The success of Netflix’s Castlevania led to the creation of a spin-off series called Castlevania: Nocturne. Many fans believed that the first season of Castlevania: Nocturne, which was released in September 2023, was much better than its parent series, and the reason behind that is the big gamble played by the directors of the series.
The gamble was that they included a lot of different aspects into a single season, which ideally should have made the series more disorganized, but somehow they managed to keep the series grounded and under their control. They maintained a balance that kept the flow of the series smooth and avoided any disruptions that could have damaged the narrative.
This helped Castlevania: Nocturne become bigger than Castlevania, which followed a similar path and almost failed. The creators learned from the parent series and decided not to repeat the same mistake once again, giving them a banger.
The Big Risk By Castlevania: Nocturne’s Director
Last year, the creators of Castlevania: Nocturne were interviewed by United Press International, where they talked about blending drama, action, horror, comedy, magic, etc. in a singular narrative. Sam Deats, the co-director of the show, explained that while they played between the lines, they also kept it completely serious and grounded.
Sam stated:
We ride the line between being schlocky and hokey on occasion, but also taking ourselves deadly serious when it matters in a universe that is meant to be grounded dialogue-wise, story-wise, but still has vampires, magic and monsters in it.
According to the co-director, as the story demanded grounded dialogues and narratives, they had to maintain a balance between doing whatever they wanted and what the story demanded.
This was only possible because of the writers, especially Clive Bradley, the writer and co-showrunner of Castlevania: Nocturne, who took the risks of the original series but still managed to keep it under control no matter what.
The Creative Difference Between Castlevania and Castlevania: Nocturne
If observed from a broader perspective, Castlevania: Nocturne has all the good qualities of Castlevania and more. The spin-off series captured the original tone of Castlevania and included its own twist through various aspects like the French Revolution, the representation of cultural elements, etc.
The original Castlevania series was written by Warren Ellis. As the series had immense success in the first two seasons, Netflix gave Ellis the freedom to operate as he liked, including two extra episodes. This led to Ellis delving deeper into the story and taking unnecessary risks that could have damaged the reputation of Castlevania and canceled its upcoming seasons.
However, Castlevania: Nocturne, as mentioned above, learned from these mistakes and decided to maintain a balance that could not only give them complete creative freedom but also avoid the extra risks that come with it by keeping the series connected to the source.
If the creators maintain the same tone for the upcoming seasons, they can surely make Castlevania: Nocturne much better and more successful than its parent series, Castlevania.
You can watch Castlevania and Castlevania: Nocturne on Netflix.
