Netflix's New Dungeons & Dragon Series Is Critical Role Meets Castlevania

Published Oct 8, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.

Netflix’s next Dungeons & Dragons show promises to mix the horror elements of Castlevania with the fantasy adventures of Prime Video’s Critical Role shows. Ever since HBO took the risky decision to invest millions in the network’s adaptation of author George RR. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire saga in 2011, the hunt has been on for the next truly great R-rated mature fantasy franchise.

Over the years, Netflix’s The Witcher franchise, HBO’s own His Dark Materials, Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time, and even the official spinoffs House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have all vied to become the next Game of Thrones in the collective cultural imagination. However, it is Prime Video’s thrilling Critical Role shows The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein that have come closest to recapturing the appeal of Game of Thrones.

Based on the actual play podcast Critical Role, The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein are fantasy adventures full of heart, humour, and charm, but also all the grittiness, gore, and mature R-rated elements that made Game of Thrones so boundary breaking. However, while both Prime Video shows have their gruesome moments, it would not be fair to call the two series, both based on Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, horror shows. Thus, Netflix’s upcoming show Ravenloft sounds appealing precisely because the show brings the Castlevania franchise’s horror to the universe of Dungeons & Dragons.

Ravenloft Will Blend The D&D Foundations Of Critical Role With Castlevania Spookiness

The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein are both set in the Dungeons and Dragons universe, with The Legend of Vox Machina following an eight-strong band of antiheroes while The Mighty Nein focuses on new characters in the same setting 20 years later. In contrast, Netflix’s four-season critical hit Castlevania is based on the classic video game series of the same name, specifically adapting 1989’s game Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse with its story of Trevor Belmont’s battle with Vlad Dracula.

The conflict between Vlad’s vampire army, Dracula’s conflicted dhampir son, Alucard Tepes, the human population of Wallachia, and the monster hunter Belmont was explored in Castlevania’s bloody, chilling four-season story. Followed by 2023’s spinoff, Castlevania: Nocturne, the show was hailed as one of the best horror video game adaptations to date, and the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons series Ravenloft can now bring back its gruesome style of dark horror storytelling.

A live-action series set to be penned by Go screenwriter John August and executive produced by Alfonso Cuarón, Ravenloft will reportedly be a dark fantasy romance set in Dungeons & Dragons’s Domains of Dread. Deadline reports that the show follows Darklord Strahd von Zarovich on the tragic journey that turned him into one of the most memorable villains in the tabletop gaming franchise.

Ravenloft Can Be The Next Great D&D Series After Critical Role

Image courtesy of Everett Collection

Thanks to the Critical Role shows and, even earlier, Netflix’s hit Stranger Things, Dungeons & Dragons is more familiar than ever to an increasingly large mainstream audience. As such, Ravenloft is arriving at the perfect time to introduce new viewers to the franchise.

Its gothic horror story and live-action format mean the Netflix show will likely appeal to new viewers who wouldn’t necessarily be intrigued by Critical Role’s animated, adventure-centric shows. To be fair, The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein are two of the most critically acclaimed fantasy shows of recent years.

However, the sheer size of the Dungeons & Dragons universe means the two shows have only scratched the surface of its screen potential. As such, it will be exciting to see Netflix’s upcoming Ravenloft combine the fantasy elements of Critical Role’s Dungeons & Dragons story with Castlevania’s gothic horror tone.