User reviews

I'm only just now watching this. After reading the plot description, I thought it sounded ridiculous and there would be no way to intertwine horror classic characters in one show and have it be anything other than nonsense. Boy, was I wrong. The whole thing is deeply steeped in gothic horror, but they explore many other angles and do some excellent character study. Some really great acting in here, and as mentioned repeatedly, Eva Green is just spectacular.

Be wary of the low star reviews, and notice that most of them complain of it being slow. That should tell you something right there. There's nothing slow about it unless you have the attention span of a child? I don't know, it's a ridiculous claim.

Ive seen mention of the third season being not as good, I'm deep into 2 so I may see that but it won't sway my feelings. I feel like it's a gift already!

Other shows I've loved: Kingdom, The Dark, Mindhunter.

Penny Dreadful is one of the better Supernatural/Horror TV series I've ever seen. While I have to admit that I'm not the biggest supernatural fan this hooked me from the start and kept me coming back for more until the next thing I knew I binged the entire series! Eva Green & Josh Hartnett are the stars here as they lead a pretty stellar cast! I'm glad I finally gave it a chance as should you.

I actually enjoyed Penny Dreadful much more than I thought I would. I thought it would be just another another supernatural series that's worth watching but would end up forgetting after a while. It's not. I was hooked from the start. It has so many twists and turns that it will keep you entertained through the series. It's only three seasons long but they are 3 great seasons. All three seasons are equally good. Having three seasons this show never grows stale and goes out while still interesting. Eva Green and Josh Hartnett are both fantastic actors and this is some of their best work of their careers. If you're a fan of this genre then Penny Dreadful should be a must watch for you. I promise you won't be disappointed!

All hail to Eva Green! What an actress! If for nothing else you should see it for her. And I must say for all the other actors - bravo. The first season is amazing. I must say that I'm not overly fond of watching horror movies but this was something different. Let's say that not all episodes are horror. The combination of characters, the writing, the dark atmosphere, everything was brilliant. It is an interesting journey through characters such as Frankenstein, Dorian Grey etc. But I must go back to the acting and once again say it's a masterpiece. I really recommend this one.

If heaven and hell are real I pray I'm forgiven for my fascination with such dark shows. Just by looking at the poster you know this is going to be something unholy. You got Frankenstein, demons, the Christian devil himself, God, vampires like Dracula and Dorian gray, werewolves, witches, and not the pretty kind, all put in a fiendish Victorian setting with a remarkable script and great cast lineup to go with it, how could you not love this show. It's heartbreaking that it only had 3 seasons but after Vanessa Ives character arc was completed it's hard imagining the show going forward despite the assemblage of characters they could have made center of the show. It just wouldn't be the same without her.

This is definitely one of my favorite shows ever, first show I ever binge watched too. I remember wanting to watch this after seeing how genius the poster is but didn't think a horror tv show could be interesting. I got S1 late afternoon on a Friday; that was when I learnt that horrors could be intellectual, not just jump scares and gory murders. By Sunday morning I was finished with the whole series, left me feeling void inside because I knew I wasn't going to find another series like it again. If you're a fan of the genre, here's a gem for you.

Well, I'm trying to write a completely spoiler-free review here, but I guess it's safe to announce that 'Penny Dreadful' looks positively gorgeous. Great production design and cinematography: by the time we get to see Victorian London as night descends upon the city and the fog starts creeping through those narrow cobblestone alleys, nearly every frame looks like a beautiful, Gothic painting (and not once did I spot a fake looking CG-background). As far as the actors are concerned, they portray their obscure, troubled characters with a certain kind of "theatre" intensity that fits the story and the turn-of-the-century setting very well.

Story-wise I don't want to give away anything – but of course, there are unholy things lurking in the shadows that need to be fought (and they look rather convincing: the make-up effects are another strong point of this show). Like the iconic "Hammer Horror" films of old (usually starring either Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing – or both), 'Penny Dreadful' draws its setting, characters and general inspiration mainly from some famously dark tales written by Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde (and to a lesser extent from sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories). And just like the Hammer films - who may seem rather tame now but were shockingly violent for their time - this show is neither for purists of said literary works nor for the faint of heart.

While some scenes are genuinely scary in a tension building, "old school" kind of way, we also get blood soaked action sequences that will probably put off some viewers, but seem entirely appropriate given the show's title (in the 19th century a "penny dreadful" used to be a booklet of cheap, sensational fiction printed on pulp paper which could be purchased for - wait for it: a penny).

My overall verdict: 'Penny Dreadful' dishes out a hefty mix of gory violence, classic horror creatures, sex and action, but it never forgets to build atmosphere. The B-movie elements are undeniably there, but they're deliberate (the title says it all), and this is by no means a cheap affair. Beautifully crafted and with a great cast, I strongly recommend this show to anyone who likes the old "Hammer Horror" movies as well as films in the vein of Tim Burton's 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Sleepy Hollow'.

