Forgotten Television: Dracula

In an underground tomb, a hooded figure uses the blood of a fellow grave robber to raise the emaciated body of Dracula back to life.  A decade later in 1894 London, Dracula, posing as Alexander Grayson, an American entrepreneur with innovative technology appears in British society.  In reality, he is there seeking revenge against the Order of the Dragon, a secret organization that ruined his life centuries earlier.  To confuse matters, at a party on his estate, he meets a young medical student named Mina Murray (Jessica De Gouw”), who seems to be the reincarnation of his long dead wife.  Mina is involved with Jonathan Harker (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a journalist.  Her lecturer is Abrahma Van Helsing (Thomas Kretschmann), who has mysterious ties to Dracula.  Van Helsing and Dracula are both out for vengeance against the Order.  Vampires are tracked by huntsmen / huntswomen, who are trained to battle the undead.  Can Dracula get his revenge against those who wronged him, or will he fall to a huntsman? Watch and find out!

I was struck by the sheer lavish and lush visuals that were used within the series.  It is beautifully shot with gorgeous sets and wonderful cinematography, which it was nominated for in the 2014 American Society of Cinematographers awards. The series is a reimagining of the classic horror story made famous by Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel and subsequent movie adaptations.  This version bares little resemblance to anything previously done and takes the existing characters and updates their relationships to each other. This also places Dracula, not only as a romantic lead, but also as a type of antihero, introducing a new villain, the Order of the Dragon. The script is well written with witty and beautiful dialogue. The casting is also amazing, although the handsome Dracula does appear to be a bit too young but is played extraordinarily well by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Victoria Smurfit plays Lady Jayne Wetherby, a Huntswomen who finds herself falling in lust with Dracula. She is a strong and independent woman and truly an intriguing person. Katie McGrath as Lucy Westernra is Mina’s best friend who harbors secret romantic feelings for her which causes much conflict within the series.  It is honestly one of the best cast versions of Dracula I have come across, with all the characters not only looking the part, but nailing the personalities and mannerisms of these already well-established personas.

Dracula was a joint British and American series produced by Carnival Films.  It aired in the US on NBC and in the UK on Sky Living starting on October 25, 2013, and ending in January of 2014. It was cancelled after one season with a total of 10 episodes.  Thomas Kretshmann, who plays Van Helsing in this series, also played Dracula in the 2012 Italian horror film, Dracula 3D, which also stars Rutger Hauer. According to co-creator, Cole Haddon, the production of the series was made difficult by an unnamed producer meddling and changing several key decisions, which caused Haddon to nearly quit several times. Overall, this was a beautifully made and well-crafted series with some really great performances and an interesting story.