By: Kristin Force 

The Beginning: Vlad Dracul and Vlad Tepes  

Vlad II was the Duke of Wallachia in the early from In 1428, his son Vlad Ţepeş was born, making him the Prince of Wallachia. Vlad II became known as Vlad Dracul, meaning “Vlad the Dragon”, after being inducted into the “Order of the Dragon” to aid in the protection of Wallachia against the Ottoman Empire. In 1442, Vlad Ţepeş and his father were imprisoned by the Turks, and Vlad Dracul is beheaded. Vlad Ţepeş briefly attained the Wallachia throne, and after being dethroned, began a long fight to regain power and protect Wallachia from the Ottoman Empire, creating allies along the way. Vlad became known for the way in which he killed his enemies, by impalement. He became known as “Vlad the Impaler”, and also “Dracula”. -In 1610, Elizabeth Bathory is arrested for killing several hundred people and bathing in their blood. Vampire hysteria sweeps across Europe. The first modern treatments of vampires are written Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is published… History is Written by the winners  

Nosferatu In 1922, German director F.W. Murnau collaborated with writer Henrik Galeen to create Nosferatu, a silent film based on Bram Stoker’s novel, “Dracula”. The film begins in the Carpathian mountains, where real estate agent Hutter arrives to close a sale with the reclusive Herr Orlok. Despite warnings. Hutter continues on his quest to Orlok’s sinister castle. It becomes clear that Orlok is no ordinary mortal, as Hutter witnesses him climbing into a coffin. Orlok places himself in a shipment of coffins, and the ship carrying Orlok arrives in Bremen, with the captain and crew killed and partly devoured. These accounts are attributed to the plague, though Hutter’s wife, Ellen, believes otherwise. Knowing what has been said to kill a vampire, Ellen entertains Orlok, distracting him from the sun that will soon rise. Orlok becomes aware, attempts to escape, and is trapped by the sunlight from the window and vaporizes into a puff of fire on the floor.  

Nosferatu  

Bram Stoker’s Dracula In 1998, director Francis Ford Coppolla collaborated with writer James V. Hart to create Bram Stoker’s Dracula, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, “Dracula”. There was quite a bit of literature, and even one previous film depiction that did not survive, based on vampires, however this film closely relates to Stoker’s novel, which may have been stemmed directly from the stories of Vlad Dracul and Vlad Ţepeş. This version of Dracula is closely based on Bram Stoker's classic novel. A young lawyer, Jonathan Harker, is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker's betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, and friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away. This film includes a vivid precredit sequence in Transylvania shortly after Constaninople's fall to the Turks in 1462, which as we know from History was during Vlad Ţepeş’ fight against the Ottoman rule.  

Bram Stocker’s Dracula Bram Stoker's Dracula IntroductionBram Stoker's Dracula Introduction Bram Stoker's Dracula Trailer  

Who is Dracula? It is no secret that history is written by the winners, those that conquer or have safely watched from a distance. So, who is the monster that is Dracula, and what does he represent? Vlad Dracul and his son Vlad Ţepeş (Dracula) clearly play a large part in the original creation of the monstrous idea of a vampire. Dracula stemmed from history, and the way in which these historical figures have been perceived. A stake through the heart: This is one of the only ways in which to kill a vampire, according to literature. It is no coincidence that Ţepeş killed his enemies by impalement. Another way Dracula can be killed is said to be by daylight. This could be due to the idea that what you fear is what you can’t see, and lives in the darkness (of the outside, or of yourself). In “Dracula”, the one who can kill this monster, is a woman who is free of sin. Like most horror movies and villains, the virgin is often seen as the only survivor. The way in which most vampires are perceived, is that they are powerful, but that they are not completely in control of themselves. Their turmoil is often seen in later works and adaptations. Like any mythology, stories are created to make sense of the World, and events that take place. These monsters are created to warn and represent that which is sometimes unexplainable.  