Castlevania is not only one of the most popular game series of all time, it’s also a fantastic anime with a lot of connections to the source material. With that said, it’s time to march straight to the castle with our list of the 10 Unknown Secrets You Don’t Know About Netflix’s Castlevania.
Number 1. The Script Was In Production For A Decade
Back in 2007, a blog run by Warren Ellis appeared to reveal that pre-production was beginning on a yet-unannounced animated film based on Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. Periodically, snippets of his script or concept art for the production would appear, trickling information for years until it finally stopped. However, even then, eagle-eyed fans kept noticing that the site’s copyright continued to update, giving a faint flicker of hope like a dying candelabra in the castle crypt, until that too stopped. Now, the blog has been laid to rest, forever entombed, but its contents live on in the form of Netflix’s series, with Ellis as the main writer.
Number 2. Gaming Music
The music of the Castlevania series has long been known and has been part of the live orchestral series of video games. Producer Adi Shankar and composer Trevor Morris both wanted to use the original game’s soundtrack as much as possible when they came up with their musical ideas. At the battle at the end of Season Two, when Sypha, Alucard, and Trevor are fighting Dracula’s generals, the background music is the main theme from many of the games.
Number 3. Adi Shankar is known for his dark Adaptation
Adi Shankar has a long history of making violent, irreverent takes on beloved nostalgic properties, and as a producer of the 2017 Castlevania, he lives up to his reputation.
Born in India, he has made a name for himself by being the executive producer of 2012’s Dredd, an excellent film based on the A.D. 2000 property Judge Dredd, whose gritty atmosphere and straightforward action created a cult fanbase.
Best of all, his version of Castlevania is very popular. He will use video game adaptation magic for another series, especially the famous Assassin’s Creed property, which will also be available on Netflix.
Number 4. Alucard’s Fast Attack
When Alucard and Trevor first met at the climax of the first season of Netflix’s Castlevania, Belmont’s heir immediately realized that he was a vampire, and the two were fighting fiercely. Alucard uses attacks that video game fans can recognize. Like other powerful vampires such as Carmilla, he can disappear and reappear in another place, usually just because he moves too fast for the human eye. In video games, he has a similar move, which is part of a special attack. This battle was the best in the show so far and ended in a tie.
Number 5. The Original Cover Art Is Referenced
NES games are notorious for covering art that either lies about the game’s content or is a rendered, nightmare version of the main character.
Thankfully, the original Castlevania’s artwork was accurate and awesome, with Simon Belmont striking a heroic pose and brandishing his deadly whip in front of the dreaded castle.
However, one oddity about the art is that Simon appeared to have a holstered sword at his side, which was never used in-game. Thankfully, Trevor makes use of that same sword throughout the Netflix series, and it’s an excellent callback to fans who have always wanted to see a Belmont let loose with the sheathed weapon.
Number 6. Character Design True To The Originals
The writer for Castlevania, Warren Ellis, is an award-winning author, well-known for many creative endeavors, such as screenplays and novels. Still, his biggest claim to fame is the work he’s done in regards to comic books. Although a large body of his work is with original series, such as Red, Trees, and Injection, he’s also spent time as a writer for Marvel, with Moon Knight, X-Men, and even the groundwork for Iron Man 3 the Extremis arc. He’s rightfully received recognition for his efforts, too, as the recipient of seven Eagle Awards in various categories, the Sidewise Award, and the Best One-Shot from Wizard Magazine.
Number 7. Bloody Tears
A song initially composed for Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest, Bloody Tears can be heard in two episodes. It’s written by Kenichi Matsubara and is easily recognizable if you’ve listened to enough original music from the series.
Number 8. Braila Is A Real City
Braila is an actual city, and yes, it is indeed located in Romania. It’s a small port town situated on the Danube river. Why it was chosen as a destination for the transportation of Dracula’s castle is unclear, but it’s a lucky coincidence for anyone obsessed with the series and who wants to do a little bit of tourism.
Number 9: Dracula And Trevor Were Both In The Hobbit
The two major players in the Castlevania series have been Dracula and the Belmont family. It only fits that both Dracula and Trevor Belmont’s voice actors in the 2017 series have a history together in one specific property: The Hobbit. Graham McTavish, the man who brings Vlad Tepes to life, has a long list of television, film, and video game credits, doing everything from playing Tommy Holiday in Creed to acting as a mercenary in Rambo. However, his time as Dwalin in The Hobbit trilogy is likely what he’s best known for in the geeky realm. As Dwalin the dwarf, he survived the ordeal of the Lonely Mountain and the Battle of the Five Armies, going on to bid farewell to Bilbo with the rest of his comrades at its conclusion.
Number 10. Hector And Isaac In Season 3
Hector and Isaac are two of the Count’s forge masters in the Castlevania Netflix series. They do also appear in the games, although not many of them. The series Netflix developed gives them very detailed backstories. With Hector being captured and made one of Carmilla’s slaves at the end of the series, it seems clear that she has hopes of replacing Dracula as the highest-ranking vampire on Earth.
What do you think about Netflix’s Castlevania? Are there any other interesting facts we missed? Let us know in the comments!
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