Jonathan Bailey plays Dracula in Audible's adaptation — SkimNews
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- Mary Lambert directs the new Audible Originals adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, scripted by Robyn Aherne, and the reviewer says its unusually star-studded cast, streamlined story and immersive sound palette justify another retelling of a novel already turned into multiple films, plays and radio dramas.
- Jonathan Bailey plays the eponymous Count, who summons young solicitor Jonathan Harker (Louis Partridge) to his castle in Transylvania to assist with a property sale before Harker realises he is, in fact, a prisoner.
- Ella Purnell plays Mina, Harker's fiancée, who is visiting her friend Lucy (Aimee Lou Wood) in Whitby, England, where Lucy is left with puncture wounds on her throat and prone to night terrors after a graveyard encounter, following the discovery of a wrecked Russian ship with its captain murdered and its crew nowhere to be seen.
- Maggie Gyllenhaal is cast as the garlic-wielding vampire hunter Van Helsing, while David Jonsson plays the doctor who tends to Lucy.
- Ilan Eshkeri composed the haunting score, and the sound design uses disembodied voices and echoing corridors to plunge listeners into the count's castle — a series the reviewer says is best heard via headphones.
- Audible Originals releases the adaptation with a 5hr 57min runtime, and it does not shrink from shock and gore even though the blood-sucking scenes are done sparingly and without a hint of camp.
Why it matters: Audible Originals adds a 5hr 57min entry to a title already adapted into multiple films, plays and radio dramas, fronted by Jonathan Bailey and Maggie Gyllenhaal. For listeners, the practical distinction is a headphone-recommended series that leans on score and sound design, with the blood-sucking set-pieces used sparingly rather than camp.
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