talented this actor is. I was also pleasantly surprised by Josh Hartnet, who has not appeared in major roles and projects for a long time. The image is very characteristic and strong. Reev Carney played perhaps the best and perfect incarnation of Dorian Gray in my memory, and Rory Kinnear brought something completely new to the image of the Frankenstein monster. After all, it was Kinner who first showed him not as a monster externally and internally, but as a real victim, which this creature has always been.
8 out of 10
Cheap horror is a real serial discovery in the genre of horror, mysticism and thriller, which not only unites almost all the classic “heroes” of the genre, but also allows you to look at their stories from a completely different angle. The series is very dark, atmospheric, tense, cruel, frightening and intriguing, but it makes it even more attractive.
The tabloid horrors are exactly the case when first impressions are likely to be deceptive, because from the very first minute of the story. You either underestimate the quality of what you see, or overestimate its importance, relying on the famous cast. The mystical beginning, like a warm blanket, will first slowly cover you with a wave of euphoria, lull your vigilance, and then empty the stream of just awakened screen horror. All children's horror stories from different shelves, in an instant, will be connected by one story. And you, the spectator, at this very moment will face a choice, succumb to the charms of the mysterious Miss Ives and witness a grandiose meat grinder, or vice versa, stop the nauseating spectacle. Whatever choice comes, an intriguing start is assured, don’t neglect the opportunity.
The peculiarity of this “psychosexual horror” (according to the creators themselves) is its endurance, its soullessness, if you will, and any lack of prefaces.
The fact that in the plot there are scenes of a romantic, as well as erotic nature, do not give any dynamics to the main action, but allow you to compensate for the scarcity of the idea put in the basis, due to side thematic digressions. Another specific feature is the dualism of perception, which for the most part is broadcast through the nature of the main characters: the alter ego of Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), the “dark” and “light” brainchild of young Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), as well as the contradictory feelings of Mr. Malcom towards the main character, which has clear signs of splitting personality, and finally, the immortal picture of Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), the concentration of his eternal youth and eternal suffering. The presence of halftones is another way to point out the fine line between what is happening, and to betray refinement to that nativity that truly evokes mixed feelings.
The directors have changed so many masterpieces of world classics that at first it causes interest and genuine excitement, because the identities of the central characters are not revealed, but only vaguely give clues. It is possible that the prototype for the characters of Timothy Dalton (Sir Malcolm Murray) and Danny Sembene (Sembene) are Allan Quatermane and Hottentot Hans, but here’s what to do with the mysterious female medium performed by the incomparable Eva Green, whose story is very similar to the real events set out in “Six Demons of Emily Rose”. However, the fate of the heroine remains entirely on the conscience of John Logan. And to look at Eve in the image of a lady possessed by evil forces is a true pleasure. Just as Sean Bean has a certain talent for final death, so Green has an undoubted gift of writhing and breaking out in all directions, destroying the remnants of doubt with his lead look, each time acting out a unique solo performance.
What was not particularly impressive was the image of a creature behind which the figure of the legendary and powerful Count Dracula may hide, but more like the result of the selection of an albino gremlin and a laboratory rat. But the female version of bloodsuckers is more like peas, since morphological differences are observed only in the lost daughter, Mina Harker. The monster of Victor Frankenstein did not cause a drop of horror or disgust, although it should have a priori, but most importantly it was absolutely not pitiful, which makes its resemblance to the original nominal. Finally, the absolutely inept use and senseless disposal of such an interesting person as Professor Van Helsing. No less discouraging looks and denouement, which logically was to bring the end of the first season to peak height, to accelerate properly in the final flight. But instead, only the whistling of a stone-fallen finale crushed all expectations. It is not clear what will become the leitmotif of this story, and whether it is worth continuing, because behind the scenes there is nothing left to ask.
Everyone has their own curse, opinion on the first season of “Penny Dreadful”
After watching the 1st season of Scary Tales, I remained under a huge impression of the series, it is worth noting that I planned to write a review after 3 episodes, but it was very blurry and decided to wait for the whole season. I want to share my opinion with you.
18th-century London is a rather gloomy place, Ser Malcolm Murray has long lost his daughter, but still hopes to find and save her, with the help of her connection with Vanessa Ives, but on this way it is quite difficult for them to find the truth, and as a result, they also take in their ranks a former military, and currently artist – Ethan Chandler. But they could not even imagine what they would eventually face. Because there are very unusual people in London, some of whom are very dangerous and can leave their mark on this story.
