Penny Dreadful

Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama.

Penny Dreadful (2014-2016) is an American premium cable gothic horror series created by John Logan for Showtime. Eva Green plays Vanessa Ives, a haunted woman who joins a search for her abducted daughter in Victorian London, alongside Timothy Dalton as Malcolm Murray, a grieving explorer, and Josh Hartnett as Ethan Chandler, an American sharpshooter with a dark secret. Harry Treadaway plays Victor Frankenstein and Reeve Carney plays Dorian Gray, both drawn into a shadowy occult conflict. Across three seasons and twenty-seven episodes, the series builds a single continuing story in which the cast's private wounds meet the supernatural forces stalking the city's fog-soaked streets, its séance rooms and its hidden crypts. The engine is dread: each character wants relief from a curse or a past they cannot escape, and every step toward it draws the monsters closer. The tone is mournful, lush and brooding, with a deep melancholy beneath the gore and an unsettling sense of damnation. Its literary pedigree and atmosphere will appeal to fans of Dracula adaptations, gothic period drama and the moody monster ensembles of Hannibal and The Alienist, who want a horror story steeped in Victorian grief and faith.

Critics and audiences broadly admire the gothic atmosphere, the lush Victorian production design, and Eva Green's commanding performance, though the sprawling mythology is sometimes felt to strain.

• Dracula (1992)shared gothic horror tones, victorian monster mythology, and literary horror characters
• Dorian Grayshared dark gothic atmosphere, supernatural mystery, and literary monster ensemble
• The Alienistshared period horror, possession and occult dread in a grounded historical setting
• Hannibalshared literary monster reinterpretation and brooding supernatural drama

Created by

John Logan

Release Date

2014-05-11

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

8.2 / 10 (1579)

What is Penny Dreadful about?

Literature's most terrifying figures, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and Dracula's circle, confront supernatural evil in Victorian London.

What is Penny Dreadful like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Penny Dreadful as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.

Is Penny Dreadful violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in Penny Dreadful as graphic.

What did critics think of Penny Dreadful?

Critics and audiences broadly admire the gothic atmosphere, the lush Victorian production design, and Eva Green's commanding performance, though the sprawling mythology is sometimes felt to strain.

Which shows are like Penny Dreadful?

Shows with a similar feel include Dracula (1992), Dorian Gray, The Alienist, and Hannibal.

How long is Penny Dreadful?

Penny Dreadful: 3 seasons, 27 episodes.

Is Penny Dreadful still running?

No, Penny Dreadful has ended.

Where can I watch Penny Dreadful?

In United States, Penny Dreadful streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.