Initially, this story feels like The Daemons (1971), set in WWII era Britain. I like the combination of war, Vikings and vampires in this story. The characterizations are great, the story builds up tension very well while a sense of mystery is kept expertly. After introducing the setting and the main players, the story then holds back on the monster reveal until the end of Part Two. The build-up is slow but effective, and the focus lies on the dangerous plotting and thrilling politics of the war. Part Three is where all hell breaks loose, as the Haemovores begin their effective attack. The subplot with Ace's background is a nice little touch of sensitivity brought into the story. I love the timey-wimeyness of this story, something that becomes a whole lot more common in the revived series.
The regular cast is as amazing as ever and the guest cast is also strong. Dinsdale Landen, Alfred Lynch and Stevan Rikus are all great.
The Doctor is on top form yet again, being manipulative, dark and brilliant in more ways than one. And once again we learn he has a past with the villains of the story.
This is another story with ties to Ace's past. She is a well-developed companion. It's also engaging to see Ace getting fed up with the Doctor's manipulative side. The story creates fine tension around that.
The Haemovores are successful and creepy remakes of classic vampires. They are creepy, effective and well-realized. Fenric himself is a force to be reckoned with, only made more creepy by possessing the body of Dr Judson.
The production is top-notch, including the costumes and sets, the special effects and the make-up job on the Haemovores. They are among the best-designed aliens in the series.
The first two episodes build-up the menace slowly only of everything to break loose in Part Three. Those last two episodes are very tense and exciting, so the overall serail feels swift.
This serial evokes the feel ow WWII very well, while effectively creating a tense and creepy atmosphere, even if the exact nature of the menace remains unknown for some time. The Viking myths and the Haemovores create a dark and mature atmosphere that is very engaging. Part Three is so intense it's almost difficult to breathe when watching.
Another example of Doctor Who combining classic mythology, history and science fiction to create a dark, intense and timey-wimey adventure.
This is one of my favourite McCoy era serials, so I will be watching it again many times.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
Every time Sylvester McCoy whistles like a bird on Doctor Who, I can't help but think of him as Radagast is the Hobbit films.
The Part Two cliffhanger is a new take on that classic one with the Marshmen in Full Circle (1980).
We learn that it's not the crucifix in itself that vampires are afraid of, but rather the faith of its bearer.
This story has an atmosphere and a plot that is close to many episodes in the revived era. It's easy to see where RTD got his inspiration from.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2020-07-15T09:11:40Z
Initially, this story feels like The Daemons (1971), set in WWII era Britain. I like the combination of war, Vikings and vampires in this story. The characterizations are great, the story builds up tension very well while a sense of mystery is kept expertly. After introducing the setting and the main players, the story then holds back on the monster reveal until the end of Part Two. The build-up is slow but effective, and the focus lies on the dangerous plotting and thrilling politics of the war.
Part Three is where all hell breaks loose, as the Haemovores begin their effective attack. The subplot with Ace's background is a nice little touch of sensitivity brought into the story.
I love the timey-wimeyness of this story, something that becomes a whole lot more common in the revived series.
The regular cast is as amazing as ever and the guest cast is also strong. Dinsdale Landen, Alfred Lynch and Stevan Rikus are all great.
The Doctor is on top form yet again, being manipulative, dark and brilliant in more ways than one. And once again we learn he has a past with the villains of the story.
This is another story with ties to Ace's past. She is a well-developed companion. It's also engaging to see Ace getting fed up with the Doctor's manipulative side. The story creates fine tension around that.
The Haemovores are successful and creepy remakes of classic vampires. They are creepy, effective and well-realized. Fenric himself is a force to be reckoned with, only made more creepy by possessing the body of Dr Judson.
The production is top-notch, including the costumes and sets, the special effects and the make-up job on the Haemovores. They are among the best-designed aliens in the series.
The first two episodes build-up the menace slowly only of everything to break loose in Part Three. Those last two episodes are very tense and exciting, so the overall serail feels swift.
This serial evokes the feel ow WWII very well, while effectively creating a tense and creepy atmosphere, even if the exact nature of the menace remains unknown for some time. The Viking myths and the Haemovores create a dark and mature atmosphere that is very engaging.
Part Three is so intense it's almost difficult to breathe when watching.
Another example of Doctor Who combining classic mythology, history and science fiction to create a dark, intense and timey-wimey adventure.
This is one of my favourite McCoy era serials, so I will be watching it again many times.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
Every time Sylvester McCoy whistles like a bird on Doctor Who, I can't help but think of him as Radagast is the Hobbit films.
The Part Two cliffhanger is a new take on that classic one with the Marshmen in Full Circle (1980).
We learn that it's not the crucifix in itself that vampires are afraid of, but rather the faith of its bearer.
This story has an atmosphere and a plot that is close to many episodes in the revived era. It's easy to see where RTD got his inspiration from.
Score: 96/120