HAPPY WORLD DRACULA DAY 2023

Collectible Time: History's Jack the Ripper & Life's Vampires (Magazines)

National Geographic's History (Magazine) offers a comprehensive overview of the creme de la creme of mysterious murderers in Jack the Ripper: The World's Most Notorious Cold Case, by Michael Burgan. 

With meticulous care, the mag's contents cover the infamous White Chapel murders, emphasizing its woeful victims with stark, visual frankness, along with many of the scandalous, Ripper suspects. 

The spread isn't for the faint of heart, but for anyone drawn to the Ripper's maddening legacy, this History installment is fated to seize one by the throat and not let go with its theoretical thoughts and chilling essays.  

To supplement the Ripper periodical, Life (Magazine) presents Vampires: Their Undying Appeal, by Franz Lidz, which covers not only Vlad Tebes' terrifying history, but his literary and cinematic extensions, including  (of course) Bram Stoker's influential novel. 

Along the dark-drawn way, readers are dealt Dracula's redefined personification through Christopher Lee, Max Schreck, Klaus Kinski, Willem Defoe, Al Lewis, Gary Oldman and the all-consuming Bela Lugosi. These beloved Counts are, in turn, joined by their biting cousins, as disinterred from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga and Charlaine Harris' True Blood.  

Vampires: Their Undying Appeal is a pulse-pounding submission that will hold one's macabre attention, whether one is an erudite follower or novice seeker. 

Both Jack the Ripper: The World's Most Notorious Cold Case and Vampires: Their Undying Appeal are worth adding to one's library for whenever one's morbid inclinations transude.

Copies of each can be found in book shops and drug stores nationwide. Catch 'em while you can. 

ADARKAH IANQU'S DAUGHTER OF NIGHT

The implied vampires rise in Adarkah Ianqu's somber, electronic voyage, daughter of the night. 

The resurrection starts with the song of reintegration, after a corpse crawls from a coffin and feeds upon your supple, pale neck.

Step by step, the demon seeps deep into your soul, doing to you what Dracula did to Mina and Lucy, consuming your mind and heart with a long, gargled purr. 

You become one with the parasite that consumed you. Your hunger prevails until the agony of nothingness in unveiled.

You realize there's little left to feed upon, and so you, the daughter of night, revisit the decaying flowers in the old cemetery, a place in which death becomes your revamped life, stashed among the dank, moonlit mausoleums.

You are now a solitary entity, cold and cruel, a seropositive monk, for all intents and purposes, waiting for your fangs to spring, for your song, your reintegration to ascend, in hopes of adding another to the living-dead ranks. 

Your ravenous revival calls at
https://adarcahianku.bandcamp.com/album/the-daughter-of-night.

I saw Dracula 2020...

I saw the new "Dracula", released this early year of 2020 per Netflix. It should come as no surprise, my dear reader, that I adore Bram Stoker's novel and all the cinematic installments that have followed. This one, a miniseries, is no exception. 

It's adapted by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (of "Sherlock" fame) and directed by Paul McGuignan, Damon Thomas and Jonny Campbell. It keeps Drac, played by the charismatic Claes Bang, in tune with tradition, though bridged by jolting twists that keep the blood flow bright and fresh during his story's three, juxtaposed parts. 

At the start, we find Johnny Harker (John Heffernan) to be a Renfield variant, rather like the vice-versa, Dwight Frye spin of  Tod Browning/Bela Lugosi's version, albeit with much more of a telepathic, undead plunge. (For the record, Renfield does eventually make an appearance via the aforementioned Gatiss. Cool!)  Johnny's account is told to a no-nonsense nun, Sister Agatha, who ultimately morphs into the scrutinizing Dr. Zoe Van Helsing (Dolly Wells): Ah, how's that for clever reinvention!

The rest of the presentation subscribes to what we know and respect about the mythology, with alternating shades and great, time-displaced segments, in which an extended Demeter portion plants its stake, as well as weird, current-day antics, underscored by a dark, endless ebb of terror and sensuality. It's at various times Universal, Hammer, Marvel, "Dracula 2000", "Dracula Untold"; Francis Lederer, Jess Franco, Dan Curtis, Clive Barker, and many more in the way of the devilish macabre, all rolled up into one ghastly, mean and quippy ball. 