As for the script work, led by Juan Antonio Bayona, the series came out quite intriguing, despite the fact that the first two episodes took place outside the zone of my understanding, but only superficially. But then, with the development of the plot, everything happened enough, the line developed, and the characters were very interesting, each of which had its own story, and developed primarily its own line. Communication among the characters was also interesting, and developed in different ways from series to series.
As for the shooting itself, first of all, the screen managed to display this atmosphere - mysterious and gloomy. That was a great bonus for the development of the line.
As for the actors and their characters, we will consider the most frequently featured, I will start with the main star of the series Eva Green (Vannesa Ives) - what can be said is that the acting talent of Eva is quite large, and this did not prevent him from demonstrating on the screen. In fact, two different personalities turned out to be so convincingly conveyed, and in some moments her play makes the spirit translate. Thanks to this and the script, the character of Vanessa turned out to be quite great to develop before the end of the season and bring to the maximum point. Josh Harnett played Ethan Chandler, recently not so often playing, but he played his character is not bad enough, and the development of his hero is, but perhaps his story is still a lot of mysteries.
Just as with the hero Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) - part of his story is clear enough, but some lack some details to say exactly what kind of person he is, the character seems to be quite the same type and cold-blooded, but later it all turns at once and looks very cool. Harry Treadaway, who played Victor Frankenstein, turned out to be a fruit, in fact, as with Dalton, everything seems good and the character almost does not change throughout the series, one moment that turns everything around. It should also be noted that Dorian Gray has one of the mysterious roles in the series, and his identity is completely covered with mystery, but of course the answer should be in the picture.
If you add it all up, then Penny Dreadful – it turned out to be quite a convincing season, which would probably have been more 1 episode and would have been even better, but there are many mysteries for the next season, an interesting interpretation of this time with Egyptian culture. The characters in the series turned out to be very good, the main thing is that there are not all good heroes, everyone has their own secrets and they carry their own burden. The plot of the series develops very interestingly, where there is a rather gloomy atmosphere on the screen. And then the end of the season turned out to be just as good, which makes us expect the next season.
Victorian London is full of mysteries and mysteries. The fog rolls down its streets, the secrets of the night swirl in the doorways, lonely travelers disappear, and blood irrigates the pavement. Victorian London is a favorite setting for Gothic novels and films. The series “Horrors on the Cheap” [this localization of the name seems to me the most true and correct, but certainly not “Scary Tales”] is full of this very Gothic, terrible magic of the night, horrors lurking in the hearts of people. One of the best TV news of the season. Undoubtedly.
The series is a kind of crossover on famous works. Eight episodes absorbed such famous characters as Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein, the monster of Frankenstein, Mina Harker, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, fleetingly and casually mentioned Count Dracula. Given that the show has been renewed for a second season, I think this list of famous Gothic names will be replenished. Perhaps someone will not like such a mess of works, but, in my opinion, it was done well. Characters coexist harmoniously with each other, complement the story and make it more complete. And heroes like Vanessa Ives or Sir Malcolm Murray, who are the fruit of the imagination and imagination of the writers, link together all the plot threads, become a guide for the viewer and are the balance between the famous characters of Gothic novels.
I want to praise and praise the series. And start with the atmosphere. For a very long time in big cinema or on television there were no things with such a reliable atmosphere of Gothic, an aura of darkness and blackness. It seems that this saturated every frame, every episode. The action for the most part takes place at night. The shadow on the screen dominates everything. Sometimes it seems that darkness is a special character. It's so integral to the world of Cheap Horrors that in daylight, the series seems to be different. The Victorian era, which dominated Britain for almost the entire XIX century, is quite accurately reflected in the costumes and interior of each episode.
Cheap Horrors are quite frightening. Both unexpected and quick shots, and bright red, bloodshot eyes of a monster appearing in the dispersing darkness. Unexpected plot twists are enough here. The storyline itself can be both surprising and shocking, at some points it seems quite predictable. Nothing is perfect. We, the audience, are told the stories of several people, each of whom is overshadowed by secrets.
Damned. That's what I want to say about every hero of "Darrors on the Cheap." Whether it’s Vanessa Ives, who carries the burden of the devil’s curse in her body and soul, or Victor Frankenstein, who is afraid of her own child, his monster is a wandering soul in the dark, who sees only an unsightly, evil and so disgusting part of this world, or Dorian Gray, who has long forgotten how to be a man, or Sir Malcolm Murray, who spent his whole life carrying the sins of his past, born of weakness. So can be said about almost every central character of "Darrors on the Cheap." They are wrong, sinful, fallen, dragged by life and turned inside out. They are mired in darkness, stench and the stench of hell. It’s like they like to be a part of this wrong, crippled life. There are no happy and innocent here. And, often, real monsters lurk in actions, thoughts and words and do not have long fangs, claws and frightening appearance. There are also some in the series.
