Castlevania Season 2: 5 Reasons To Be Excited
Castlevania returns to Netflix just in time for a Halloween treat.
We are now in the thick of October, meaning we are inching closer to Halloween. It is officially time to carve your pumpkins, cover your homes in synthetic fiber spider webs, and hand out disgusting Candy Corn. Most importantly, it is the time of year we give the Horror genre our undivided attention.
Netflix has been embracing the season, streaming numerous classic horror films and original horror programming like The Haunting of Hill House, and in this spirit, we're getting a new season of Castlevania.
The show, adapted by Warren Ellis from the popular gaming franchise of the same name, centers on the land of Wallachia and the heroes fighting desperately to save it against a powerful supernatural foe on a quest for vengeance.
The first season was a largely satisfying effort, with a solid mythos, a worthy antagonist and religious commentary. There was also plenty of death, which is good when it has a purpose. With the second season due October 26th, there is plenty to look forward to as we delve deeper into the war for Wallachia.
Includes spoilers for Castlevania Season 1.
5. A Longer Season
The show's second season run will double that of the first, expanding from four episodes to eight. This is exciting simply because it is more of a good thing.
The first season was well received by critics and fans alike. Rotten Tomatoes, the review aggregator people pretend not to understand when a film they enjoy gets a low score, gave season one a 79% and 89% from critics and viewers, respectively.
Critics praised the program for its stunning animation, dark humor and compelling adaptation of story elements from the popular video games. The most consistent criticism was, you guessed it, the four-episode length.
There are various reasons why some shows run shorter than others, ranging from an initial lack of faith to production costs. In this case, what we now know as the first season was originally meant to be the first entry in a film trilogy. After pondering a theatrical run and spending some time in purgatory, the property was picked up by Netflix and the rest is history.
Netflix had to imagine a runtime that amounts to 94 minutes would seem like a bit of a tease. Still, considering its brevity, something has to be said about the show's resonance with its audience, Castlevania's production was filled with hurdles and we were fortunate to see any release. Now that the show has a following, it's going to be exciting to see where the creators take us next.