But not just for the fans of "Goth Horror" is this well worth checking out; I would say that after 'True Detective' and perhaps 'Fargo' this is one of the most promising new TV-shows of 2014.

Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/

Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Penny Dreadful doesn't get enough credit. It is a perfect show. I'm obsessed with it. I didn't find it until a couple years ago and I have already watched every season twice. I have searched for another show like this but there are none. Especially not the series to follow in the Penny Dreadful family. It is written so poetically, like a book from the same time. The sets are beautiful and capture every detail from the 19th century. Every actor played their parts perfectly, especially Eva Green. It is a dark, gothic story that is profoundly unsettling. I hope the creators can find the same magic again and create a show that is as bewitching as this.

That's not a joke... I have literally watched the entirety of Penny Dreadful 4 times now!!!

This show is SOOOO GOOD I cannot stress it enough. Why were there only 3 seasons?? I'll never understand.

The writing, the acting, the characters, the story lines, the plot, the costumes, the effects, sent straight from heaven, or maybe hell (inside joke).

Eva Green is a gift to the screen. Vanessa Ives story is such a heartbreaking and lavish horror.

If you love horror, if you love good storytelling, if you love great television I suggest you give this show a watch.

Tread carefully though, because you might end up rewatching it every year, just as I have.

Where do I begin? This series is in a class by itself..Cinematography and music score from the opening credits to the episodes themselves is stunning and breathtaking to behold...Someone creating this has the heart of a poet and the eye of an artist..The dialogues are Intense, deep and soul stirring and the entire collection of actors here come across the screen as Absolutely giving their All to the performances...their heart and soul emote thru the scenes like no other production ive ever seen..its that intense...Some people have said its centered around eva green, and while Noone can do possession like eva, she is electrifying and terrifying to behold, id still say that ALL, each and every actor in this series has extraordinary screen presence and bring an incredible level of realism and feeling to their roles..This is gothic horror at its best...The dialogues between John clare and eva or dr frankenstein are heartwrenching and gut moving to hear...the beauty in the soul of "the monster", his aching lonlieness is palpable and makes you feel for him, despite the horrors he has committed. I am loving this series, as you can surely tell..its my 2nd time watching it,as i watched it 1st when it came out and now a few yrs later im even More impressed..The opening credits and score is so beautifully done, the timing of image to music and the choice of imagery, that i find myself Wanting to watch it and listen to it...Many other shows ,one skips thru the opening credits but Not this one!...This show is Art and poetry , beauty and horror told with great depth at levels that will move ur soul...Its a treat to the senses ...It is Gothic horror storytelling at its Very Finest!

There are few moments in life when you get to drip and drool your eyes and ears at the same time, while your heart fights your soul reaching to understand and become a lover of evil. Rare are those moments. There may be many that do not share my perspective, nor do they taste my words and vision, but then again, I am sure that some are like me. Hungry to feel, to truly feel life, and thirsty for ambivalence, for the evil to have a good face and vice versa and more importantly to see that even flawed ones have a faith to preach and fulfil.

The story captures you entirely, it tenses your moral beliefs and makes you see a side of you which, in some cases, has never emerged, or, if it did, it will be like candy for children. The characters are immortal, at least the main cast. The way they can evolve is a tribute to the writer, director, producer and more importantly to them, as they go beyond themselves as individuals and become even more than a true character, they become immortal. Eva Green...was made for this role, or maybe the other way around... The historical aspect brings front characters of tales and stories, of mythological and biblical implications fluctuating the narrative line between the world of the living and that of the dead...or undead.

If the style of the above description matches your taste, you will most surely be enchanted by this series. If it does not...well, don't let my poor reenactment of the style be an obstacle in watching this truly magnificent piece of art.

It's more than a TV series, it's music, it's image, it's story. It's poetry.

A fantastic series for all 3 seasons.

Brilliantly written, great use of the characters.

Epic acting!

After a slightly shaky start, (I think trying to encapsulate the stories of Frankenstein and his monster, Dracula, Dorian Gray, not to mention a rip-off of "The Exorcist", with a werewolf thrown in for good measure, might have been going a creature or two too far), "Penny Dreadful" turned out to be one of the year's more pleasant, as well as nastiest, surprises. Unlike the pretentious, art-house gore-fest that is "Hannibal" this was imaginative, fast-moving, just the right side of silly when it needed to be and intelligent, (and suitably gruesome), in just the right proportions, adhering very much to the spirit of the originals if not to their text. It was also very well acted by a decent and starry cast, (as a young Victor Frankenstein and his creature both Luke Treadaway and Rory Kinnear were outstanding while even Josh Hartnett acquitted himself quite well this time round), written and directed. For once I'm looking forward to Series Two already.