Bang's performance is hip, humorous yet sly and sadistic. It's an interesting interpretation, but it never deviates far from the Stoker source. This Count is never too pompous to fear the cross. 

All the actors and their semblances are, in fact, beyond excellent, including Heffeman's Harker (so sickly and sad), Wells' Van Helsing counterparts (shrewd and alluring in their Ingrid Bergman tonalities) and Morfydd Clark's Mina Murray, who's sexy, pious and uncanny in the way her ends meet, even if her presence is much too brief. Lydia West is also effective as Lucy Westenra, our beloved, if not unsettling, bloofer lady.  

I'd love to see more of this incarnation. I'd love to see its makers tackle "Frankenstein", "Jekyll and Hyde" and/or "The Invisible Man". After all, it's not easy to pull off the old good-vs-bad and make it seem new, to redesign the heart of something legendary without turning it unrecognizable or blasphemous. "Drac 2020" deserves hardy applause for having reached its amazing level. As a lifelong fan, I walked away damn impressed.  

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: NEAL ADAMS' LEGION OF MONSTERS

HAPPY 60TH ANNIVERSARY HORROR OF DRACULA!!!

It was 60 years ago this day that Hammer Studio's "Dracula" opened in the U.S. under the title, "Horror of Dracula". 

Directed by the talented Terence Fisher and adapted by the innovative Jimmy Sangster, the film gave us the first appearances of Christopher Lee as the bloodthirsty Count and Peter Cushing as the resourceful Dr. Van Helsing. 

"Horror of Dracula" is considered one of the most respected versions of Bram Stoker's classic novel, as well as one of the most influential horror films ever made. If you haven't seen it, treat yourself  immediately; if you haven't watched it in a spell, you're shamefully overdue.  

HAVE A BLOODY GOOD NEW YEAR (2018)!!!

Flask of Eyes Characterization #3: Bernard Underling Meets Dracula

Another of my "Flask of Eyes" characters is also based on a famous fiend, and in my story, he stands as an adopted brother to Benjamin, the Frankenstein Monster variant. His name is Bernard Underling, and he's a homage to vampires in general, but mainly, Count Dracula.

I can't deny that Bela Lugosi left quite an impression on me as a kid, and his iconic Count (along with his portrayals in "Mark of the Vampire" and "Return of the Vampire") prevails whenever I think of vampires. Bernard is definitely part of the Lugosi's lineage. 

Christopher Lee figures in there, too, and there's a point in "Flask" where the latter is referenced. Of course, there are many others who also influenced Bernard's Drac persona, including John Carradine, Francis Lederer, Jack Palance, Louis Jordan, Frank Langella...

Like Benjamin, Bernard enters the tale in disguise, equipped with fake flesh, invoking a tall, regal figure, but beneath the surface, he's essentially a man-bat. In fact, appearance-wise, he rather resembles the famous Batman foe, Man-bat, equipped with imposing wings, at least once he dares let them spring: for all intents and purposes, a winged demon or quasi-gargoyle type. 

In essence, Benjamin very much plays upon the the shape-shifting image that Bram Stoker popularized and which has continued in the many books and movies over the decades.  

On this basis, a number of Drac/man-bat actors (and their unnerving designs) have determined Bernard's actual structure, including Bradford Dillman in "Bat People"; Gary Oldman in "Bram Stoker's Dracula '92"; Greg Wise in "House of Frankenstein '97". 

To stir things up, I also made Bernard guilt-ridden. In this regard, he holds a puritanical strand, and for him, drinking blood is sinful, especially when it leads him to kill. Gosh, now that I think of it, I may have injected an element of Michael Nouri's Count into him: remember "Curse of Dracula" from the "Cliffhangers" series? 

Anyway, in the deepest recesses of his dark heart, Bernard isn't really vile, but like dear Drac, is still very much inhuman, and like most monsters we have come to know and love, flawed and misunderstood. Give "Flask" a read and see if you don't agree.