The cast is something Cheap Horrors can be proud of. Eva Green is the gem of the whole series, the dark goddess in this role. She is one of the most non-trivial and brightest actresses of our time. She is not at all afraid of various, black, poisonous roles. Like this. And most strikingly, it is this inner madness hidden behind a crafty smile that suits her. Witch and devil. She is. And to look at her for me is pure pleasure. One of my favorite actresses. Timothy Dalton is very good. Despite the fact that time runs inexorably forward, this actor manages to keep his eyes alive, inner strength and authentic play. It's like he never gets old. It was nice to see him in something new. I really liked Josh Hartnett. He came across the image of a courageous, somewhat simple man, who in fact turned out not to be so simple. Rory Kinner was also impressed. His Frankenstein monster is no worse than the one played by Robert De Niro in 1994. Good and Reeve Carney, depicting, in my opinion, the most convincing version of Dorian Gray, and Harry Treadaway, reliably embodied on the screen the image of Dr. Frankenstein, and Billy Piper, whose heroine is eaten by an inevitable disease. All actors are worthy and fit into the world that the showrunners recreate on screen, series after series.
"Horrors on the cheap", "Bulvar horrors", "Scary tales" - call it what you want, but the essence of this will not change. Penny Dreadful is impressive. You want to enjoy and enjoy this series, bite it a drop. The characters are bright, lively, each has its own history, harbors dark secrets in the soul and, one way or another, aspires to the light. The tangle of human relationships is extremely complicated and complex. Good and evil collide here, fighting for every human soul. In the end, everyone is free to choose who he should be: ordinary, such as many, like you and me, ordinary spectators, or those touched by the back of the hand of God.
When I first saw the poster for this series, I thought it was a regular, non-exhaustive, standard, clichéd series. However, I was pleasantly surprised after watching the first series, it completely immersed me and dragged me into the mystical, interesting, mysterious London.
With each new series, the excitement multiplied. I really liked the mystical atmosphere of this series, the mystery of some characters really delayed and does not let go until now.
I really liked the cast, I also liked the soundtrack.
Most of all, I liked the characters of Eva Green – Vanessa Ives and Reeve Carney – Dorian Gray, it is very interesting to watch these two characters, the magic between them, for interesting reasoning. It is equally interesting to watch others.
In conclusion, I can only say that this is not a clichéd series of our time, and it is very happy, every episode is damn interesting to watch.
9 out of 10
Expected incomparably more, starting to watch the series, besides the presence of Eva Green, Timothy Dalton and Josh Hartnett was very attractive. Spectacular start, slightly slowed 6 and 7 series, intriguing ending. I was surprised by the young and unknown actors portraying Frankenstein Victor and Dorian Gray. Somewhat remotely, the whole company reminded the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
It is clear that today’s sophisticated viewer is generally difficult to please, a lot may not like, something has already been, somewhere boring, but if you want to see your favorite actors, a good plot, a mystically gloomy atmosphere, hear good music, then you – here, in cheap horrors. And it is not necessary, probably, to make some very inflated requirements for the plot and performance, because the title says everything - cheap, fabulous.
I won’t say I admired the show, but! I really enjoyed watching, listening and feeling the atmosphere of the show. As a person who has seen a lot of things on the screen, I will say 7 out of 10, as a person who likes the cast, soundtrack and effects, I will say 8 out of 10.
There is intrigue, and that is important.
From the very beginning, I was skeptical about Boulevard Horrors, I do not like when too many images from different folklore are mixed into one film. Here these images abound Dorian Gray, Frankenstein, Van Helsing and so on and so on. The cast is bribed by Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Billy Piper - it's worth watching. The series is good, the gloom of Victorian London is seasoned with vulgarity and entirely strewn with secrets. There is something to be surprised, there is something to see. I did not notice high-quality, frank blunders or negligence with my unblemished look.
For me, there are only two drawbacks: excessive vulgarity, especially in scenes with the heroine of Eva Greene (she is not used to it), but if in Game of Thrones vulgarity is a kind of background to the action, then, in my opinion, she was given too much importance. And the second drawback is the finale, too crumpled it came out. All the intrigue with the search for her daughter immediately came to naught, the scene in the theater was clearly foreseen, everything came out unpredictably. Although there are mysteries for the second season, it is very interesting what will happen next.
Summing up, we can say that the series is watchable, with its charm and the gloom of dangerous London. But you don’t have to put too much expectation on him as a completely new “psychosexual horror,” they may not be justified. The series you just need to watch, immersed in the secrets of mystical Britain and stumbling upon long-known heroes in new unusual hypostases.