This show has everything to make an awesome show. I was expecting a lot but after watching the first season I ended up quite disappointed. Problem is that I should have liked this show. I like this type of shows, I like Showtime shows, I like the period and the theme. I even like the main actors.

This show is strange, awkward, slow, doll, lame, boring and often quite stupid and frustrating. I was always hoping it would get better but it never did. I fell asleep many times trying to watch the whole thing. I don't get how some people can claim this is scary even a little, I've seen spiders scarier than anything in this show. Everything in this show was done better so many times...

They mix creatures like vampire, werewolf and demon and characters like Van Helsing, Frankenstein or Dorian Gray. Yet the only thing I actually found interesting was this Dorian Gray which is really just some eccentric British dude...

At first characters are interesting cause you don't know anything about them so its the mystery around their story that is interesting. Yet the more you get to know the more they become lame and boring...

There's not a lot of action and when there is some its quite ordinary, banal and lame. The main story is quite messed up, slow paced and not interesting. Again the more you understand what's going on the more you think they had nothing to say and just wanted to mix things together to make a dark Gothic show.

On a more positive note its visually awesome, the costumes, accents, scenery and everything 19th century-like is really well made. Actors are all very good. Also I like how its always dark, dark colours and dark mood. Its nice that its a very mature show for adult.

Still, if they make more of this I hope they'll come up with a story that is actually a little bit interesting... I mean, this is not asking too much...

The first episode of Penny Dreadful does a number of things right, making me hopeful for the future of this series.

1. The atmosphere is perfect: dense, Gothic, surreal and unsettling. The camera work is fluid and imaginative, and the grimy London settings are really well designed, almost expressionist at times. I was particularly impressed by the scenes in the gentlemen's club, shot from a high angle, and laid out in a curious Victorian grid-pattern.

2. The characters range from predictable but very welcome, to genuinely unique. Timothy Dalton is the former: a generic British adventurer, about equally suggestive of Alan Quatermain, as seen in Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Sir Richard Francis Burton, real-life explorer extraordinaire. But the pink-haired Egyptologist is a character I've never quite seen before. His dialog is colorful, erudite and truly off-beat.

3. The dialog, now that we're on the subject, is literate and dense. This alone would make the show worth watching. There's a Victorian flamboyance about it, but also some real intellectual content. When's the last time you heard the word "outré" spoken by a character in a TV series?

4. The pace, the steady evolution of the plot, are a refreshing change. Too many shows are forced to rush ahead because they're not really about anything. Moment-to-moment activity is all they've got. Penny Dreadful feels like it's building up something more than that. (Time will tell.)

5. Finally, a very welcome omission: the shortage of jump-scares. There's really just one, and it's placed in such a way that it's almost a spoof of itself. Several other situations, which most shows would have exploited for a cheap shock, are handled with admirable subtlety. There is some gore, but no more than needed to establish a seriously scary tone, a sense of danger.

Penny Dreadful isn't exactly going where no entertainment has gone before. It's clearly 'inspired by' two previous efforts. Most obviously, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a comic that came off rather poorly on the big screen. But also the very under-rated film Van Helsing, which brilliantly re-imagined the classic horror movies of the 1930s, but failed to find an audience perhaps because of its highly energetic style.

Penny Dreadful seems to have learned from both of these sources. Where League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was lightweight and loose with logic, Penny Dreadful is atmospheric and well-plotted. Where Van Helsing was kinetic and flamboyant, Penny Dreadful is quietly creepy.

All in all, it's off to a great start. Let's hope the producers can continue 'in the same vein.'

UPDATE: Closing in on the end of the 2nd season, my admiration for this series continues to grow. The atmosphere of Victorian menace is denser than ever. The characters more flamboyant, the dialog more poetic. I'm not sure where the story is going, or, indeed, if it needs to be headed for any specific destination, when every moment of it is so enjoyable. Rating enthusiastically unchanged: a solid 9 out of 10.

The pilot episode was a typical getting-to-know-you episode where it introduces most of the characters and some intriguing aspects. At first, I was like, "Oh gods above not another vampire show" - boy, was I wrong. By the end of the second episode, I was totally hooked by Eva Green's performance alone. Just stunning work by her in the séance scene. Totally blew me away.

Don't judge a show by it's pilot. Otherwise there would be none at all.

This show is definitely not your average telling of famous stories (vampires, Dorian Gray) as it takes the most gruesome aspects of those tales and incorporates them in whatever manner suits the storyline; Penny Dreadful does not shy away from the taboo, something that has been plaguing certain stories such as Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. This show loves the grotesque and downright sinister nature of storytelling and can depend on its actors to do the job right.