Monster Team-up Reflection #21: Dracula, the Un-Dead

As some of you may have read, I received a hard-cover copy of Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt's "Dracula, the Un-Dead" from my in-laws, Ned and Faith, for my birthday (see "Collectible Time #17"--Jan '15). I've since plunged into the acclaimed and yet controversial sequel and wished to offer an overview of it. It's more than justified since it fits into one of my blog's ongoing posts, incorporating three horror legends, no less, with two in particular at each other's throats (pun intended). In this regard, it's an indisputable "monster team-up". 

On a personal level,  I found "Drac, the Un-Dead" a passionate follow-up to Bram Stoker's classic: rather unconventional at times, though I personally believe that its Gothic trimmings overtake any of the radical departures its authors (one of whom is Bram's great grand nephew) make. 

For one thing, the novel includes many of our beloved characters: Jack Seward (who plays a vampire hunter this time out); Jonathan Harker; Mina Harker, Arthur Homewood and of course, Abraham Van Helsing. Drac is in there, too, but in a clever, deceiving way, and when not conspicuously displayed, his presence is still felt, though acute readers will likely detect the magnitude of his presence far sooner than others.

Exciting new characters also appear, including Quincy Harker (son of John and Mina and named after Quincy Morris, the gallant Texan who lost his life in the original adventure), along with (and indeed most significantly) Elizabeth Bathory, known to horror historians as Countess Dracula. There's also an intriguing thespian (the most renowned of his age) named Basarab, who adds considerable flamboyance and mystery to the story and becomes for a time, young Quincy's idol and mentor. Even Bram Stoker acts as a character in the grand scheme of things, as well as other famous folks of the time, including John Barrymore, in a memorable cameo.

As with the original novel, historic attributes weave throughout the sequel's chapters. This technique also lends an air of credibility to the novel, making it an informative period piece, while yet offering enough gruesome imagery to hold its own with any modern blood feast. 

Also, as with the original yarn, Dracula's influence over Mina is ever present. Though she tries to suppress her lustful recollections of the nobleman, her altered bloodstream keeps his memory alive, as well as sustaining her youth. Her vibrance also reminds Jonathan of his wife's infidelity with the vampire, which has led the poor chap to womanize and drink in the fifteen years since his adversary's alleged demise. 

Stoker and Holt stray from making the count (or in this instance, the "prince") an all-out villain, emphasizing his historic fight against the invading Muslims as a means of Christian preservation. His alteration into a parasitic demon is described as an ironic means with which he can still champion the Christian cause: a way, that is, to fight fire with fire. 

Elizabeth Bathory, on the other hand, is depicted as a merciless, vengeful fiend. Not only are her legendary blood baths referenced (and reinterpreted in ways far more explicit than previously imagined), the authors make her a modern dominatrix: a woman out of time, more suited to the future than the past and dead set on defiling all things pure and sacred. She also pits herself against most of the original characters, including Drac: his legendary mantel her coveted prize. 

Her sadistic shenanigans also tie to Jack the Ripper, which incorporate Van Helsing, who becomes a down-the-line suspect in the White Chapel murders, but his precise link to such remains a mystery for most of the tale.

It's up to the cantankerous Inspector Cotford to solve this mystery and redeem his reputation for not having caught the Ripper. In this respect, the book adapts a Conan Doyle flair for deductive (and sometimes not-so-deductive) reasoning, as the pieces begin to fit. By story's end, clues connect Van Helsing to the core of events and in the process, further establish the adversarial relationship of the sequel's monsters. 

(It should be noted that the novel's Ripper link appears to have influenced a sub-plot in NBC's now defunct Dracula series, though the details of the latter always remained as vague as its principle characters' motivations in that short-lived jaunt.)

"Drac, the Un-Dead" may not satisfy all readers, particularly the purists, but in the presence of so many sequels and offshoots (both literary and cinematic), this one deserves credit for not only springing off the original source, but redefining enough of its elements to become its own entity. (It's also the only Dracula sequel authorized by the Stoker estate, which makes it arguably more official than competing companion pieces.)

Above all, "Drac, the Un-Dead" goes out on a limb to define good and evil. The way it does so may contradict the motives of the original book's characters, but by the time it concludes, it (like its inspiration) establishes an irrevocable distinction between the sides. If that doesn't make this one thematically traditional by the standards of classic horror, I don't know what does.