David Pierdomenico
Last summer, Universal tried ever so hard to cash in on the success of the Marvel and DC Cinematic Universes. Movie monster crossovers had worked for them decades ago, so why not try it again, but with a modern and gritty edge? What resulted was an extremely underwhelming The Mummy starring Tom Cruise. It was mediocre at best and threatened to ruin the entire “Dark Universe” before it even took off. What’s most interesting and inspiring to fans of the genre however, is that the 2014-2016 Showtime series Penny Dreadful already tackled similar subjects, and did so in a far superior manner.
The Trouble with Such Iconic Characters
Characters like Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein (and monster), Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, the Mummy, Dorian Gray, and several others have been around in either pop culture or literature for over a century. This works to both the benefit and detriment of many creators today. Because the characters are so old, they exist in the public domain; thus allowing anyone to write a story, book, film, or TV series about them. But because they are so widespread and so iconic, it makes it difficult to portray them memorably and effectively. Most people still think of the old Universal monsters of the 30’s and 40’s. And because of this it’s difficult to make any version of them that stand out today, especially when they’re so overused due to the fact that no one has to acquire rights for them. Since they are in ingrained into pop culture, audiences set a very high standard for appreciating new incantations of them.
A Dark Fantasy/Horror/Drama
Penny Dreadful first debuted in 2014 on Showtime in the US and Sky in the UK. Immediately, fans of dark fantasy and horror ate it up, as it was everything they had been looking for. Not only does it boast well written characters and brilliant acting (particularly from Timothy Dalton and Eva Green), but it gets the overall tone just right. The entire series emits a dark, gothic, and Victorian London feel to it. Which serves to remind audiences why they loved these characters in the first place. It successfully creates its own world where it seems perfectly plausible that all of these nightmarish creatures exist in unison with each other.
And unlike Vampire Diaries, The Originals, or True Blood, Penny Dreadful never focuses on glamour, style and sex over story and characters. It does of course have its more mature moments (it was on Showtime after all), but its focus is always more on the gothic horror element and the development of its characters. Eva Green’s Vanessa Ives is a medium that dabbles in witchcraft, but is a vulnerable open vessel to all the spirits they encounter; even becoming possessed several times. Timothy Dalton’s Malcolm Murray both captivates us, but also horrifies us with some his dark secrets. He is on a quest to find his missing daughter Mina, and enlists the help of these horror all-stars to do it. The entire ensemble of characters is compelling because they all share one common objective: making up for and overcoming the sins of their past. Despite the fact that some fans will argue the show declined in quality its last season, it was still the perfect representation of this cast of characters and how we wanted to see them in a shared universe.
Mission Impossible: The Mummy
When Universal announced they wanted to get into the cinematic universe business, they looked no further than their own classic monsters in an attempt to recapture the fame and popularity they held so many decades ago. Yet for some strange reason, they made a generic Tom Cruise action film instead of a legitimate horror. The Mummy was filled with an overcomplicated plot, every action cliché ever written, and a performance by Tom Cruise that felt like he was phoning it in. And Universal wonders why audiences found it stale. Among its long list of mistakes, the most fatal was that it tried too hard to start a franchise without focusing on making a great film. It also completely got the tone wrong.
Whereas Penny Dreadful was dark and mysterious, The Mummy was plagued by too much CGI and shoehorned jokes to make it into an action comedy. It’s as if the film didn’t know which genre it was supposed to occupy. The modern setting also didn’t help. Not that it was initially a bad idea, but there’s a certain charm to Penny Dreadful being set in the 1890’s. The time and place help breathe more life into the story. Even the 1999 Mummy film was set in the 30’s because at the time, Universal and director Stephen Sommers knew that it added to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, The Mummy did everything so wrong, it halted pre-production on several other “Dark Universe” entries that were slated to be released in the following years.
The Future of the Dark Universe
Initially Universal was already underway on pre-production and had release dates for Bride of Frankenstein (starring Angelina Jolie and Javier Bardem) and The Invisible Man (starring Johnny Depp). However both of these have been put on hold as Universal tries to figure out their next move. Rumors circulate that while these casting choices will probably change, they have not completely given up on the projects yet. Perhaps they will wait a few years, or they might even decide to start over again and let The Mummy be a forgotten relic. No matter how they proceed however, it would do them all well to watch Penny Dreadful and learn how to do gothic horror properly.
