In ‘Castlevania: Nocturne,’ Hot Vampires and Revolutions Make a Great Mix

In Castlevania: Nocturne, Netflix’s latest animated adaptation of the Konami video games, imperialism is the biggest vampire of all: predatory, parasitic, violent, and frustratingly long-lived. An obvious metaphor, perhaps, but to its credit, it’s never said aloud— and it makes for an enthralling change from the previous series, with some added real-world bite. It’s an ambitious, if sometimes unwieldy new start.

With the story set amidst various revolutions—American, French, Haitian—Castlevania: Nocturne’s international cast of characters each experiences oppression under imperialist rule, with showrunners Clive Bradley and Kevin Kolde, directors Samuel and Adam Deats, and their writing team using (most of) their vampires as symbolic of the nature of colonizers and aristocrats. (Netflix’s first Castlevania series creator, Warren Ellis, is out, following a series of allegations of sexual coercion.) But it’s not as ponderous as that might sound; Nocturne still carries the base appeal of vampire fiction, its fanged villains as seductive as they are monstrous.

The Castlevania series follows the bloodline of the Belmonts, a storied dynasty of vampire hunters. While the last series followed the adventures of Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), this sequel (which drops Sept. 29) picks up 300 years later, with his descendant Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel).

Read more at The Daily Beast.