Castlevania Nocturne: Season 1

Synopsis

As revolution sweeps France, Richter Belmont fights to uphold his family’s legacy and prevent the rise of a ruthless, power-hungry vampire ruler.

France, 1792 – the height of the French Revolution. In a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who promises to ‘eat the sun’ and unleash an army of vampires and nightcreatures to crush the revolution and enslave humanity. Annette, a sorceress from the Caribbean, seeks out Richter Belmont, last descendant of the long-fabled family of vampire hunters, to lead the resistance.

The 8 episode animated series premiered 28th September 2023 on Netflix.

Reviews

IGN MOVIES 9/10
PASTE MAGAZINE 8.9/10
READY STEADY CUT 4/5
STARBURST 4/5
ESPINOF 4/5
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS 3/4
COMICBOOK.COM 3.5/5
TOTAL FILM 3/5

Nocturne still has all the things that made the original Castlevania adaptation a hit across its eight episodes: brutal, bloody action; compelling, charming characters; and a keen love of the source material that knows just when to geek out and when to twist expectations and do its own thing with the decades of worldbuilding Konami’s iconic action series is built on.

James Whitbrook, io9.com

Castlevania channels violence and sensuality into something a little more sensitive than its gory, sexy vampire action would first suggest. When it manages that balance, before sparking the always electrifying spectacle of its action sequences, it’s euphoric.

Kambole Campbell, The Daily Beast

Come for the vampires and spectacular fights, stay for the characters and conversations that truly stick in your head.

Belen Edwards, Mashable

An exemplary way to take a popular game series and turn it into one of the most exciting animated adaptations yet.

Brittany Vincent, Decider

Castlevania: Nocturne, a spinoff set during the French Revolution, not only meets the lineage of its predecessor but surpasses it. While it’s just as profanity-laden, gore-soaked, and full of vampiric foes as what came before, it also offers a surprisingly thoughtful take on this subject matter. Through its complex cast and scorching cuts of animation, it delivers an affecting story about exercising the monsters of the past to fight for a brighter future.

Elijah Gonzalez, Paste Magazine, 8.9/10

With its three-dimensional characters, knotty themes of class disparity and religious corruption, kinetic battles, and macabre horrors, Castlevania: Nocturne is a can’t-miss show for fans of the previous series.

Jonathon Wilson, Ready Steady Cut, 4/5

Nocturne fleshes out detailed and contrasting characters whose complexity exceeds expectations, uprooting your expectations about where the story will go next.

James Hanton, Starburst, 4/5

Credits

Edward Bluemel

Richter Belmont

Pixie Davies

Maria Renard

Thuso Mbedu

Annette

Richard Dormer

The Abbot

Nastassja Kinski

Tera

Zahn McClarnon

Olrox

Elarica Johnson

Drolta Tzuentes

Aaron Neil

Mizrak

Sydney James Harcourt

Edouard

Franka Potente

Erzsebet Báthory

Sharon D. Clarke

Cécile Fatiman

Iain Glen

Juste Belmont

Sophie Skelton

Julia Belmont

Director

Sam Deats

Director

Adam Deats

Showrunner/Writer

Clive Bradley

Showrunner

Kevin Kolde