After a slightly shaky start, (I think trying to encapsulate the stories of Frankenstein and his monster, Dracula, Dorian Gray, not to mention a rip-off of "The Exorcist", with a werewolf thrown in for good measure, might have been going a creature or two too far), "Penny Dreadful" turned out to be one of the year's more pleasant, as well as nastiest, surprises. Unlike the pretentious, art-house gore-fest that is "Hannibal" this was imaginative, fast-moving, just the right side of silly when it needed to be and intelligent, (and suitably gruesome), in just the right proportions, adhering very much to the spirit of the originals if not to their text. It was also very well acted by a decent and starry cast, (as a young Victor Frankenstein and his creature both Luke Treadaway and Rory Kinnear were outstanding while even Josh Hartnett acquitted himself quite well this time round), written and directed. For once I'm looking forward to Series Two already.
Review of Penny Dreadful
