Support NeoGAF

[NecrosaroIII]

I've been reading Dracula for the first time. I'm actually struck by how easy it is to read. I don't think Bram Stoker was taking his work that seriously, which is good. It's written to be a fun adventure story.

I'm still early on, but what has stuck me so far is I don't think I've seen a version that quite captures Dracula's personality correctly. My reading is that Jonathan Harker views the count as sort of pathetic. He can tell that Dracula fetishes British culture. It's a core part of his identity.

How I'm sort of picturing Dracula was like if he was an awkward billionaire weeaboo who taught himself Japanese reading hentai manga and jrpgs, then hired a Japanese lawyer to teach him "real japanese" so he could go to Japan and bang AV girls.

It's an interesting picture.

 

[PrimetimeKnight]

Never read the book but I think the movie is incredible...horrible Keanu accent and all. Gary Oldman never fails to impress.

 

[EerieArcade]

I Haven't read a book in a while and love Dracula in film and television. Sounds like a good time to get my own copy of Dracula!

 

[NecrosaroIII]

I Haven't read a book in a while and love Dracula in film and television. Sounds like a good time to get my own copy of Dracula!

Just in time for Halloween. I'm planning on double teaming it with Salem's Lot.

 

[jason10mm]

Just in time for Halloween. I'm planning on double teaming it with Salem's Lot.

Salem's Lot FUCKED ME UP as a kid. Both the book and the tv movie or whatever it was.

I'd say the holy trinity of Lost Boys, Fright Night, and Near Dark trumps Salem's Lot/BS Dracula, with 30 days of Night and Vampire$ kinda rounding out my must see vamp flicks. Blade 1 & 2, for whatever reason, I don't count as proper vampire movies but I can really articulate why, as much as I love them. The OG and Chloe Moretz versions of Let Me In are also good. I can't really think of a stellar vamp film from the past 10-15 years though, not the Colin Ferrel Fright Night remake or Girl Walks Home Alone quite grabbed me like they could (or Those Who Walk in Shadows or Only Lovers Left Alive either).

 

[AJUMP23]

Next read about vlad the impaler.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Salem's Lot FUCKED ME UP as a kid. Both the book and the tv movie or whatever it was.

I'd say the holy trinity of Lost Boys, Fright Night, and Near Dark trumps Salem's Lot/BS Dracula, with 30 days of Night and Vampire$ kinda rounding out my must see vamp flicks. Blade 1 & 2, for whatever reason, I don't count as proper vampire movies but I can really articulate why, as much as I love them. The OG and Chloe Moretz versions of Let Me In are also good. I can't really think of a stellar vamp film from the past 10-15 years though, not the Colin Ferrel Fright Night remake or Girl Walks Home Alone quite grabbed me like they could (or Those Who Walk in Shadows or Only Lovers Left Alive either).

My dad says that Salem's lot is one of his favorite SK novels. I've been meaning to read it for a while. I've seen the movie. It seemed solid. There was this scene that fucked with me. A vampire boy trying to get his friend to open a door. Fucked with me hard as a kid.

 

[Kittehkraken]

You'd probably like Carmilla by Sheridan LeFanu. Had a big influence on Dracula.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

You'd probably like Carmilla by Sheridan LeFanu. Had a big influence on Dracula.

I was considering it, actually. Damn, you're right. I had forgotten that one

 

[Thaedolus]

lmfao- most understated thread title ever

 

[Kittehkraken]

Just in time for Halloween. I'm planning on double teaming it with Salem's Lot.

You should sneak in Sleepy Hollow. The atmosphere fits perfectly with something like Dracula.

 

[Porcile]

Anyone ever watched Return to Salem's Lot? Quite an interesting premise but terrible execution but eh, much like Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 I am fond of it.

 

[Sub_Level]

The first 2/3rds of the book is great.

Final 3rd is kind of schlocky. Still fun tho.

 

[SirKicksalot]

It's written to be a fun adventure story.

Which is why it's using cutting edge Victorian science and technology to drive the plot. It's not exactly obvious to the modern reader. This was written before blood groups were even discovered.
Coppola's movie made a lot of changes but it has the spirit of the book.

 

[Kittehkraken]

The first 2/3rds of the book is great.

Final 3rd is kind of schlocky. Still fun tho.

100% agree.

The opening of Dracula is spectacular.

Spoiler: SPOILS

The ending is straight garbage. All that build up for that?!

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Which is why it's using cutting edge Victorian science and technology to drive the plot. It's not exactly obvious to the modern reader. This was written before blood groups were even discovered.
Coppola's movie made a lot of changes but it has the spirit of the book.

I really like the Coppola film. Its so gloriously melodramatic

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

The Coppola film is too much for me. In fact, while I love the character of Dracula, almost all of the films are too hokey for me to invest.

