Netflix’s The Witcher and Dracula both came out within a month of each other, but they share more than just a streaming platform, linked by a particular location.
Episode one, “The Rules Of The Beast” of Dracula effectively uses the vampire’s castle to establish a tense tone. Shots of a decrepit Jonathan Harker (John Heffernan) are interspliced with scenes of the lawyer approaching Dracula’s (Claes Bang) castle and finding himself an unexpected prisoner. This episode is the strongest of the three, the one to most lean into horror elements and away from the more convoluted plotlines showrunner Steven Moffat has been critiqued for in the past. The castle’s maze-like structure lends it mystery, while sweeping shots of its façade give it gravitas.
The Witcher series, which launched in late December of 2019, was met with instant acclaim by fans, if not by critics. Although it drew game and book fans alike, show runner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich made the series an adaptation of the beloved novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. One location that holds great importance in the books is Kaer Morhen, the keep where Witchers like Geralt (Henry Cavill) were trained.
The Castle From Netflix’s Dracula Inspired The Witcher’s Kaer Morhen
Dracula’s castle was shot on location, cast and crew travelling as far as Slovakia to film. Built in the 13th century, Orava Castle oversees the Orava river, nestled among dizzyingly tall trees. Its fortified walls and uneven cliffside architecture provided the perfect location for 2020 Dracula to make his home. When The Witcher’s production crew was looking for inspiration in its construction of Kaer Morhen, it went through hundreds of European castles before settling on Orava Castle. Although none of the first season is filmed at the Slovakian castle, it was used as a basis for the developed model of Kaer Morhen. Its imposing isolation and ability to seemingly “defy the laws of physics” made it the perfect place for Geralt to have once trained. Although the Witcher keep is only mentioned and glimpsed in passing in the Netflix series, The Witcher is a show with plenty of forward momentum. Season two could provide a deeper look at the locations, characters, and backstories from the novels that went untouched in season one.
Netflix’s Dracula Castle Appears In More Than One Dracula Adaptation
Although Slovakia is many miles away from Transylvania, the home of Count Dracula, the 2020 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s iconic horror novel is not the first to feature Orava Castle. Almost a century before Moffat’s show hit the small screen, German silent film Nosferatu used Orava Castle as a film location for Dracula’s castle. Originally an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula, Nosferatu has since gained fame in its own rite.
Orava Castle’s near-magical architecture suits the fantasy setting of The Witcher while simultaneously overwhelming viewers enough to make it the perfect Dracula’s castle. Although Netflix’s Dracula eventually moved into the modern era and left behind creepy castles in lieu of contemporary settings, it is Orava Castle that made a lasting impact to fans and production teams alike.
Next: Netflix’s Dracula: Differences & Comparison To Stoker’s Original Story
