Dracula

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula was written in 1897 and was the first introduction to this iconic character. It tells the story of Jonathan and Mina Harker, Abraham Van Helsing and others that help defeat the evil Dracula, the king of vampires, and kill him, sending him to hell where he rightly belongs. It is told in a series of letters and diary entries giving unique looks into the mind of these characters. It is a good story and well written.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Starring Gary Oldman in the title role this shows Dracula in a more sympathetic light as his quest to possess the lovely Mina is because she is the reincarnation of his lost love instead of just to spite the others.  In this version you actually feel sorry for Dracula and notice that he is not as evil as he is in the book.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995).

So it is Mel Brooks. Need I say anything more about the hilarity of this movie? It is the story as told in the book, but with a twist that only Brooks can give us. Leslie Nielsen gives a gifted performance as the title vampire.

An Old Friend of the Family by Fred Saberhagen*

In this version, Dracula is certainly the good guy. But what I love about it is that he doesn’t apologize for being Dracula. He takes an eye for an eye. In this version, the granddaughter of Mina Harker is herself a grandmother. When someone, or something, starts terrorizing her family, she remembers that Grandma Mina once told her that if she was ever at the uttermost end of need, she could summon to herself s protector unlike any other. Dracula does come to the family’s aid, but to the villains responsible that was their purpose all along. Will Dracula survive the encounter?

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

So there is a sequel to this movie, but it isn’t as good as the original. In this version, Dracula has taken his daughter to a remote corner of Transylvania where he has built a hotel for other Halloween creatures where they can be safe from the humans that want to kill them. But when a lone human stumbles across their hideout, how will Dracula react. Especially when his daughter starts to fall in love with him?

Love at First Bite (1979)

George Hamilton gives us a hilarious Dracula adaptation. In this version, Dracula’s castle has been claimed by the Soviet Union, forcing Dracula to immigrate to America. There he meets Cindy Sondheim, the latest incarnation of his lost love. Dracula then sets out to win her love anew and show her a good time. One of my favorite adaptations!

Van Helsing (2004)

Hugh Jackman plays the title character. An ordained monster hunter who is sent to Transylvania to save an ancient family and stop Dracula from an evil plan involving Frankenstein’s creature and a werewolf. Van Helsing himself seems to be immortal, remembering things long past, but not remembering his own origins. Dracula knows him though and calls him by name. It makes you wonder who Van Helsing actually is. That could be an interesting take on this character arc.