We’ve been telling you about the upcoming Showtime series Penny Dreadful, a reimagining of a time in Victorian England when some of the most famous characters in gothic horror, like Dr. Frankenstein and his work, vampires, and Jack the Ripper, all interacted.
Lucky for us, we don’t have to wait for the May 11 premiere to watch the first episode; Showtime has released the entire thing so we may enjoy it RIGHT NOW. I suppose they wouldn’t mind if you non-Showtime subscribers then decide that it’s time to subscribe, in order to see the rest of the episodes as they air.
Check out the synopsis and background featurettes reposted below, or just skip straight to the episode.
In PENNY DREADFUL, some of literature’s most famously terrifying characters – including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and iconic figures from the novel Dracula, all brilliantly reimagined in a whole new light – have become embroiled in Victorian London. The series stars Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down), Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights, License to Kill) and Eva Green (Casino Royale). Reeve Carney (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), Rory Kinnear (Skyfall), Billie Piper (Doctor Who, Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Harry Treadaway (The Lone Ranger) and Danny Sapani (The Bill) also star. PENNY DREADFUL is a frightening psychosexual thriller created, written and executive produced by John Logan (Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator) and executive produced by Logan’s Desert Wolf Productions, along with Oscar® winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) and Pippa Harris (Revolutionary Road, Call The Midwife), both of Neal Street. Of the eight episodes, the first two will be directed by J.A. Bayona, who helmed The Orphanage and the acclaimed film, The Impossible starring Naomi Watts in her Oscar-nominated performance.
Featurette: Penny Dreadful – Production Blog #1: What is Penny Dreadful?
Featurette: Penny Dreadful – Production Blog #2: Literary Roots
Featurette: Penny Dreadful – Production Blog #3: Coming Together
A few warnings about the episode. The captions are open, at least on my browser, and no amount of “annotations off” in the settings removed them. They’re actually helpful, except when you read captions of things that are about to happen but haven’t happened yet, so try to avert your eyes.
Also, NSFW for a few reasons: nudity, gore (happily, not at the same time), and the biggest reason of all, the sound. The quiet parts are very quiet, the loud parts are very loud, and the screams may bother your workmates.
Enjoy!
Penny Dreadful, Season 1, Episode 1
[youtube]http://youtu.be/_GMZBirzYAY[/youtube]
And thus it begins. What did you think?
Penny Dreadful, starring Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Harry Treadaway, Reeve Carney, Rory Kinnear, Billie Piper, Helen McCrory, Danny Sapaniand Simon Russell Beale, premieres Sunday, May 11 at 10/9c on Showtime.
