Wolters 1

Hali Wolters

Erin Rogers

Writing 1010/ 3B

4 December 2017

For the Dead Travel Fast

Bram Stoker brought the infamous monster Count Dracula to life. Stoker wrote the book,

Dracula, and it was published in 1897. All descriptions and adaptations of Count Dracula

originate from the work of this ingenious author. While Count Dracula is only seen on a handful

of pages in the book, the description of this monster is a "tall old man, clean shaven, save for a

long white mustache and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of color about

him anywhere" (Stoker). White and particularly sharp teeth is another descriptor given in the

novel. Behavioral characteristics of the monster also come from this book like turning into

animals, such as a wolf or a bat; not being seen in mirrors; sucking blood to sustain vitality in his

‘undead’ state; and having nocturnal tendencies (Stoker). The monster that was created by Stoker

has evolved into a humorous and nostalgic character more than the horrifying creature of the

night that Dracula began as. These changes will continue to happen with the occasional glimpse

back in time to when Dracula was a name to be feared.

The namesake for the monster comes from the Prince Vlad Tepes

III or 'Vlad the Impaler'. Stoker modeled his monster after this medieval

ruler. He had a figurative thirst for blood; which aside from the name, is

the only thing the fictional character and the Prince have in common
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(Palermo)(Lallanilla). Tepes was known to brutally torture his enemies (Lallanilla). Although

most of what historians know about Vlad the Impaler comes from text written in and around the

1400s near Vlad’s lifetime; the accuracy of these texts and the facts they contain is unknown

(Palermo).

The 1922 silent film starring Max Schreck sets the stage for Dracula in movies. There are

no portrayals of Dracula quite like this one. Count Orlok is a bald, creepy looking guy. His long

fingers and claws stand out in his shadow. His bulky shoulders hide any neck he might have. A

pointier nose and ears, dark circles around the eyes, and hollow cheekbones make his face appear

very shallow. Bushy, dark eyebrows hang over light eyes with no life in them. The Count's fangs

are every tooth and his bloodthirsty mouth increase the threat of his presence (Murnau). This

vampire makes an appearance on an episode of Spongebob Squarepants, where he stands at the

doorway and flips the lights on and off (Lawrence). This brief cameo shows the way that

Dracula’s character evolves away from horror type roles. Although he is the original film and

follows the description Stoker set, Buzzfeed marks him as "the Knockoff" due to the difference

of his physical appearance (Douglas).

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Dracula, the movie which came out in 1931 is the most infamous portrayal of the monster. Slick,

black hair that's not too long. His beady red eyes and mysterious powers strike fear into hearts.
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Some of the most memorable lines from the film show Count Dracula's ominous presence and

his awkward closeness to death. "I am - Dracula", which you've probably heard with or without

seeing the film; the Count's passionate wish "to die, to be really dead, that must be glorious!"

show how he lives somewhat in the world and somehow dead in his castle (Browning). The

infamous quote of 'I (v)want to suck your blood' does not actually come from this movie or the

character Dracula (30 Iconic Movie Quotes). Bela Lugosi’s portrayal has been the most

influential as almost every adaptation of Dracula is based more on the physical appearance of

Lugosi than the way Stoker described his monster.

In the 1964 sitcom, The Munsters, a

Dracula-esque character provides a humorous

connection to the background of the monsters.

The Munsters is a family of monsters who

live in a suburb in the 1960s, Herman is a

version of Frankenstein's monster, Lilly is the

wife and Dracula's daughter, Marilyn is the

ordinary niece, Eddie is the werewolf son, and Grandpa. Grandpa, played by Al Lewis, has a

fairly standard look of Dracula: he has a deep widow's peak, can transform into different

animals, wears a suit and cape, dark lips and beady eyes (Burns). Grandpa's diet is not solely

blood like other vampires but he eats all that his family does, although jokes

are made about drinking blood. In this show, Grandpa is also a mad scientist
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whose experiments often cause the plot of each episode (Burns). While many characteristics are

of the classic vampire, Grandpa does have a funny spin on the monster.

Oscar the Grouch, Elmo, Big Bird, and of course Bert and Ernie are all beloved

characters from childhood who taught us how to read, share and be kind. The muppet who

brought some sarcasm and math to Sesame Street was Count von Count ( Stone). The children's

show first aired in 1969, where these characters first made their television debut. This vampire

character shows the fabled obsession with counting (Melina). The math loving Dracula has

purple skin, a thick unibrow, monocle, pointy nose, and a green cape.

