Castlevania Season 4 premiere recap: Murder Wakes It Up

After the climactic battle in Lindenfeld, Netflix’s Castlevania hits the road in its season 4 premiere. As a quick recap, let’s remember that a night creature opened a portal to other worlds, including Hell itself. Saint Germain (Bill Nighy) seemed to be sucked into one of these portals after valiantly fighting assorted night creatures.

Regarding other plans and plot elements: A group of vampire sisters was hatching a plan to enslave humans, starting off with Hector (Theo James), who has become a pet for Lenore (Jessica Brown Findlay). Also, Isaac (Adetokumboh M’Cormack) and his night creatures defeated a strange magician on his way to implement his own vague schemes.

The season 4 premiere of Castlevania is a bit tricky to sort out, as it rapidly flashes different weekly battles (adventures) that Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) and Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso) experienced on their journeys. These foes include skeletons, vampires, night creatures, and various humans who seem hellbent on resurrecting Dracula (Graham McTavish), much as Sala (Navid Negahban) attempted to do in season 3.

A few key battle moments include Sypha transforming rain into ice to slay some creatures, as well as creatures themselves, caught praying to Dracula (demonstrating a certain level of intelligence). In fact, another vampire is killed who was trying to resurrect Dracula, although the spell was incomplete (according to Sypha).

Castlevania adventures take their toll on Trevor and Sypha

Though this series is always battle-ready, it doesn’t forget that there are some characters involved, and there are a few insightful and humorous moments attempting to add that human touch to the action. For example, Sypha originally seemed excited to go on adventures, but all the fighting now has her swearing, which she never used to do.

Then, as one might expect, Castlevania” takes another dark turn, as we are introduced to unknown scoundrels attempting to murder (and otherwise brutalizing) women and children. After gouging out a tough, nameless opponent’s eyes, Trevor and Sypha find a shrine to a skeletal entity called “The Grim Reaper” that eats death (and there is a vague reference to “flagstone”).

Return to Târgoviște / What’s Alucard up to?

Trevor and Sypha eventually end up battling two vampires later revealed as “Sladek and Ivan.” Apparently, the vamps were looking to acquire a cache of magic weapons. That’s not all, though. A few vampires are spying on Trevor and Sypha, including one named Varney (Malcolm McDowell), who calls himself the “night mayor of London.”

Finally, Castlevania checks in with Alucard (James Callis), who finished off season 3 with a bizarre sex romp with vampire hunters Taka (Toru Uchikado) and Sumi (Rila Fukushima), which ended up with him posting their severed heads outside his castle as a warning to further betrayers/invaders.

Now, after Alucard randomly urinates outside of his castle, a horse approaches with a dead person slacked over it. The person was a messenger with a note from some people of Danesti seeking his aid against night creatures. After Alucard buries the rider, we’re left to wonder if he will embark on a new mission.

What are your thoughts on the Castlevania season 4 premiere? Let us know in the comments!