“Scary Tales” / “Penny Dreadful” (TV series, 2014-2016)

Already from the first frames of “Scary Tales” (alt. translations – “Penny Horrors”, “Horrors on the Cheap”) – make it clear to us that the series will be dark, mystical, repulsive, about creatures hiding in the shadows, and about people (and not really people) who are hunting them… Evil Hunters? Action? No my dear friend. The emphasis here is completely different, at the forefront is the personal drama of each of the characters, their fears, experiences, their struggle with themselves. That is, yes, there is a confrontation with various kinds of dark creatures, but the action here is still in smaller quantities than in some “Van Helsing”, so if you came for it, dear reader, I will disappoint you, it is in the background here.

But let’s return to the point, namely, to the fate of the heroes. And they, I must say, are not sugar. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a monster?? “What is there to think about?? She is a creature, a bullet in the forehead, a silver sword in the heart, and goodbye,” you say, and you will be right, but only partly. Most often we see monsters like this, but what if not everyone is ready to accept their essence?? What if someone resists their gut, trying to retain at least something human within themselves?? He goes through the hellish torments of losing loved ones, hating others, renouncing everything that is important and dear, and is forced to become a loner, hiding from human eyes? Of course, you can accept your essence, enjoy what is happening, taste this limitless power, this power… But are those who accepted themselves happy?? The series gives answers to almost all these questions, and sometimes gives in such a way that it would be better if you didn’t ask at all.

Sometimes you don’t have to look like an ugly creature to be a monster.
I won’t deny the fact that similar things were raised in other series, but here it is shown especially sharply, vividly, I would say, hysterically. In addition, the main characters are… well, let’s say, “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”, only in some places vice versa. Hence, in fact, the name of the series, because many of the characters came from the pages of penny pulp fiction, which, however, fulfilled its task – to instill fear in the unsavvy ordinary man in the street. Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll, one rather eminent count – these are just the few whom you will meet in this series. "It’s corny! Playing on popular images!" – someone will scream now. Well, it may be banal to put all these characters in one series, but gods, how deliciously it is shown. I’ll say more – if you took away the legendary names, the series would not have lost anything. The plot meanders from side to side, the characters rush from corner to corner, torn by the contradictions of their nature, sometimes evoking hatred in the viewer, sometimes, on the contrary, sincere sympathy. Even seemingly completely negative characters find themselves in situations where you understand that there are, in principle, no negative characters here. As well as positive. And that’s right – what kind of division into black and white can there be in a series about monsters?? Get ready for the fact that every character who took up more than a minute of screen time has some dark spots in the past. Well, in general, there will be enough interesting twists that can amaze you and change your view of what is happening. I can say that this is one of the few series in which there is no sagging in the dynamics of what is happening. There are arcs with heroes that will cause you hostility and disgust – yes, but not boredom. There is not much action, as I mentioned above, but when there is there is nothing to criticize, it is always appropriate, always juicy, and, despite the mystical nature of everything that happens, it is realistic, without any inappropriate Hollywood frills.

Dark and light? Not in this https://dynobetcasino.co.uk/withdrawal/ series.
And let’s move on to the acting, because from all of the above you might have guessed that it is the basis of what is happening here. And you believe the heroes, all these, sometimes sudden, mood swings, this bestial grin, giving way to a tired smile… Ever-young Eva Green tries the hardest (which, however, is not surprising, because her heroine, Miss Vanessa Ives, is the central character of the story), sometimes it is simply impossible to look at her without tears. Timothy Dalton, aka Sir Malcolm Murray, is not far behind her, demonstrating that, despite his gray hair, it is too early to write him off, and that he can still handle a revolver, and show on his face a range of feelings, from cold-blooded determination to pain and remorse. Well, who among us hasn’t watched “Lucky Number Slevin”, where the main character was superbly played by actor Josh Harnett. What? What does "I didn’t look" mean?? Friend, go and watch it, the film is simply gorgeous, you should be ashamed.
…So, in this series Harnett may have come out brighter and more charismatic than in the mentioned film (which is not surprising, given his difficult burden). At the same time, his character, Ethan Chandler, is an excellent shooter, and, in fact, the main provider of action in the film. When he’s on the screen, you can be sure that it won’t be boring.

Dalton is still good, but others shouldn’t be written off either.
You may now be thinking that if I singled out the famous trinity, then the rest of the actors show themselves somewhat worse, more faded? No. Everyone plays at approximately the same level, at the same excellent level. Even the silent butler Simbin, about whom practically nothing is known and who in the first episodes is basically like a silent shadow, will play his role and pleasantly surprise you by the end. What can we say about the character of Rory Kinnear (I won’t say what kind of character, because spoilers), whose story towards the end can really drive you into real melancholy. Each, I repeat, each actor plays lively, naturally, with full dedication, as if on stage, and we are not watching a series, but a theatrical production. And I assure you that you will not soon forget everything that you saw, although this is not a horror film, restless dreams may well happen to impressionable people.

A bit gloomy? Believe me, this is a pretty harmless shot.
For not only the acting plays an important role, but also the location and scenery. With this, as you might guess, everything is in order. The gloomy, foggy streets of Victorian London, fraught with the danger of becoming a victim of someone with fangs; lush social balls, which are just a beautiful screen for the crazy orgies going on behind the scenes; an industrial port area drowning in smog, where your life can suddenly be taken away by a fever; dark semi-basements where the laboratory of another diabolical genius is probably hiding; wild countryside, where the refuge of some witch with a hooked nose naturally suggests itself… The spirit of that time, its dark side are recreated so naturally that even when there are no characters on the screen, you will involuntarily shudder, or, having become accustomed, peer into the darkness, hoping to see something there that will shed light on further events and the fate of the heroes. And be prepared for the fact that the dark streets give way to episodes with quite vivid, sometimes disgusting details, from very unconventional love affairs to natural swimming in blood. We are dealing with monsters, so how can there be censorship?? But don’t worry, as I have already repeated many times, everything that happens is in place.

The ball is so beautiful… If you don’t know what’s hidden in the soul of the one who organized it.
And the cherry on the cake is the magnificent compositions of Abel Kozheniewski, sometimes dark and viscous, like blood in a silver cup, sometimes biting, fast, like the inevitability of the destined. Like in the opening credits. I generally noticed that good TV series can’t have a bad title melody, but here you literally fall in love with it.

Gorgeous, isn’t it?? And such beautiful, albeit less bright (but solely so as not to drown out what is happening on the screen) melodies will accompany us throughout the entire series, adding to the already gloomy atmosphere. And another composer, Tom Kitt, finishes us off with a lullaby in the series finale… It’s better to listen here, and listen specifically within the series, the song simply brilliantly emphasizes everything that the heroes went through.

***
Penny Dreadful is a series that not everyone will like, but it is a great series. There are no mindfucks here, you shouldn’t look for deep hidden meaning in it, the action here is also not able to capture the imagination. However, if you are interested in watching the drama, the attempts of the heroes to break themselves, emotions and feelings, you love dark aesthetics and mysticism, and want to see monsters from childhood fairy tales from some new angle – perhaps you should pay attention to this series. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.