Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: 5 witch shows to watch before it airs

Penny Dreadful

Helen McCrory as Evelyn Poole in Penny Dreadful (season 2, episode 6). – Courtesy of IMDb, Jonathan Hession, and SHOWTIME

In my opinion, Penny Dreadful is one of the best, and most underrated, horror shows of all time. While it only got the chance to air for three short seasons on Showtime, I was still blown away by the production value, the story and the acting. Eva Green not scoring any Emmy nominations in her emotional and dynamic turn as Vanessa Ives is a travesty I can never forgive.

The 19th century gothic backdrop and themes made for a show living up to its name. It featured many famous characters from British literature including, but not limited to, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and even Count Dracula himself.

One of the reasons I loved the show so much was because it wasn’t afraid of going to the darkest realms of witchcraft. The second season featured a coven with horrific intentions. Helen McCrory played Evelyn Poole, a witch so entrenched in the dark arts as she murdered infants to create her twisted puppet machinations, which all served her master plan to marry Satan.

It’s also worth mentioning Joan Clayton (the Cut-Wife), played by the esteemed Patti LuPone (who actually played a different character in the third season of the show). She was a hedge witch who did not share Evelyn’s beliefs about occultism and for her traitorous stance she was tarred and burned alive in one of the most shocking scenes of the entire series.