“Scary tales” is a TV project of a new wave, following all modern standards of serial production, here you and mysticism, and attempts to shock the viewer with naturalism, and a considerable amount of eroticism, and several truly eminent actors in the central roles, and many questions, the answers to which we will receive only by the final season of the eighth, and of course the moments that the animated Shyamalan describes in the famous meme as: “This is a turn!” They are also trying to lure us to view with the help of familiar characters, it would seem that this is the original story of the authorship of John Logan, but all the originality here lies in a somewhat non-standard look at the stories of books long known to us, and a couple of really new faces. Available: Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) (father of Mina Murray, which is a reference to Bram Stoker's Dracula), Mina herself performed by Olivia Llewellyn is also available. Malcolm Murray, however, owes his appearance to John Logan, as does Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) with Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett). Both original and borrowed from literature characters exist in somewhat modified London, presumably the Victorian era.
The main storyline tells about Malcolm Murray’s search for his daughter, in this he will help Vanessa Ives, Ethan Chandler and faithful butler Simbin (Danny Sapani). Each of the characters of the series has at least a dozen skeletons in the closet, so the plot now and then gives a tilt towards the personal stories of the characters, and this allows their characters to unfold as best as possible, but also adversely affects the dynamics of the narrative as a whole. Of the minuses, I also note too many deliberately pathetic “intellectual” conversations, which sometimes drive even the most patient viewer into anguish. “Scary tales” as if closely in the format of “mini”, several series devoted exclusively to the main plot, without distraction to the personal torment of the characters, would go to the series only to the benefit!
Acting work deserves all praise. Everyone's in their place. Eva Green stood out especially! I didn’t expect such a game from her. Probably her best role ever. A spoonful of tar in a barrel of honey, personally for me, is Reeve Carney and this, oddly enough, is the fault of Ben Barnes, Dorian in Ben’s 2009 film adaptation, came out much more interesting than what Carney showed us in “Tales”.
Costumes, decorations and visual style are good. It is a pity that just with a potentially large scope of the series, often quite chamber, the action is limited to mansions and cramped streets, there is a clear lack of scale, and most importantly, such a project needs this very scale. The budget has been affected.
Musical design works entirely on the atmosphere. By the way, in the "Tales" magnificent Gothic atmosphere!
At the end we got a very high-quality product, however, typical for today’s format. Which, despite the many advantages, lacks dynamics and a slightly more folding narrative. Also, what is quite typical today, the creators, in an effort to shock the viewer, confuse the terms “realism” with the concepts of “naturalism” and “hypertrophied cruelty”. Throughout the first season, I hesitated whether to continue watching. The final episode still tipped the scales in favor of “Scary tales”. The second season will be on the list of expected. The final verdict will be positive. After weighing all the pros and cons, I put deserved
Another costume series, where the bet is made on the cast. Too much intentional predictability prescribed by the authors to flatter the viewer. The name corresponds to the content, despite the professional camera, skirmishes with vampires look cheap: 10 equally dressed women in wigs lash out at protoganists and they begin to shoot back. And so 3 times, does not leave the feeling that now all these identical ladies on the backup dance, together with the characters will show us a staged dance from a vampire musical.
The script, among other things, contains a lot of references, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. For example, a scene with a minyon in the basement, a paraphrase of a similar scene from Bram Stoker’s Dracula is just a pitiful copy. While the story of Vanessa, in particular her stay in the clinic, reminiscent of the plot of the game “Alice: Madness Returns” (the atmosphere of the East-end corresponds to allusions) is quite watchable. But it looks like it's just a passing story about a girl who's declared crazy.
Against all this, you can put in a plus moment at a spiritualistic séance with an Egyptologist, Eve in infernal crooks is irresistible. Here's the perfect proportion of special effects, games and music. It is worth watching because of this scene.
Very strange movie. Mini series, in general, the language does not turn series. Especially so short. Briefness is the sister of talent. It is, but not in this case.
What the series wants to cover. Famous characters, which are too many in fact, an entire era of history, although a very small part of it is told. To each element of the mosaic you need at least a series, another series to develop the story of each, for pleasure, leave a couple of series on an unrelated theme with the main storyline. Then everything has to intertwine, come together and mature into the final few episodes. I see that. But the authors decided to start with confusion, even a pun, along the way trying to add more blood and horror, gradually housed, finally, the harmony of the plot, revealing the secret meaning of the first series. Then there's the scene just ripped out of The Exorcist (1973). Why? Fat question. I am writing without watching the series. Maybe that it will be possible to “clean up” the creators for last or even surprise, although it is unlikely.
