Love, Death, And Robots: ‘Sucker Of Souls’ Analysis
by Tito W. James
Just when I thought I found my favorite version of Dracula in Netflix’s Castlevania, I find another amazing interpretation in Love, Death, and Robots. Based on the short story by Kirsten Cross, Sucker of Souls follows a team of mercenaries overseeing the excavation of Dracula’s castle.
Referred to as “the impaler,” this Dracula is more bestial and becomes bloated upon the blood of his victims. The design’s fear factor is only heightened by the fact that he’s completely naked, giving him the predatory majesty of a big cat.
Dracula’s feline quality is mirrored in his weakness –an aversion to cats. This is one more example in Love, Death, and Robots of cats ruling the world (just like in real life).
Aside from the epic redesign of everyone’s favorite vampire, Sucker of Souls also stands out because of its hand drawn animation. The linework has a similar quality to The Big Bad Fox, even though the subject matter is completely different. The episode also stands out because of its color design– using blue, red, and yellow to dictate the mood of each location and to compartmentalize each act.
Love Death, and Robots is currently streaming on Netflix.