Dracula (2020) is a BBC tv miniseries, first aired on BBC One on January 1st 2020. The horror-drama is now available on BBC iPlayer and Netflix. The show was created by two very successful people in British television, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. The pair share their rendition of classic 1897 gothic horror novel, written by Bram Stoker.
Personally, I'm not particularly interested by vampires and their portrayal in modern television and film. I began this series with low expectation, simply due to my personal preference. When I realised each episode was an hour and a half long, I almost winced. However, I was won over by the first episode...then dramatically more and more disappointed by each of the following episodes.
I hate being negatively critical about people's work, though I have rarely felt this great disappointment with any other programme. If the show was consistently bad or even mediocre it wouldn't have been as frustrating, but the first episode was immensely superior to what followed. The first episode had me shocked. It was great horror, no jump scares or corny frights. It was eerie. It had an unsettling tone, making me uneasy and hooked. I was so excited with this first episode; I couldn't wait to watch more.
Episode two was a small decline, at this point the programme appeared more of a murder mystery than a horror. It was still watchable but not as remarkable. By the third episode it felt as though the show had completely gone off its original path. It was no longer horror, no eeriness. It felt almost like cheap comedy, a rushed closure. If this wasn't the final episode I would have quit at this point.
I will say a few characters kept the show together. Dracula himself was an interesting character, I enjoyed the slight humour he brought to the programme - he was very charming and likable. My favourite character by far was Sister Agatha. She was an extremely likable character. She had depth to her, a purpose and was inspiring.
By the end of the three episodes, the show was flipped upside down. We had gone from 1897 to 2020, from horror to almost comedy. It just wasn't what I signed up for.
If you wish to watch the programme, I would suggest stopping after the first episode so you don't have to experience the great disappointment that I had to endure.
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