Forever young
Carmilla review
Production company – Bloody FM
Rating – 
If you ask most horror fans “Name the two classic vampire stories?” Most will lead with Dracula. Quite rightly so. The second correct answer would be Carmilla. Call me old fashioned, call me a gatekeeper, but deep down you know I’m right. Yes, there are a few stories that predate these, and indeed, Carmilla predates Dracula by 25 years. There are also later stories you could argue are better, but really it comes down to Carmilla and Dracula.
Imagine my excitement then, when in the feed for my previously reviewed podcast Re: Dracula was updated with a trailer for Carmilla! I waited with baited breath for the release, promptly got sidetracked with other shows, and only recently ended up being able to plough through the whole lot in one go (just how I like it). This also explains the recycled post artwork. They didn’t get round to makingnew one for Carmilla, so here we are.
So what’s it about?
I’m sure the story needs no introduction, but in the interest of hitting my word count, this is the briefest and most spoiler free overview I can think of.
Laura is a teenage girl growing up in a remote castle in Austria with her father. After a coach crash nearby, Laura’s father takes charge of another young girl, Carmilla, while her mother travels on for an important engagement. She says she will return in three months to collect her.
Soon after Carmilla joins the family, she appears a bit strange. She never goes to church, sleeps all day, and sleepwalks at night. She was also told never to talk about her family history, or the reason for her mother’s business away.
As Carmilla’s stay lengthens, girls in the nearby village start falling ill with a mysterious illness… Aaaand I’m sure you can see where this is going.
Is it any good?
Let’s start with the cast. It is a who’s who of the best voice talent out there. Jonathan Sims, Karim Kronfli, Méabh de Brún, Tal Minear and Graham Rowat to name but a few, all lend their exceptional abilities to bringing this story to life.
This show is expertly adapted by Pacific S Obediah. A name you’ll remember from shows like SCP Archives and Dead Space: Deep Cover. With his track record, you know there really isn’t much to fault with this story. That’s not to say that it’s perfect however, and you’ll know by now that the higher the production quality, the harsher my review.
While the voice talent is overwhelmingly great, there are a few characters who let the side down. Particularly General Spielsdorf who unfortunately reminds me of Herr Flick from Allo Allo. For the most part though this is a brilliant addition to what I hope will be Bloody FM adapting more classic stories.
Final thoughts
If there is a vampire shaped hole in your life since Re:Dracula finished, then you’ll love this show. Even if you’ve only read the story, then I’m sure you’ll love this great adaptation. And for the love of the children of the night and their sweet music, stay away from the damn Twilight stories.
You can get Carmilla here:
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