“Sometimes the world doesn’t need another hero; sometimes what the world needs is a monster”

The truth in the assertion of a child holds infallibly true for a time when the world was plunged into darkness in the smoke of warfare ravaged by endless battle for land and wealth. When man did not value his fellow men’s life and pursued blindly his ambition for power and supremacy. Kings sent armies brutally plundering and massacring hundreds of innocents to acquire kingdoms under their reign.  Born in such background is the tale of Dracula. As deeply attracted I am to Victorian legends, I hold in myself profound fondness for Dracula’s legend. But the myths surrounding the Dark Prince’s life are too many and widely varying in their telling.

Originally Dracula was written by Bram Stoker.The contemporary style in which Dracula’s story has been depicted has inspired a number of movie adaptations. I have seen them all.  Dracula in 1992, Dracula 2000 in the year 2000 and Van Helsing in 2004. My personal favourite among them is Van Helsing, despite critical disapproval, which gave us stunning performance by Hugh Jackman. When Jonathan Harker is trapped in Dracula's castle, his journal narrates how he was waylaid by three female vampires while resting in an ancient section of the castle: "I could feel the soft, shivering touch of the lips on the super-sensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two sharp teeth, just touching and pausing there. I closed my eyes in a languorous ecstasy and waited--waited with beating heart." In this powerful scene, Stoker demonstrates how horror can be as sensuous as it is suspenseful.

Dracula is on par with contemporary standards in many ways, making it an easy read for modern readers. With its many timeless qualities, Dracula will remain a horror classic.