I am highly intrigued by what's to come. It's gritty, filthy, and utterly captivating. I can't see love triangles or any soap opera clichés on the horizon and that makes me optimistic.

Penny Dreadful is to horror what Game of Thrones is to fantasy and Walking Dead is to the zombie apocalypse - its all about the characters and story lines that are only possible when set in their unique universes.

This show is amazing. Everything from the sets, to the acting and directing... Eva has turned in two Emmy nomination worthy performances already.

Even if you don't like horror - go check this show out. Such a unique twist on the classics. I can't tell you how excited I am about TV right now - people are finally starting to get it... there is a market for mature, gritty, raw, and complex characters set in worlds that were once considered nerdy and childish.

I had to add a review of this show after i saw the minority of reviews were so negative, i really can't believe that anyone would rate this series at 1/10 that is a disgrace in itself. the production values would rival most high budget movies and the acting is definitely 2 steps up from anything else horror orientated on TV( with the exception of billie piper who does an irish mish mash of accents while pulling the faces of a bulldog chewing a wasp)this however is a minor complaint, even josh hartnett pulls it out of the bag as far as the rest of the cast go. If you like your classic horror tales or goth horror then this is definitely worth checking out, i grew up watching the mummy,Dracula,the wolfman and frankenstein on late night TV and i have to say this series revisits those nights curled beneath the duvet with the class and atmosphere of the tales from which it draws it's inspiration. well worth a look guys, don't let the downers put you off!!

I watched when it premiered on Showtime. I watched all three seasons, and would watch them over on-demand, the night before a new episode aired. Some of the finest television I've been fortunate enough to watch.

I loved the way they did a mash up of all the literary monsters and ghouls, and made it work. Rory Kinnear is simply amazing - truly one of the best actors, ever. Eva Green is as talented as she is beautiful. Timothy Dalton is a delight every time he's on screen, and Josh Harnett make my heart beat just a bit too fast. The sets and wardrobe are lush and beautiful.

I love everything about this series!

We finally watched Season 3 of Penny Dreadful off the Showtime App. This storyline focuses on Vanessa Ives finally meeting the man behind her persistent super natural encounters, Dracula himself. The band will need to get back together if she has any chance of ending her suffering. We also discover how Dorian and Lily's relationship ends and Dr. Frankenstein and the Monster continue to try and find themselves. This season was by far the worst one. The delivery of who The Monster was before he became the Monster could have been delivered so much better. I did like how the storyline came full circle. That was the only storyline that at least came full circle but was still a mediocre closing. The final fight sequence and the delivery of every character's conclusion felt rushed and was unfulfilling. I was so disappointed with the final episode. I'd score this season a 6/10, Season 2 a 9/10 and season 1 a 10/10.

Well I'll try and not reveal much however Penny Dreadful is most certainly one of the best series on our screens at the moment. It is somewhat of a slow burner at times however it absolutely burns with a restrained ferocity very much like it's actors and characters. There's a palpable energy in every performance as there is a lot of meat to each character. Everyone is an anit-hero and personally I find all the performances very engaging. Timothy Dalton radiates a commanding and duplicitous presence that matches Eva Green's which is hard to do. Even more surprising is Josh Harnett and Harry Treadaway keeping toe to toe with them both also. Billy Piper's just warming up too. I'm a veteran Horror fan and rarely have I seen such quality in feature length movies. I just watched the last in the current series and it was emotional, the trick to the P Team is that the monsters are center stage and they are very human. Rory Kinnear induces both horror and extreme pathos that very much surprises. Logan has crafted something special, something very well thought out and acted and executed in every aspect with care. The script is the only one on screen at the moment that reminds me of The Game of Thrones in the fact that every line of dialogue is loaded with meaning, coupled with the Victorian setting means that everyone is hiding something and every word is crafted. Very unusual and highly recommended, nothing is as it seems in Penny Dreadful and the characters are all the more relatable for their failings and apparent monstrousity.

As the creators' fascination with 19th century horror literature comes to life we are introduced with a result that is part gory part calculated constraint but a pure visual pleasure. The show takes you to a setting evoking a sense of alarm under all the intrigue.This feeling is heightened by the score which is both evocative and hauntingly beautiful.

Timothy Dalton plays Sir Malcom, an explorer, who needs to bring together this group of mysterious individuals each seemingly having a secret of their own to locate his missing daughter.

Both Dalton and Josh Hartnett are reasonably good but it's Harry Treadaway and Eva Green who steal the show with their performances. Where Green can be both cold and beautiful Treadaway does an equally good job as a young Dr. Victor Frankenstein especially in the "plant the flag on truth" scene.

With the show currently in its initial stages much remains to be seen as to how it unfolds with so many characters (monsters??!!) to be introduced into a single plot. But as of now one thing is for sure that this show seems more about thrill and gore than horror. If that excites you then this show might be for you!