Netflix Castlevania Season 3 – Does It Live Up To The Hype?

When Castlevania dropped into Netflix’ waiting arms in 2017 no one expected much, after all video game adaptations are famously awful as a rule. It was unfortunate to be tarred with the same brush as so many cheap attempts to cash in on our love of gaming, because it was far better than anyone expected it to be.

Season 2 arrived in 2018 and was one of those beautifully rare cases of a sequel improving upon the original in every single way. The epic arc of the madness of Dracula was beautifully written, the voice acting was stunning, and we finished the series with a beautiful realisation, video game adaptations can indeed be fantastic works of art.

But this left Season 3 with a serious problem, how do you try to follow a near perfect season when your main Villain is dead, how do you handle life after Dracula?

The final episode left plot narratives to follow in Season 3; Isaac building his army in the desert, Hector kidnapped by Carmilla, Trevor and Sypha hitting the road together – and Alucard is left a broken man alone in his father’s castle.

We knew these were the story threads for Season 3, and they all excited us, but it also left us somewhat sceptical.

The question loomed large: Can the creators possibly equal the might of Season 2 without the emotional gravitas of Dracula?

The answer is impossible to put simply, but I’ll try.