Except for one... the greatest Dracula film is still the 1979 one with Frank Langella. Watch it if you haven't, just to see a different "serious" take than the usual ones. It still has some melodrama but for me, he strikes the right tone with his persona in the scenes.



...but maybe the book is better than the Coppola film, in the case of Stoker's version

 

[Thaedolus]

The Coppola film is too much for me. In fact, while I love the character of Dracula, almost all of the films are too hokey for me to invest.

Except for one... the greatest Dracula film is still the 1979 one with Frank Langella. Watch it if you haven't, just to see a different "serious" take than the usual ones. It still has some melodrama but for me, he strikes the right tone with his persona in the scenes.



...but maybe the book is better than the Coppola film, in the case of Stoker's version

The book is a masterpiece which spawned endless attempts to adapt and emulate.

It’s a masterpiece.

Mast

Urrrr

Piece

 

[Thaedolus]

If anyone’s confused I really like the book

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

The book is a masterpiece which spawned endless attempts to adapt and emulate.

It’s a masterpiece.

Mast

Urrrr

Piece

Perhaps I'll find time for it, even though fantasy genres of writing are something I have always strongly avoided for some reason, even classics.

I was mainly responding earlier to the way Coppola named his film "Bram Stoker's Dracula", as if this depiction is the faithful one to the original book, above all the rest, when the film felt like a mess to me and in particular made Dracula's character something totally uninteresting and absurd.

 

[Mossybrew]

Yah its pretty entertaining for such an old book. You can see why it stuck around in the culture for so long.

 

[Vyse]

Just in time for Halloween. I'm planning on double teaming it with Salem's Lot.

That’s an awesome pairing. Might dip into both again as well.

 

[Vyse]

Yah its pretty entertaining for such an old book. You can see why it stuck around in the culture for so long.

Guess you can say it…errrr… doesn’t suck!

 

[Trilobit]

You should read Moby Dick too. It's amazing. There's a whole passage about how cozy it is to sleep in a cold room under a warm blanket.

 

[Thaedolus]

Perhaps I'll find time for it, even though fantasy genres of writing are something I have always strongly avoided for some reason, even classics.

I was mainly responding earlier to the way Coppola named his film "Bram Stoker's Dracula", as if this depiction is the faithful one to the original book, above all the rest, when the film felt like a mess to me and in particular made Dracula's character something totally uninteresting and absurd.

Eh, his adaptation is cheesy as hell but I still have fun watching it from time to time. Keanu and Winona Ryder had a terrible attempts at accents but it still has Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing and Gary Oldman playing Dracula. It’s kind of a guilty pleasure.

The book, however, is still totally worth reading

 

[nightmare-slain]

i hated the book but the movie with gary oldman was good. super hyped for Nosferatu at Christmas <3

 

[intbal]

If you want to read an "artsy" interpretation of Dracula, I can recommend this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Dracula-Moonlight-Nightmares-Jon-Muth/dp/0871351714


It makes some changes to the story, but it's a well-done dreamlike graphic novel.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I can't really think of a stellar vamp film from the past 10-15 years though

abigail

 

[sisyphus8]

A classic story about English men driving an Eastern European migrant out of London.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

i hated the book but the movie with gary oldman was good. super hyped for Nosferatu at Christmas <3

Oh... director of The Witch and The Lighthouse, yeah I'll be watching this one

 

[The Cockatrice]

I really hated how they made the movie based on The Captain's Log. I felt no sense of horror, dread, anything. Modern horror movie makers are so trash.

 

[Cfh123]

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a masterpiece. You should try that one next.

 

[TTOOLL]

Yeah, the book is amazing!

 

[Trunx81]

This thread made me realize that Lord of the Rings is similar to Dracula:
Both inspired thousands of stories and nowadays all of them are gay.

 

[Hookshot]

I’m reading a 90’s romcom script for the first time, it’s pretty woman

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

How I'm sort of picturing Dracula was like if he was an awkward billionaire weeaboo who taught himself Japanese reading hentai manga and jrpgs, then hired a Japanese lawyer to teach him "real japanese" so he could go to Japan and bang AV girls.

It's an interesting picture.

This would make a great plot for a movie.

 

[Toots]

How I'm sort of picturing Dracula was like if he was an awkward billionaire weeaboo who taught himself Japanese reading hentai manga and jrpgs, then hired a Japanese lawyer to teach him "real japanese" so he could go to Japan and bang AV girls.

That's pretty harsh for the Count
He has a few reasons to go overseas other than his love for sweet crooked teeth pussy...
The mental picture is fun tho

 

[DGrayson]

It is a great book! Been a while since I read it

 

[NecrosaroIII]

It is a great book! Been a while since I read it

Read it again. We can have a sort of book club.

