Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ Will Focus More on Horror Than Fantasy

Fans of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher fantasy novels will no doubt be aware that Netflix has a TV adaptation in the works that’s set to hit our screens later this year. If you can’t wait to watch Geralt’s adventures come to life, then you’ll be interested to learn that the show isn’t going to shy away from the horror that can be found in the books.

In an interview with SFX magazine, The Witcher‘s visual effects supervisor, Julian Parry, said that the show “leans more towards horror,” when it comes to establishing the series’ feeling and atmosphere.

While The Witcher books are set in a gritty, fantasy world, it looks like the show won’t be as fantastical as the likes of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. “We’re definitely taking the fantasy out. I can honestly say we’re not fantastical,” said Parry. “I mean, it’s fantastical but in a grounded horror sense. For example, with Striga [a woman cursed to live as a monster], that’s one gnarly-looking thing. That’s very unpleasant!”

Parry also explained that the show won’t feature large scale clashes seen in the likes of Game of Thrones, and that it’s a much more personal story. “We’ve got the Nilfgaard armies, which can’t exist because there are 10,000-plus of them,” said Parry. “Same with the Temerians and the Cintrans. the armies physically can’t exist here on set.” As we’ve seen from the trailers, it looks like we’ll see glimpses of large scale battles, but don’t expect to see Geralt taking part in Helm’s Deep-style sieges. It seems this show is designed to be more character driven.

At the end of the day, The Witcher is about a monster slayer who makes a living killing things that go bump in the night, so there will no doubt be a certain element of fantasy but, given how gritty the source material can be, it’s good to hear the show won’t shy away from the horror that exists in Geralt’s world. The Witcher is set to release on Netflix on December 20.