A creative decision from the director has left HoTD fans outraged. Photo / HBO
A creative decision from the director has left HoTD fans outraged. Photo / HBO
Game of Thrones and House of The Dragon are known for their dark and gruesome scenes however a different kind of dark has upset fans in the latest episode of the prequel.
Episode 7 of the popular show was released last night and while the season has been a success thus far, the episode sparked outrage among fans.
Taking to social media fans criticised the lighting of the episode claimed it ruined their viewing experience.
One user wrote, 'I'm gonna need @hbomax to issue a written apology for literally a whole episode of black screen of #HouseOfTheDragon.'
The tweet was a reference to similar backlash the franchise experienced following the release of the Game of Thrones episode The Long Night in the show's final season.
Both episodes were directed by Emmy winner Miguel Sapochinik, Daily Mail reports.
However, the dim lighting is a choice HBO has since defended saying it was an "intentional creative decision".
Replying to one person's tweet the HBO Max Help official account said, "Hi there, we appreciate you reaching out about a night scene in #HouseoftheDragon: Episode 7 appearing dark on your screen. The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision. If you have any other questions, please feel free to shoot us a DM."
HBO's Twitter account replied to fans telling them the dimmed lighting was a creative decision. Photo / Twitter
It comes after the Ringer writer and podcaster Joanna Robinson attempted to warn fans how dark the episode is. Daily Mail reported she said, "I liked this week's episode of #HouseOfTheDragon but sure yeah watch it with all the drapes closed and maybe, yeah, consider The Neil Settings. Though I hear they aren't optimal for EVERY set?"
While Sapochinik is yet to officially comment on the darkness of the episode, he did defend the decision for the GoT episode in 2019 following its release.
Appearing on a podcast with IndieWire, the Emmy-winning director said, "It made sense that this was the last hope humanity has, the last beacon of light, and from the perspective of where we needed the story to go — which was to reach a surreal, chaotic climax — we needed an environment that was friendly to that.
"So all the reasons for doing it were there, and nobody sat there and wondered if it was gonna be too dark."
• House of the Dragon airs on Mondays on Neon and Sky Go and on SoHo at 1pm and again at 8.30pm.
