We all know the stories of vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein’s monster from our childhoods – little did we know they would haunt us in our adult lives.
Probably one of the most horrific shows on television at the moment, ‘Penny Dreadful’ weaves these classical stories together with a plethora of new characters including Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray to scare your socks off. The show is set in the seedy corners of Victorian London.
Unlike most other horror shows, ‘Penny Dreadful’ doesn’t frighten the audience with sudden screams and bangs, but rather works on a deeper psychological level, which will have you twisting and turning in your bed.
In the first season, the protagonist of the show clairvoyant Vanessa Ives, played by Eva Green, finds herself battling unseen paranormal forces which take over her life and try to destroy everything around her. Besides that, it’s her childhood best friend Mina, who mostly torments her through visions. Vanessa is on a mission to find Mina, who is now a vampire and wants to lure Vanessa into marrying a dark paranormal entity. Thus Vanessa teams up with Sir Malcolm Murray, explorer of the African continent and Mina’s father.
To beef up her crew, Vanessa recruits a handsome American sharpshooter Ethan Chandler who is running away from his father and hiding a very dark secret of his own. In the final episode, it is revealed that Ethan is in fact a werewolf.
Sir Malcolm also kills his daughter, who captured Vanessa in order to make her her master’s bride.
The next season of the show becomes even more sinister. The dark lord isn’t too pleased that Vanessa escaped his clutches, and sets out to torment her some more. As her circle of friends grows, so does her vulnerability as witches under the order of the paranormal being find their way into her life.
This season delves deeper into the history of each of the recurring characters and reveals what aspects of their lives brought them on this particular path of fighting non-human beings. It also takes the audience to when Vanessa met a witch who taught her how to harness her psychic powers.
Season two of the show doesn’t only display the battles Vanessa and her team have with the witches, but also the fights with the demons within themselves, which is something that can resonate with the viewers on a deeper level.
The third and last season of the show takes you on another adventure as each of the main cast have to deal with their personal battles and with each other. Vanessa is battling depression, Ethan is locked up and back in America and Sir Malcolm is out on another journey in Africa. However, it’s not long before their paths cross again. This time the show is also introduced to another timeless character, or should I say characters? Dr Jekyll and his alter ego Mr Hyde.
Unfortunately, the show is coming to an end on DStv, so if you haven’t caught it yet, make your way down to the nearest DVD store and pick up the entire set.
