An Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at Showtime’s Penny Dreadful

Frankenstein’s monster, Dorian Gray, the cast of Dracula—these are just some of the characters in Showtime’s upcoming gothic horror series, Penny Dreadful. We’re not too sure of the show’s plot, but given its setting (London in the 1890s) and source material, we are pretty certain it will involve blood, sex, and perhaps an opium den or two. The thriller stars Josh Hartnett as a lone American drawn into a world of vampires and demonic possession by the eerie heroine Eva Green, and features Timothy Dalton, Reeve Carney, Rory Kinnear, Harry Treadaway, Billie Piper, and Helen McCrory (the real Mrs. Brody).

The series doesn’t premiere until May 11, but you can watch an exclusive installment from Showtime’s first-ever blog series, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the show’s production on location in Dublin, above. This week’s episode, The Artisans, puts the spotlight on the artists and designers responsible for the show’s sumptuous sets and props. From hand-painting 19th-century bottles of whiskey to picking the grain and filter for vintage crime photographs, no detail is too small in bringing this sinister world to life.

FOR MORE ON PENNY DREADFUL, VISIT THE SHOWTIME WEBSITE.