One thing that I don’t think has been made clear thus far: the CASTLEVANIA film is not, as it were, for children.
What brought me onboard, beyond the word CASTLEVANIA, was producer Kevin Kolde telling me upfront that he did not want this to be a kids’ movie. The freedom of d2DVD meant that we could tell the story without filters, in whatever way we deemed best.
I said something like “thank fuck for that.” Not only because I basically have no manners, but because animation on tv has a shedload of weeiiirrrdd rules. I’ve been involved in tv animation for the US a little bit — developed a series that didn’t go anywhere, wrote an episode of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED — and had a taste of that. I’m not saying I wouldn’t do it again, but I’m very well aware of what I’d be letting myself in for, and the idea of writing 80 concurrent minutes that had to adhere to Standards & Practises just makes me shudder.
CASTLEVANIA is, therefore, Not For Children.
What does this mean in practise? Does this mean blood up the walls, people hitting each other with heavy sacks full of abortions, the leathery flap and unf of vampire skullfucking and seemingly unending scenes of tentacle rape?
Well… what’s it worth to you? Let’s see some money. The line forms over there on the right.
25 responses so far ↓
Danial // May 4, 2007 at 10:44 am
An American production told through animation that isn’t intended for children? I thought such a creature could never exist.
This project sounds too good to be true .
btw Warren, which is your favorite game?
Warren // May 4, 2007 at 11:27 am
I like the Spider Solitaire that came with Windows XP SP2.
Garou // May 4, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Since I played the second GBA Castlevania where you are attacked by jumping impaling-stakes with stabbed corpses on them I don’t think anymore about Castlevania is for children…
Gordy Toler // May 4, 2007 at 6:35 pm
It all sounds good, but you throw in a little bloody tentacle abortion skullfucking on top of it and I’ll be on board.
Someone’s gotta top Salo someday. Might as well be you, right now.
Jenny // May 4, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Bleh to the abortion sacks, but will there be curry-slinging skeletal waiters?
PoisonMushroom.Org - Combing the Net So You Don’t Have To » Blog Archive » The Daily ‘Shroom - 5/5/07 // May 4, 2007 at 10:37 pm
[…] regards Castlevania: Dracula’s Curse, writer Warren Ellis has a few more things to […]
G-Han // May 5, 2007 at 12:48 am
Remember that huge rotting corpse as boss in the Necromancy Laboratory at the end of Symphony of the Night? I do believe that wasn’t mentioned for children too, since it was an optional boss - or I do believe so. If you had to ask me, just make it bloody. ^^
Warren // May 5, 2007 at 4:16 am
I think there would have to be, don’t you?
Also, eyeball violence.
Richter Belmont // May 6, 2007 at 4:22 am
Forget about eviscerations. The plot is what needs to reflects maturity and that the movie is oriented for adults.
If I’d want blood and gore I’ll go and watch some Slasher movies.
Frank B. // May 6, 2007 at 12:29 pm
As long as it’s done tastefully, bad words couldn’t hurt. I mean, I don’t expect Trevor or Dracula to be cursing like sailors, or using all the up-to-date street lingo, but I wouldn’t mind the casual “You son of a bitch!” or “BASTARD!!!!”.
And as for violence, that’s pretty much expected. Hats off if you can deliver some meaty and messy action. I mean, impaled heads on pikes, zombies with intestines hanging out, vampires biting people in the jugular and the blood comes spraying out. People being ripped apart. Wonderful bloody good time!
Otaku-Man // May 7, 2007 at 7:41 am
Bad words? Oh hell yes! And if the Ultimate Avengers area any indication, this could end up on Toonami’s Saturday movie set ups easily. Sure they’d edit out bad words, but for the hardcore like us, we’ll definitly buy the DVD and get the full version as IGA and Warren intended.
And I have got to check this site more often now that Warren’s commenting.
~Otaku-Man
P.S. I remember someone here mentioning that they wrote for Justice League. Which episodes and who wrote them?
old axe // May 7, 2007 at 6:00 pm
“Forget about eviscerations. The plot is what needs to reflects maturity and that the movie is oriented for adults.
If I’d want blood and gore I’ll go and watch some Slasher movies.”
Seconded!
I guess its nice to know that you could probably give spraying blood more screentime than the main characters and some idiots would still watch (they always do), but I think the gaming populace is a little sick of seeing their games dumbed down, especially in movies. Like “Richter” there said - if we just wanted mindless blood, we would watch a slasher movie.
Stay true to the games (er…but with better voice acting obviously). Castlevania is surely violent, but the series has a distinct creepy but classy gothic style that would be ruined by too much distasteful slasher flavor. In too many animated features, the violence is animated as if the characters are pressurized sacks filled with blood.
That is super lame and it gets old really quick.
It sounds like you are trying to make this project as nonlame as possible. Please continue to do so.
