Halloween may be well behind us, and the ghouls and goblins safely back under the bed, but those still craving freaky frights will have plenty to keep them preoccupied on Tuesday, which sees the beginning of a supernatural gothic drama loaded with gore and psychosexual horror.
Much like Alan Moore's iconic graphic novel series, , Showtime's twisted new monster- mash-up (below; FX, Tuesday at 10pm) takes classic literary characters and plot arcs and places them in a fantastical setting - in this case, a post-Jack the Ripper, 1890s London. We have a vampire rubbing shoulders with a hypnotic femme fatale, Oscar Wilde's youthful eccentric Dorian Gray and a certain Dr F (Harry Treadaway; ) with his monstrous creation. They are all, of course, morally ambiguous and harbour disturbingly dark secrets.
, which takes its name from the pulp horror novellas popular in the 19th century, is the creation of scriptwriter John Logan () and stars the ever wonderful former Mr Bond Timothy Dalton as wealthy explorer Sir Malcolm Murray. When Murray's daughter, Mina (a character in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel , is kidnapped by a demonic fiend, the adventurer, along with his stoic valet, Sembene (Danny Sapani, below left, with Treadaway) enlists the help of a mysterious clairvoyant (the sultry Eva Green; ) and a drunken outlaw (Josh Hartnett; ) to explore the depths of the paranormal realm: "a half-world between what we know and fear, a place in the shadows, rarely seen but deeply felt".
Their path soon crosses those of Victor Frankenstein and the libertine Gray, who is revelling in the company of a street-smart Irish prostitute dying of consumption (Billie Piper, of fame, supplying the acres of flesh and splatters of rouge required of any worthy vampire tale). As they begin to slay fanged beasts sporting more body art than your typical NBA dunker, the rescuers soon realise their inner demons could be equally as dangerous.
It's all set in an enthrallingly rich atmosphere, like a lush, gothic B-movie, and if you're looking for something to complement the saga ( continues this evening, on FX at 10pm), then may just have the right mix of blood, sex and fear for your Tuesday chills.
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