Count Blah, from Greg the Bunny, is a more adult-oriented muppet. This highly comedic

adaptation of Dracula is a small vampire with a slightly foreign

accent who says “blah” in every sentence (Greg the Bunny). This tv

series ran from 2002 to 2004, providing adult humor and relatable

content for finding a calling in life (Greg the Bunny). Count Blah

was made as a mockery of Count von Count of Sesame Street as well as the original character

from Stoker’s novel.

The story of Barnabas Collins was originally told in 1966 and then retold in 2012. The

television series, Dark Shadows, starring Jonathan Frid and directed by Lela Swift is a soap-

opera centered around the romantic entanglement between Victoria Winters and Barnabas Collins

(Swift). A movie remake of the story came out in 2012, where Tim Burton

directs a more comedic take on the tale of the vampire Barnabas Collins,

played by Johnny Depp. This film touches on the three-way love that

happen with Barnabas Collins, but focuses more on the dysfunctional

descendants that now own the Collinwood Manor

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(Burton). Both adaptations have the male star sporting roughly the same longer hairstyle,

shallow cheekbones, and darker eyes (Swift) (Burton). Jonathan Frid has a lively skin tone and is

a middle-aged gentleman, while Johnny Depp has pale white skin, is younger looking and

definitely a vampire. The more lighthearted nature of the 2012 film shows the way Dracula and

Dracula-esque characters have and will continue to be shown in a less horrific way.

Dracula has become more of a funny character as different media adaptations have changed

according to society's values. Since 1922, when the first Dracula

film came out, the horror culture has moved away from the creepier

and more thought-provoking substance toward more jump scares

and thrilling suspense. Dracula and other vampires have become

more playful and laughable. In Hotel Transylvania, Count Dracula

is an overprotective father figure who argues against the ridicule

attached to the Transylvanian vampire with the phrase “blah, blah,

blah” (Tartakovsky). This movie is a family-friendly comedy about

monsters, completely abandoning any fear previously attached to

these infamous characters. The concept of being a vampire has also

become a glorified and desirable trait. The film adaptation of

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, as well as the book, illustrates an example where a romance

between a human and a vampire leaves the helpless human hungry for the immortal strength

which comes in being a vampire, while the monster is left with a thirst for the human’s blood

(Meyer) (Hardwicke). Completely harmless adaptations of Dracula were also made in the

Bunnicula books by James and Deborah Howe, where a rabbit sucks the life out of defenseless

fruits and vegetables (Howe).

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Dracula and other classic monsters will continue to be portrayed in less serious ways as

the views and fears of society evolve. Dracula began as a bloodthirsty count in Bram Stoker’s

novel. The first two film adaptations show Dracula as a dangerous monster. Beginning with

Grandpa from The Munsters, Dracula type characters started to grow as more comedic and

romantic.

Works Cited

Browning, Tod , director. Dracula. Universal Studios, 1931.

Burns, Allan. The Munsters, CBS , 24 Sept. 1964.

Burton, Tim, director. Dark Shadows. Warner Bros., 2012.

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Douglas, Ben. The 12 Most Famous (and Infamous) Vampires. Buzzfeed, 2011.

Greg the Bunny. Created by Spencer Chinoy, 20th Century Fox Television, 27 Mar. 2002.

Hardwicke, Catherine, director. Twilight. Summit entertainment, 2008.

Howe, Deborah, et al. Bunnicula: a rabbit-Tale of mystery. Atheneum Books for Young Readers,

2010.

Lallanilla, Marc. “The Real Dracula: Vlad the Impaler.” Live Scince, 13 Sept. 2017, 9:23.

Lawrence, Doug. “Spongebob Squarepants/ "Graveyard Shift".” Season 2, episode 36a.

Melina, Remy. “7 Strange Ways Humans Act Like Vampires.” Live Science, 28 Mar. 2013, 1:05.

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. Little, Brown and Co., 2007.

Murnau, F. W., director. Nosferatu: eine Symphony des Gravens.

Palermo, Elizabeth. “Vlad the Impaler:The Real Dracula's Dark Secrets.” Live Science, 30 Oct.

2014, 9:57.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Random House, 2005. Originally published in 1897.

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Stone, Jon, director. Sesame Street, Children's Television Workshop, 21 July 1969.

Swift, Lela. Dark Shadows. Created by Dan Curtis, Dan Curtis Productions, 27 June 1966.

Tartakovsky, Genndy, director. Hotel Transylvania. Columbia Pictures, 2012.