Dracula legend revived by Bram Stoker descendant

[Modbert]

Dracula legend revived by Bram Stoker descendant - Yahoo! News

PARIS (AFP) – Bram Stoker's own blood runs through the veins of a sequel to his 1897 novel "Dracula," which goes on worldwide release this month, in a work penned by his great-grandnephew who is hoping to revive the original vampire myth.

"Dracula: The Un-Dead", which runs to almost 500 pages, is the fruit of an unlikely six-year collaboration between Canadian Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt, a New York screenwriter enamoured of vampires.

"When people think of Dracula they think of handsome Bela Lugosi," said Holt, 39, wearing a T-shirt featuring the 1920s Hungarian actor who played him in the first Broadway production of Stoker's book, as well as in the 1931 movie.

"Dracula was nothing like that. He was old and hunched over, had hair on his palms, and bad breath," Holt told AFP.

"He was out of the grave, he smelt like death," adds 51-year-old Stoker, a former teacher. "We're going back to the original characters.

The sequel is set in 1912, 25 years after the finale of the first epistolary novel, as a series of chilling murders in London and Paris triggers a vampire hunt across Europe and unleashes terror of "the prince of darkness."

Seems interesting enough, anyone else going to be picking it up? I know I am.

 

[DiveCon]

Dracula legend revived by Bram Stoker descendant - Yahoo! News

PARIS (AFP) – Bram Stoker's own blood runs through the veins of a sequel to his 1897 novel "Dracula," which goes on worldwide release this month, in a work penned by his great-grandnephew who is hoping to revive the original vampire myth.

"Dracula: The Un-Dead", which runs to almost 500 pages, is the fruit of an unlikely six-year collaboration between Canadian Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt, a New York screenwriter enamoured of vampires.

"When people think of Dracula they think of handsome Bela Lugosi," said Holt, 39, wearing a T-shirt featuring the 1920s Hungarian actor who played him in the first Broadway production of Stoker's book, as well as in the 1931 movie.

"Dracula was nothing like that. He was old and hunched over, had hair on his palms, and bad breath," Holt told AFP.

"He was out of the grave, he smelt like death," adds 51-year-old Stoker, a former teacher. "We're going back to the original characters.

The sequel is set in 1912, 25 years after the finale of the first epistolary novel, as a series of chilling murders in London and Paris triggers a vampire hunt across Europe and unleashes terror of "the prince of darkness."

Seems interesting enough, anyone else going to be picking it up? I know I am.

that does sound interesting
not sure if i would get the book or not
maybe as a gift for someone

 

[Modbert]

that does sound interesting
not sure if i would get the book or not
maybe as a gift for someone

Oh Dive! You shouldn't have! But thanks

I'll have to get you something for Christmas now.

 

[DiveCon]

that does sound interesting
not sure if i would get the book or not
maybe as a gift for someone

Oh Dive! You shouldn't have! But thanks

I'll have to get you something for Christmas now.

not for YOU

silly
ROFLMAO

 

[Modbert]

not for YOU

silly
ROFLMAO

What? Well that has unmade my day. You know what, I just may leave the board for 9 weeks now because of this.

 

[Fatality]

sounds like it may be good, better than that twilight pap they pump out anyway im sure. since anne rice is out of the vampire game who better to pick up the genre than a genuine stoker.

 

[Lumpy 1]

Truth or Tale...? I don't know...

In my early years, (10-18) we lived in a house that backed up to the Norwalk State Mental Hospital in Southern California. At least that's what I believe it was called. We happened to live over the fence and across from the area where they did the shock treatments (talk about your water boarding). We could hear the patients screaming and occasionally, we would have patients jumping over the fence and bidding a hasty escape.

My mother for some reason that I couldn't understand, had an attraction to Bela Lugosi. I always thought he was kind of goofy looking. Well anyway, she relayed a story (truth/tale) of Bela Lugosi receiving shock treatments at that state hospital across the way. It seems that Bela had in later years become quite a drug attic of some sort (morphine, cocaine..?) and they used shock treatment, to break the habit. The story goes on that after his death and in his will, he had insisted that he be buried in his "Dracula" garb and he was.

(according to wikipedia he died of a heart attack in 1956 at his home in Los Angeles)

 

[strollingbones]

Lugosi’s decline into poverty and obscurity was accompanied by a growing dependence on narcotics. In 1955 he voluntarily committed himself to the state hospital in Norwalk, California, as a drug addict; he was released later that year. About the same time, Lugosi began an association with Ed Wood, Jr., the man regarded by many as the most comprehensively inept director in film history. Their collaboration produced such staggeringly shoddy efforts as Glen or Glenda? (1953), Bride of the Monster (1956), and Plan 9 from Outer Space (filmed 1956, released 1958), all now unintentionally hilarious cult favourites. Lugosi was buried, as he wished, wearing the long black cape that he had worn in Dracula.

Bela Lugosi (Hungarian-American actor) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia

 

[strollingbones]

the myth of dracul is based on vlad the impaler...myths of vampires or blood sucking/feeding humans has existed since the dawn of man.

 

[Harry Dresden]

the myth of dracul is based on vlad the impaler...myths of vampires or blood sucking/feeding humans has existed since the dawn of man.

Myths?.....i know first hand Bones....they exist...

 

[strollingbones]

there are people who suffer from a disease that makes them desire blood....but in my many travels i have met a lot of different people....and i have met the vamps...they take blood from the upper arm...misguided perhaps...vampires ...no....

says the witch lol

 

[Toome]

If you ever read Bram Stoker's novel, at first it seems like it's not going to be fun reading. The novel is written as a series of diary entries, newspaper clippings and other similar accounts pieced together to tell the story. Once you get started on it, you forget about the format and are immediately drawn into the story. The movie with Gary Oldman was as close to the Bram Stoker version as possible with the exception of the very beginning and very end that made the connection with Vlad the Impaler.

Vlad was a real person and really did those horrible things depicted in the movie, but I don't think there was ever any overt intent to connect Stoker's vampire character with the actual historical Dracul character. I think he used the castle, country and certain aspects of the legend of Dracul as a backdrop to establish his vampire character, but only Bram Stoker could tell us that.

I think we easily forget that through time we regard Bela Lugosi as a handsome, dashing actor who made Dracula a romantic figure. In actuality, when the movie was released in 1931, it was considered pretty scary, and Lugosi's portrayal was seen as anything but romantic.

 

[SmellyLemmings]

alright! I love vampires!

 

[Lumpy 1]

alright! I love vampires!

What kind, the ones that can fly or the new ones that just run fast?

 

[strollingbones]

props to toome for the use of dracul....the a is added to mean "son of"

we will never know if vlad was the model but he is sure the most suspect to be...

if one looks at the actions of vlad in context with his times..they are understandable..his reign of terror keep the turks off of them...he controlled with an iron fist and a lot of pits...but his kingdom was peaceful and flourished under his rule...