Nonlameness is good.
leetdood // May 8, 2007 at 5:47 am
I will accept anything written by you… as long as it has “Die, monster. You don’t belong in this world!”. That quote is a must.
Mattias // May 8, 2007 at 6:41 am
Blood up the walls will suffice
Dr. 7 // May 8, 2007 at 7:43 am
Blood and guts eh? Just what a castlevania title needs. none of this “softened up” chicainery to please the squeamish. i say bring on the vampire bloodlust, the brooding legion of blood-spewing corpses, and all-around fantastic satanism. Mr. Ellis, you asked what it’s worth to us, and I offer up a jar of entrails and the souls of a million baby foetuses.
to richter belmont:
expect something better from castlevania other than the “slasher film” gore, and you are expecting too much. think about this; castlevania’s most memorable moments are in the intricately grotesque enemies (in this case, legion and beezlebub) but not in the semi-poor voice acting of symphony of the night, or even that dreadful love song played in the end credits.
…can we have a beezlebub in the movie somewhere, by the way?
Otaku-Man // May 8, 2007 at 9:00 am
@leetdood
Sorry, that quote’s not spoken until at least 300 years or so into the future.
If it IS said by anyone in the movie, it will be purely a nod to the Castlevania fans as an in-joke.
As serious dialogue, I highly doubt it.
~Otaku-Man
Pedro // May 8, 2007 at 10:02 am
Nah, what we really need is “What a horrible night to have a curse…”.
Roger // May 9, 2007 at 8:32 am
If this picture stayed true to the games, for me, it’d be about one man’s obsessive quest to collect every weapon. And about falling off the bottom of the screen. And yelling at medusa heads.
Not shying away from nightmarish monsters (go ahead! make new ones!) would be cool. Make it really feel like the full horror of Hell is at Dracula’s command. I never felt that full out desperation to save the world from his grasp in the games.
Romanticide // May 9, 2007 at 10:03 am
I only have one thing to say….
GOD EXISTS…
Otaku-Man // May 9, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Castlevania 3 has some great monsters! I should know, I helped write the Wikipedia and Wikia pages on them!
Castlevania 3 has a great selection to choose from including:
Zombies
Vampire Bats
Skeletons
Blood Skeletons
White Dragons
Bone Pillars
Bone Scimitars
Shimon Skeletons (aka Whip-Wielding Skeletons)
Dhurons (The rapier wielding headless skeletons based off Dullahan)
Ghosts
Mermen
Medusa Heads
Fleamen
Mummies
Slimes
Axe Armors
MudMen
Mutant Toads
Mutant Owls (both Toads and owls were made evil by Dracula’s magic)
Balloon Pods
Bosses:
Skull Knight
Nasty Grant
Cyclops
Medusa
Mummy Men
Pazuzu (aka: Leviathan Gargoyle)
Phantom Bat
Alucard
The Creature (Frankenstein’s Monster)
Sea Serpents (or Hydra or Orphic Vipers… stille researching that one)
The Doppleganger
Death
Dracula and his 3 forms
And more!
You can see most of them here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKSLHNqfOCc
Enjoy!
~Otaku-Man
Kwizzy // Jun 3, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I have a small request, something trifling really. See, I’ve already seen Francis Ford Capolla’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, so can we forgo the “Topless Temptress Trio licking some poor sap to death” scene? At least can we forgo having a mirror overhead? To the side, sure, but overhead is just a little, how to say, tacky?
If this is impossible, being a girl, I demand equality, so if there’s some sort of topless vampiresses/succubuses getting on some guy, I demand Trevor/Alucard lose their shirts and, I dunno, fix a dishwasher or something. Something hot like that.
Oh, and I’ve seen the first three episodes of Hellsing too, so can we also forgo a vampire blow job? Again, if this is impossible, I’ll settle and consider it equal to have Alucard/Trevor skinny dipping. Covered in oil. Giving chocolate and Shakespearean sonnets to beautiful maidens, namely, all those hard-working succubus. Hey, I bet it’s harder than it looks seducing vampire hunters when you have a pair of wings as wide as you are tall! Especially when you have to work without a bra. Ouch.
Warren // Jun 6, 2007 at 7:52 am
Kwizzy: I have not the faintest idea what you’re talking about. Sorry.
Kwizzy // Jun 21, 2007 at 5:24 pm
No problem, I’ll give you the short version. Assuming there are any female vampires, can they keep on their tops for more than thirty seconds? I mean, this is Castlevania–we have succubus for that.
Az // Sep 9, 2007 at 10:13 pm
I gotta say, I agree with kwizzy here. If there’s anything I’d hate to see in Castlevania it’s an out-of-place superfluous sexscene with mega focus on the lady. I mean, they didn’t make Alucard look the way he did for no reason eh, EH?
Anyways, this whole thing has got me pretty excited. You go, and stuff
Warren // Sep 14, 2007 at 7:08 pm
No female vampires in this film.
Alucard has no shirt.
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