Examples of penny dreadful in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The police discovered a collection of penny dreadfuls in the house, which the coroner argued had led the boys to commit the heinous act.
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Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 June 2026
True-crime stories have long been a subject of public fascination, from the penny dreadfuls of Victorian England to the murder-heavy newsmagazine shows launched in the 1980s and ’90s, such as Dateline and CBS’s 48 Hours.
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The Week Us,
TheWeek,
4 May 2026
The real-estate motif is taken from the penny dreadful Varney the Vampire, a strange plot device that I myself as a storyteller was stuck with.
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Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
The character of Sweeney Todd—a British barber jailed unjustly for 15 years who seeks revenge upon his return—first appeared in a Victorian era penny dreadful, The String of Pearls.
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Laura Zornosa,
Time,
7 July 2023
The program is filled out with two original stories written by Novotny; including one with a character from a penny dreadful — the pulp fiction of the age.
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Annie Alleman,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Sep. 2022
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Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 June 2026
True-crime stories have long been a subject of public fascination, from the penny dreadfuls of Victorian England to the murder-heavy newsmagazine shows launched in the 1980s and ’90s, such as Dateline and CBS’s 48 Hours.
—
The Week Us,
TheWeek,
4 May 2026
The real-estate motif is taken from the penny dreadful Varney the Vampire, a strange plot device that I myself as a storyteller was stuck with.
—
Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
The character of Sweeney Todd—a British barber jailed unjustly for 15 years who seeks revenge upon his return—first appeared in a Victorian era penny dreadful, The String of Pearls.
—
Laura Zornosa,
Time,
7 July 2023
The program is filled out with two original stories written by Novotny; including one with a character from a penny dreadful — the pulp fiction of the age.
—
Annie Alleman,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Penny dreadful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penny%20dreadful. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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