Penny Dreadful Season 1

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

It’s visceral instead of gory, and erotic instead of pornographic. Make no mistake, ‘Penny Dreadful’ is not short on either blood ‘n’ guts or sex, but rather than making these things the focus of the series or glorifying them in cheap, sleazy ways, they are there to further the action of the story, to provide atmosphere, and to illustrate how brutal and/or sensual a given situation is. As someone who is very tired of filmmakers’ tendency to slop on the graphic gore and amp up the pointless, explicit sex as soon as they know the audience they cater to is ‘mature,’ I really appreciate the seemingly subtle distinctions.

Spectacularly character-driven, this series surprised me with its daring and depth. It repackages the history and mythology of the late 1800’s for the modern audience, and it delivers new perspectives on characters from classic horror that have humanity and appeal. It is very easy to relate to them; even those who are difficult to sympathise with.

As a period and set piece, ‘Penny Dreadful’ is splendid. Sets are amazing and the costuming and makeup are superior. The presentation of 19th century London is exemplary. From adventurers’ clubs to spiritualism, various aspects of life and society of that period are woven into the storyline in ways that are not contrived.

Action and effects are surprisingly good for a TV production. Action scenes are not shy about being messy, but that isn’t something that is reveled in. Effects, while not seamless, are extremely good, and any deficiencies are easily overlooked when the end result is excellent.

Casting is superb, and everyone performs exceptionally well. Timothy Dalton is, as always, excellent. Eva Green gives what I believe to be her strongest performance ever, and the same goes for Josh Hartnett, who surprised me with his intensity. I can’t think of anyone who didn’t deliver a highly skilled performance.

As a whole, this series is superb. I recommend it unconditionally to anyone who likes action, adventure, horror, fantasy, period pieces, or just quality television.

-Jane b.

Thoroughly enjoyed this three-season series. I rarely write reviews for films, only if they truly impressed me. This did. From the moment each episode began, we were captivated with the creativity of the stories, the beautiful filming, excellent actors/acting, and the music. So well blended together, the settings & filming were absolutely wonderful. Even the opening credits were enjoyable & perfectly edited together; such visuals are rarely done so well.

Make no mistake, this is clearly entertainment for mature viewers. It is graphic: violence, gore, and sexual situations make this more appropriate for a sophisticated audience. It all flows together; the excellent characters, and a finely crafted & very interesting plot, evolve so perfectly. As each episode drew to its conclusion, we couldn’t wait to see how the writer was going to weave together such an expanding, complex plot.

Even with a great story, amazing settings, and moving, beautiful music, without the perfect cast it wouldn’t come off. Each actor, starting with Eva Green, Billie Piper, and Timothy Dalton, populate a turn-of-the-century diverse group of people we come to understand & get quite vested in. People from such disparate backgrounds, being seamlessly blended together, each bringing much needed contributions to the whole.

I could continue on, but see for yourself. Again, if blood bothers you, if easily scared by things that go “… bump in the night,” then you might want to watch the Hallmark channel. This amazing series will take the viewer on a pulse-pounding rollercoaster ride through the dark o’ night. Buckle-up and prepare for a superior journey!!

– DGMays

I learned of this series from an alert sent by Amazon. The only name I recognized was Timothy Dalton. I read some of the reviews and it sounded interesting, as I love classic horror movies and characters. I finally ordered the complete series, but it was lost in shipment. I decided to let it go, but it kept coming to mind. So I ordered the series by individual series sets. Wow. I was not prepared for this. I loved Deadwood, Dexter, and Rome, and thought I would not be shocked. Well, Penny Dreadful is dreadful to be sure, but incredible. The sets are amazing, the acting is superb, the script is eloquent and profane, and the cinematography is a work of art. Because of that, I managed to get through the first two episodes, thinking the depravity and overabundance of sex and blood would diminish. It did not. It increased. I decided to overlook these ridiculous aspects and just savor the beauty of the art, and I am glad that I did. This is an amazing series. Do not know how they managed it all. And Timothy Dalton does his best acting ever. He carries this series. I am glad that I purchased the entire series at one time. I am still hoping for less gratuitous sex and overdoing the blood, but I am adjusting.

– M. M. Joyce

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Josh Hartnett, Eva Green
Format: Multiple Formats, AC-3, Box set, Color, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Dubbed: Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 3
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: October 14, 2014
Run Time: 435 minutes