No, it's not bad. A couple of heroes deserve attention. But there are too many flaws. It seems that at some point the budget was cut and what came out... There will be two more episodes next season. On the other hand, unlike the plot component, there are no claims to directing. The leitmotif of Showtime's Dexter is present. The competition for American Horror Story is not bad either.
About the actors. They're good. I haven't seen Josh Hartnett for a long time. It's not 40 nights or a hawk drop. So keep going. Purely because of my age, probably the right James Bond, for me, will always be Pierce Brosnan. But I'm happy for Timothy Dalton, too. It's almost a feat for him. A worthy player among the worthy.
What dreams in that death dream are dreamed
When is the veil of earthly feeling removed?
The place and time of action is Victorian London, with its damp dampness and nebula, spacious, uncomfortable houses and squalid chambers, darkness and otherworldly horror guarding at every corner. A city inhabited, on the one hand, by aristocrats, who hide behind the sophistication of clothes and manners tormented and abused souls, black family secrets, weaknesses, sorrows and vices, on the other hand, beggars and whores, crippled and consumed. Such is the entourage and atmosphere of the series "Penny Dreadful" (also known as "Horrors on the cheap", aka "Scary tales", aka "Bulvar horrors"). The title requires a separate remark: it is very convenient for the creators, as it can justify any banality in the script, any predictability of the plot moves, because this is just a kind of low-grade literature that became widespread after the industrial revolution (just at this time and the events of the series). These pamphlets with dark and dirty stories, flaunting all the worst that is in man, was affordable to anyone, hence their name. But, fortunately, it is not often necessary to justify the series, since it is quite original, interesting and original. We several times see references to this literary genre: performances in the theater, putting such works, Van Helsing, speaking with Frankenstein, refers to these texts as the main source of information about vampires.
The main feature that makes this series is its transcendent eclecticism in an absolutely postmodern spirit. In London streets and living rooms walk Dr. Frankenstein with his children, Dorian Gray, already mentioned Van Helsing, Mina Murray. It is worth noting that all of them quite get along (albeit not very peacefully) and organically look, no matter how wild and doubtful-specific this literary cocktail may seem. But to praise for the originality and richness of the semantic palette ideological eclecticism is unlikely to succeed: Catholicism, ancient Egyptian and Scandinavian mythology, Tarot, aestheticism, poetry of English romantics flavored with vampire stories stubbornly do not want to be formed into a general picture and serve one purpose, although individually each association is mentioned to the place and each concept is developed in moderation subtly and interesting. All this is in some places rudely inscribed in the old as the world, the story of a father who lost a child and is ready to do anything to save him.
The most important advantage of the series is, of course, caste, it is simply beyond. Let's walk through it.
Eva Greene as Vanessa Ives. This strange (in the best sense of the word) Frenchwoman with an extremely uneven acting career for the past few years was in dire need of such a strong and bright role. Greene in the favorite role of a beautiful, strong, intelligent, but internally vulnerable and broken woman. Beautiful Vanessa, possessing supernatural abilities, painfully and desperately resisting otherworldly evil, which seeks to break into this world, simultaneously taking possession of her soul. In the brilliantly played scenes of madness, Eva Greene declared herself as a worthy heiress to the great Isabel Adjani. The image of Vanessa for me is associated with a very American, prudish and completely not close to me attitude to sex. No encounter with the dark forces was without sexual intercourse, and almost no sexual act was an act of love or passion, only as a way of contact with evil.
Josh Hartnett as Ethan Chandler is good, convincing, but there is nothing to say, since the hero, although central, is not very bright and impressive. Nevertheless, in the role of a person looking for his way in life, a confused person, and an outside observer, and a romantic lover, he is very convincing.
Timothy Dalton brilliantly played the role of Sir Malcolm Murray, a fearless adventurer and traveler grieving for his daughter, in which the weakness and depravity of Kronos, devouring his children, the torment of a man torn by remorse, gradually appear. Quoting John Keats, the famously mocking prince of darkness in his performance is no less magnificent.
It is impossible not to mention the brilliant work of Rory Kinner. The very image of the Creation of Frankenstein is written out very thinly, richly and ambiguously. A monster whose soul is fiercely betrayed and tortured, has not lost the ability to experience love and gratitude.
One of the worst things is Dorian Gray. For me, it is a mystery how this role could go to an actor who does not shine with talent, beauty, or at least some charm. I understand that the second Helmut Berger, perhaps the only one who was one hundred percent fit for this role and was one hundred percent organic in it, since he possessed supernatural beauty and a great lyceum gift, will never appear, but even Ben Barnes was more appropriate, although not always convincing.