 

[jshackles]

In the 90s there was a series of novels by Jeanne Kalogridis that were written as an unofficial prequel series to Stoker's Dracula

The Diaries of the Family Dracul Series by Jeanne Kalogridis

Covenant with the Vampire (The Diaries of the Family Dracul, #1), Children of the Vampire (The Diaries of the Family Dracul, #2), Lord of the Vampires (...

www.goodreads.com

Since Anne Rice and vampire shit was everywhere back then, stuff like this was all the rage. I haven't read them since they first released, so maybe they've aged terribly, but I do remember enjoying them quite a bit. The third book in the prequel series even kind of overlaps with the events in Dracula, and it gives more context to some of the things that are happening in that book.

While basically a precursor to fanfic, and littered with unnecessary eroticism, they're a fun read if you find yourself wanting a different perspective on the story and it's characters.

Anyone here read these? Do they hold up?

 

[kittoo]

The first 2/3rds of the book is great.

Final 3rd is kind of schlocky. Still fun tho.

That's exactly where I am at. As soon as they reach

Spoiler

London

, the book looses a lot of its atmosphere and is kinda stupid. Everyone donating blood to everyone all the time!

 

[Trunx81]

I just hate what they did with the vampire genre. Those Teenie movies are count-less.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

I just hate what they did with the vampire genre. Those Teenie movies are count-less.

I hate it too, but I wonder what you could do other than tell the same story over and over.

 

[EverythingsOverrated]

This was one of the first big boy novels I read as a kid (along with Jurassic Park) and it blew me away. I was already thinking about rereading it, still have my 25 year old paperback.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I love that book so much

 

[jason10mm]

abigail

So I gave this a whirl and it's just ok, for me. I did like the gore and the ladies are easy on the eyes and get covered in gore. But the set up was cool but went nowhere. Feels like Abigail flip flopped all over the place with a lot of stuff cut out. Was the girl bad, good, or misunderstood? No one EVER shows any curiosity about her, about vamps, there is no real fear, folks wander the house in little groups, blabbing all the time.

I think Renfeld was a more fun recent vamp flick. Abigail wasn't funny enough or horrifying enough. Not enough body horror with those teeth, it treated vamps like just some ho-hum thing, and the Abigail reveal wasn't set up well, I think the director knew everyone watching would know the "twist" so didn't bother making it particularly interesting.

 

[BadBurger]

It's one of my favorite horror novels. Might be my fav.

Check out Annihilation next. From Jeff VanderMeer. It is a totally different take on horror but written in much the same way and with some of the same themes.

 

[BennyBlanco]

It’s a great book.



Wonder if this turns out good.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

But the set up was cool but went nowhere.

In what way? The setup is that people willingly go to a place, but get locked in to be hunted for sport over and over again, however this group managed a change in the hunter which possibly changes the cycles; that's where it went, the survivor surviving wasn't even a sequel hook, since the creators had no intentions of actually setting up a sequel, the movie is a complete story of a fucked up situation that gets resolved for the participants.

Was the girl bad, good, or misunderstood?

All of the above.

No one EVER shows any curiosity about her, about vamps, there is no real fear, folks wander the house in little groups, blabbing all the time.

Because sane people don't believe in ghosts, they start leaning towards the killer being in the house with them and thus could also be one of them; it's only after the reveal that they have to accept this new reality, and they definitely do have fear when they are walking around trying to find the vampire, the blonde girl is pretty much scared out of her mind when walking around by herself, the fear only goes away a little bit when they think they trapped it; curiosity also wouldn't do them any good since nobody has any answers except the thing that's trying to kill them, it's very similar to 30 days of night or predator in that sense, a whole lore dump wouldn't add much, if anything to the story being told.

Abigail reveal wasn't set up well, I think the director knew everyone watching would know the "twist" so didn't bother making it particularly interesting.

I don't see any real way an uninformed viewer would be aware of the twist beforehand, the trailers and marketing team spoiled the whole thing like they tend to do and is also why I don't watch trailers; terminator genisys is a recent one where the director actually spoke out about being upset that marketing spoiled everything, heck the terminator 2 trailer spoiled arnold being a good guy, lotr two towers spoiled the whole gandalf reveal, cast away trailer is the entire movie, and many more.
Case 39 is a good example where they used the marketing as misdirection and the actual movie is different to preserve the twist.

 

[jason10mm]

It’s a great book.



Wonder if this turns out good.

Goddamn, there should be a 1 week ban for posting such a bad fan wank trailer as that

Though gotta say, a John Wick meets Underworld mash-up has some promise and Ortega is as good a replacement for Beckensdale (who still looks quite nice, TBH) as any. Though you squeeze Sydney Sweeny into some latex with a bikini top and give her a lot of scenes firing a high recoil machine gun from the hip, NOW we are talking!!!

I'll hide the semi-NSWF example just in case someone is in a meeting....

Spoiler