You can't have Halloween without the classic story of Dracula. Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is a gothic novel that has remained a classic story of Halloween season all these years later despite being released in 1897. Here are seven spooky facts about Stoker's story.
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It's been rumored that the story of Dracula was based on a nightmare after a bought of food poising. Legend has it, Stoker dreamt of "a vampire king rising from the tomb" following a meal of what may have been spoiled crab.
Two Halloween legends, vampires and Frankenstein, have a shared history. A ghost story contest proposed by Lord Byron is what led to Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" novel, and the first English language vampire story called "The Vampyre."
We've all had bad bosses in our lives, but imagine having one so bad that you base a scary story about a vampire on them. That's one story of how Stoker came up with his Dracula character. He was the manager of the famous Shakespearean actor Henry Irving, who had a reputation of being charming, handsome, and a "mental" vampire.
Another likely influence for Stoker was Romanian Prince Vlad "The Impaler." He was infamous for impaling his enemies. His nickname, Dracula, means "devil" in the Wallachian language.
Stoker wrote the story in the wake of the Jack the Ripper murders in London. The serial murders dominated the headlines in 1888, which was just two years before he began writing the vampire story.
His iconic story almost had a different name. The author used the working title "The Dead Undead," shortening it to "The Undead," before ultimately deciding on "Dracula" just before publishing.
His story is one of the most iconic vampire stories of all time and has spawned several movies and television shows since its release. If you've never read it, try giving the classic novel a try to get you in the spirit for spooky season this year.