Also, a special admiration deserves excellent camera work and excellent musical accompaniment.
I’ve never been a big fan of horror, but the story somehow intrigued me. Since the series meant such a collection of heroes, I expected something more worthwhile. In the end, everything turned out boring and nasty, and not frightening and intriguing.
Let’s start with the atmosphere of the film.
Yes, the atmosphere of that time was certainly well recreated, all the dirt and grayness of Victorian London. But it's not interesting. Yeah, when the first murders and victims show up, you expect something more surprising, and we end up with heaps of corpses, blood and dismemberment. This is not to be frightened, but to be frightened. Speaking of abominations: an endless array of bed scenes that sometimes just don’t fit. Everything is somehow overly frank and built on something disgusting (for example, the sex of Dorian Gray and a dying prostitute), this is also unlikely to attract positive feedback.
Next up are the actors.
Some kind of wooden game. More is expected as usual, but no. Eva Green, who just does not come out of the image of a powerful woman, is absolutely emotionless and in the end somehow inspires boredom. If you take the rest, everything is just as simple and monotonous. Frankenstein is an ordinary loser who is afraid of his own and #39. Dorian Gray is just another pretty face and nothing more. The only more or less lively hero is the character of George Hartnett and that, he does not particularly understand what he is doing in all this brew (or is this a thing?). And as I said before, a lot of pathetic and meaningless dialogue.
What's the result? Nothing interesting. For fans of pretty boys and a slide of disgusting corpses - it will do, but for a sophisticated viewer this is not at all the same. Although, maybe there will be a sudden twist of the plot and something finally intriguing, but not yet, not particularly catchy. We can only hope.
What associations do you have with Dracula? What do you usually think of Dr. Frankenstein? What do you think about Victorian London? Of course, the answer is the same: stamps, stamps and nothing more.
Well, when I heard about the show, I was more interested in him than he was. But it was pretty clear that the creators could sit in a puddle, overdo it, or "miss" the horrors. After all, they said it would be a monster ball, nothing more or less. But they didn’t sit down, they didn’t overdo it and they did it all.
First of all, I'm fascinated by mysticism. And what could be more mystical than the very Victorian London, where Jack the Ripper and many other “funny” personalities walked. And put different monsters in there. That's a great idea.
The plot is fascinating. It seems to develop slowly, but this pace keeps you in suspense. The stories of several literary and not-so-monsters intertwine into something intricate and interesting. There is a charming but frightening Miss Vanessa Ives, beautifully played by the divine Eva Green. Balanced Sir Malcolm performed by Timothy Daoton hides something terrible and sick in his story. It is impossible not to mention the amazing Dr. Frankenstein, so alive and dead at the same time, fascinated by the mystery of life and its solution. His creation, portrayed by Rory Kinnear, evokes rejection and pity, empathy and fear. Also here is the American Ethan Chandler, hiding something terrible, and the gloomy Dorian Gray, the dark charm of which everyone seems to succumb. The secondary characters are as striking as the actors playing them. The entire cast has done a tremendous job, creating live and convex characters within the framework of clichés about monsters and monsters.
The sets and costumes, as well as the soundtrack, help to create a dark atmosphere that is not depressing, but only luring. Invites, as the heroine of Eva Green would say.
But of course, it is necessary to say again about the plot. The writers did an amazing job reworking all the famous stories about monsters. They caught a fine line: our monsters are clearly in the middle between template heroes and careless innovation. The story is still the same, it even has a vintage wrapper in the style of the original, even the taste is similar. But adding new notes, the taste is different, though familiar. The story isn't scary, not at all. This is definitely not an American Horror Story. You look forward to it, you look forward to it. But there is also a mystery that you want to unravel. Each hero has his own story, his motives, fears and desires, his secrets, and all of them are intertwined sometimes so wildly and unexpectedly that it remains only enthusiastically to sparkle with eyes. And to see the echoes of canonical stories is very pleasant.
In general, the review came out slightly chaotic and enthusiastic (and even extremely pathetic), but there were already 4 episodes, and my enthusiasm flares up with each episode more and more. I hope that the creators will be able to effectively and accurately finish this story, because so far they are doing very well.
Victorian London is an inexhaustible topic for lovers of various horrors: Count Dracula and Dorian Gray lived in it, Jack the Ripper operated in gloomy alleys, and how many authors here described the secrets of some Gothic castles - can not be counted. Not surprisingly, this city inspires all the new books, movies, TV series and so on. So the famous screenwriter John Logan, whose track record, among other things, flaunts “Sweeney Todd”, took up “Scary Tales”.
