Blood and Bone China - Vampires in Stoke

Stoke-on-Trent is hoping to become the UK's "City of Culture" in 2021. And since it's October, and we now dedicate the entire month to Halloween, I figured I'd take a look at something that puts them both together.

Blood and Bone China is a 12-part film serial directed in 2011 by Chris Stone, paying tribute to the old Hammer Horrors. Taking place in 1897, we follow Anthony Miles as Dr Newlyn Howell, a country vet from Buxton who travels to Stoke-on-Trent to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his brother Richard, played by Simon Hooson. He is aided by Sentinel reporter Anna Fitzgerald, played by Rachel Shenton, and Alexander Pyre, an enigmatic friend of Richard's played by John James Woodward. Soon, their investigations lead them towards Linus Hemlock, a reclusive pottery magnate played by David Lemberg.

When looking at the characters, I have to say that Newlyn's a bit of a wimp. That's fair enough though: horror is all about vulnerability, so I can't really fault that. Meanwhile, Anna is the classic "intrepid reporter" and Alexander is later revealed to be a Van Helsing-style vampire hunter. Nonetheless, they share a good dynamic with both Newlyn and Anna getting plenty of witty snarking. And wimpy or not, Newlyn still goes through a rough hero's journey so I still root for him.
Meanwhile, Linus Hemlock is delightfully hammy yet still menacing, almost like a Bond villain. And even he gets a sympathetic moment (in a flashback).

The visuals are stunning. The film has been shot in and around some of the most gothic parts of Staffordshire, and the low-lighting helps to deliver a haunting atmosphere. The cliffhangers are all suitably tense, especially once the vampires turn up.

The whole series is available online at http://www.bloodandbonechina.com/index.html, and I do recommend that you watch it. It's a good way to spend a dark October night in.