“Fairy tales”, which may well turn out to be, say, “Pinny horrors”, seem quite simple, but still have a peculiar charm. Evil and nightmares are not hidden here - on the contrary, everything will be shown in the first series, with unappetizing details from tabloid thrillers. This is the original name.
The main highlight of the series is in its casting. He is really impressive: Eva Greene in the usual role of a mysterious femme fatale, Josh Hartnett in the role of a good shooter from across the ocean, Timothy Dalton is naturally a British aristocrat. It is worth mentioning Rory Kinner, Reeve Carney, and Billy Piper – not the most famous, but interesting actors.
The obvious advantages include the music for which Abel Korzhenevsky is responsible, who wrote a charming soundtrack to Tom Ford’s “Lonely Man”.
We can’t say that the premiere of “Fairy Tales” was a landmark event, but the series itself, I think, will be a bright phenomenon and has chances for success. Quality horrors on television are lacking, and lovers of tickling their nerves (or lovers of the work of Eva Green) may well spend a few interesting hours in the company of tabloid horror stories.
I didn’t expect anything brilliant from a show called that. That's what I imagined: London, Victorian darkness, dirt and blood. But who would have thought that everything would be so bad?
From the very beginning, the creators do not want to scare us, but try to disgust us. And with each episode, they do it better and better.
Immediately a sense of disgust is caused by banal heroes. The mysterious medium-woman Sherlock Holmes (I like Eva, but she seems to go with one way from film to film) meets a tough shooter from the West (Hartnett, by the way, I also like), who fucks married ladies without asking their names, and pretends to be a mysterious lonely ranger with a difficult fate.
If in a nutshell each hero, no matter how well he was played (actors are still good) will give you his disgusting side, whether it is cowardice or incest.
Paphosic dialogues, so worn-out and out of topic that it sometimes seems that the characters are just reading a book on roles.
Some scenes are not clear at all, they do not carry any meaning. Rather, it is done simply for the general abomination, illogicality and sagging of the plot.
By the way, the plot is quite clear and predictable. We all know where these characters come from and what happened to them. And a new look at their story was supposed to be the crown feature of the series, but so far everything looks too confused and stupid.
“Scary Tales” brings together several great literary works in the Gothic genre to embody on the screen the confrontation of the forces of good and evil. The series develops a single storyline, relying on the pillars of the heroes of these works: Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray, as well as heroes no less bright, with their dark history.
Cruelty in this series is only a necessary component on the canvas of decadence. It is not surprising with what rudeness the creators deal with the victims of the offspring of the most terrible fairy tales and how “court” the main characters, giving them a unique individuality. Everything in “Scary Tales” acquires a certain otherworldly nature, where the world of the living and the world of the dead are closely walking in the gloomy London. And the recreated atmosphere of Victorian England, both the streets of the city and the external style of its inhabitants, is able to impress the scale of albeit a modest budget. Especially remember the episode of the ballroom evening in the house of the archaeologist, which ended with a spiritualistic session.
Looking into the future with hope, imagine that the plot is clearly not limited to Gray and Frankenstein, but will let other literary characters into its possession, but you are afraid, because the risk of turning “Scary Tales” into a kind of “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” is large enough that it clearly will not benefit such a series. And at the moment, after two episodes, “Scary Tales” has its own uniqueness, which, I hope, the creators will not lose with the appearance of new episodes.
London. The Victorian era. Shockingly brutal murders. And the interweaving of stories of heroes of different suits. So begins the long-awaited series Penny Dreadful.
Mysterious events, mystical stories, secrets that are necessarily covered with darkness, coupled with drama - all this attracts viewers so much. But lately things with mysticism on TV are not so much. "Supernatural" has already lost its fuss. The coven of the witches of American history brought disappointment. Perhaps, so far only Salem gives a good story, which also sometimes sags. Here is a promising project with well-known and not talentless actors in the lead roles somehow not good.
Although the series is translated as "Bulvar horrors" or "Horrors on the cheap", yet it seeks to scare and surprise the viewer. But he scares the old grandmother ways: the play of light and shadow, pumping music, a sharp appearance and darkened corners. But if TV shows like Sleepy Hollow can be forgiven for such methods of intimidation. The series with a higher level of claim is inexcusable. But the situation can be saved by monsters and all kinds of animals. In the first episode, they were vampires, which can not frighten even the biggest coward. They were killed so easily, they were not so terrible. I liked only the monster and Egyptian symbols under the skin, but he somehow quickly retreated under the gaze of Vanessa. Are you afraid of yourself?
In addition, the series is burdened with dialogue. And if these dialogues contained a sacred meaning, then at least let the whole series talk. But no, they're too pretentious and grotesque. It takes a lot of unnecessary, leading to nothing chatter.
There are many characters in Penny Dreadful. They're different. It was supposed to be the highlight of the show, and it turned out vinaigrette. Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) is a medium and Sherlock Holmes in one bottle. Greene created an interesting image of a mysterious woman with a heavy look from behind. But you won’t get enough of the whole series. Victor Frankenstein turned out to be a faceless father of many children, not a genius. And of course, Dorian Gray, who makes home videos of a dying prostitute, is the crown of this mess. In the novel, Dorian is an elegant young man with blue eyes and golden curls. And in the series he is again a sweet, dark-haired young man.
Penny Dreadful is definitely an ambitious project. But he is drowning in his own pathos. The initial credits are made qualitatively and tune into something amazing. But alas and ah, the inflating atmosphere is not shocking, and the viscous narrative makes the plot slow and stretched.
Of course, it is difficult to judge the series by one series, but I am afraid that the pros and cons are already visible. Costumes and decorations – it seems that you have already seen them somewhere: either in Van Helsing, or in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. And the plot itself seems secondary and too implausible.
Eva Greene certainly suits Victorian dresses, high hairstyles and a mysterious whisper before the crucifixion, but as much as I don’t like her arrogant eyes, even I sometimes think that she knows nothing more than to twist her lips from the realization of her power.
Josh Hartnett can’t boast of a fast-paced career and I’m afraid this role will not make him a star. Of course, he tries his best not to poop at the sight of mountains of eviscerated corpses, standing ankle-deep in blood, but so to the end and does not understand what he is doing here.
And I would like to add separately, although I am not a prude and I understand that in those times corpses were treated more easily, but the demonstration of the genitals of two corpses in 10 minutes is too much. This is just cheap outrage, not historical authenticity.
As a result, we get a completely non-must-watch series, trying to collect all the characters of old horror films on a kale and turn them into a kind of Avengers with a minus sign.
7 out of 10
Scary Tales, or, as it is called, Boulevard Horrors, is a completely new series, from which, perhaps, not so scary, but terribly interesting. This kind of mashup of literary works, made with all the elegance of Gothic and mystical trends, amazes with its beauty and unprecedented atmosphere. The creators of American Horror Story are nervously looking for a light. Dr. Frankenstein and his creation, Dorian Gray, and even Dracula himself - like a cocktail for horror stories, made in the Victorian style of London at the end of the 19th century.
It's creepy and heartbreaking, and this is just the beginning. “Scary Tales” reveals the line between the ordinary world of mortals and the “half world”, which is not as noticeable during the day as at night. It is not immediately clear who and why should flirt with the unknown and stir up the sleep of evil forces. The old man is still hoping to find his daughter, Ethan Chandler, a tabloid actor, to realize himself, and Dr. Frankenstein is laying corpses in search of truth. Of course, in such a mess only evil spirits are missing.
I assure you, they will not be taken with fear. Spiders and bats are just right. We cannot say that everyone will like it, but special lovers of specific horror stories, aesthetes and those who like to tickle their nerves – look, you can even girls, but better in the presence of boys. Do not take these "Fairy Tales" as something frightening and only, like, for example, "Nymphomaniac" Trier, which many (of course, even without briefly familiarizing themselves) perceived as another porn variety. No, “Tales” is just in some places a rather calm plot with good productions, and in some sense an esoteric story about life and death. Dr. Frankenstein, for example, believes that the main human quest must lie between these two ends of life and death.
The creators of the film were outstanding masters of their craft, who shot Gladiator and American Beauty. Well, perhaps this attempt will become a new benchmark in the genre of horror. We'll see.
For some reason, the series in the new year are more happy than ever. Starting with the third season of “Sherlock”, ending with “True Detective” (by the way, one and the other, I dare say, are worth the viewer’s attention). And in the middle of this multi-spectral staircase, Scary Tales climbed one of the highest steps. While little is known about what will be discussed next, but straight from the first episode, the viewer will be pleased with his magnificent performance such actors as Timothy Dalton, Eva Green and Josh Hartnett. You can take a look at the already quite accomplished Ms. Green, who only recently starred in the sequel to “300 Spartans”. By the way, she perfectly suits the images of negative heroines. And, if her previous role was a little weak - and she began as a very young girl in the movie "Dreamers", - then now there is something to see.
I don’t know what until the fairy tales for the night, but the mention of ancient mythology, the ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead”, and many other things – a good reason to watch this series. Everyone who liked the recently released “Only Lovers Will Survive” about vampires Adam and Eve will undoubtedly like “Scary Tales”, and not only them. Let each decide for himself, where his trait, where fear, and where fairy tales.
8 out of 10