Live and Let Die : The Scariest James Bond movie

 Live and Let Die: The James Bond Film That Scared It's Audience

Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers for both the film and book.

  The 1973 film, based on the 1954 book, was Roger Moore's debut as 007. Sean Connery declined reprising his famous roll following Diamonds are Forever and Moore was cast. Whatever people's opinion of Moore's Bond, he divides opinion to this day, Live and Let Die proved unforgettable in large part due to it's dark themes.

  The beautiful but apparently unattainable Solitaire, has the power to see the future and remote present events. Assisted by tarot cards.  As a high priestess, Solitaire's virginity is tied to her power. 

   After the inevitable tryst with Bond, Solitaire loses her ability, putting her life in danger

  Solitaire's punishment is too be sacrificed by the voodoo priest Baron Samedi. 

  

  Baron Samedi is a voodoo priest. The Haitian vodou (The correct spelling for this kind) practises in this film is what left some audiences a little uneasy. Voodoo itself is a broad term these days, often associated with both good and bad practises but usually, in popular culture at least, is associated with the occult, West African religion and witch doctors. Baron Samedi is a figure from Haitian vodou folklore, while not inherently evil he is dark and mysterious. Popular culture and misunderstanding of these kinds of religions has made him a villainous character who is often describes as the man who 'cannot die'. Sometimes he cannot die as he is a spirit or deity, sometimes it is his religion that gives him apparent immortality. Often it is a title passed on, hence the inability of the character to die. Either way, Baron Samedi is quite a frightening character.

   As Bond and Solitaire got though trials and tribulations leading up to the apparent happy ending of most bond films, this one ends on a dark note which is why many consider this the scariest of the Bond films. With the terror and voodoo behind the couple, they cuddle up on a train and apparently all is well. Then we are shown the front of the train as it speeds along.

  The film ends with Baron Samedi laughing while perched on the front of the train.

   The film leaves it ambiguous as to exactly who he is and whether or not he is really immortal. Although originally due to reappear in The Man With The Golden Gun we never see Baron Samedi again, although we know that he is still out there. Geoffrey Holder's stellar performance as the only supernaturally implied Bond villain, sent shivers down a few spines. 

  With voodoo feared by many of the western world and those who don't believe in it still freaked out by it's portrayal, this is a Bond film that some refuse to watch alone. 

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The Dark Side of Easter

Dark Easter Origins 

In the Christian calendar, Easter is the time of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  Christians commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion on Good Friday. It is observed by Christians as a day of penance, grief and fasting. Good Friday also marks the end of the 40-day period of fasting for Christians, called lent. The day before called Maundy Thursday, commemorates Christ washing the feet of his disciples and the last supper. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection. 

  Some people feel the brutality of what Jesus Christ apparently went through makes this holiday dark enough. Others say a holy holiday being eclipsed by old pagan traditions is dark.  However, for non-Christians and those who recognise the pagan origins of this holiday, we may need something more.

  As we can guess if we don't already know, the Christian Easter celebrations take place at this time of the year in an attempt to replace the Pagan celebration, in the same way Christmas takes place during yuletide. While Christmas managed to implant many Christian aspects into a Pagan holiday, Easter didn't do as well. While Christ Mass became Christmas and we have the nativity and religious carols, Easter, arguably a more important Christian celebration, is practically forgotten over Pagan traditions.

  Easter is named after the West Germanic spring goddess Eostre*. While there is little about her, she is believed to be the same as Ishtar. A goddess of fertility and sex. Often the 'rebirth' of spring is used to celebrate these goddesses. Both eggs and bunnies are symbols of fertility and considering spring signifies the end of winter, it makes sense. 

  Eggs are especially popular, chocolate eggs have become a staple of Easter. Even those who do not know its slightly risqué connotation refer to it as a symbol of spring along with chicks, the world is blooming, life is returning. It's all very wholesome. Of course, as with everything, we can all find some darkness to it if we wish.

Too Late To Save Everyone

  The Goddess Ostara came to banish winter and bring warmth and life back to earth, however, she found she had come a little late. She found dead and dying birds with their wings frozen and their beaks cracked. With the weather so cold and the ground so hard some birds had not been able to survive. While she revived and healed the dying birds, the dead ones were beyond help.

Jealousy: The Easter Bunny

  Ostara revived a bird whose wings were too damaged to heal, she turned him into a snow hare. This hare was either her pet or her lover, stories vary. As he started as a bird, the bunny laid colourful eggs once a year. Eventually, their relationship turned sour. As a pet, he was disobedient and mischievous. As a lover he was unfaithful. Ostara put a stop to his behaviour by throwing him into the sky to be imprisoned there forever. After a time her heart softened enough to allow him to return once a year but the rest of the time he is imprisoned in the sky as the constellation Lepus.

Disrespect

  With the days getting longer and the weather getting better, many people bring out or purchase a spring wardrobe. Bright colours, shorter sleeves, pretty dresses. While this may be seen as a somewhat modern tradition, it is actually a custom with a dark origin. As a goddess was coming, we were to greet her in the right way. It would be considered very disrespectful if we greeted spring in anything other than bright colourful clothes. Disrespecting a goddess could lead to crop failure, infertility, poverty and death. Wearing bright clothes was the only way of avoiding such horrible fates.

While there are not a lot of dark elements to Easter, it is a spring celebration, after all, there are a few for us people who like to have a little darkness all year round. The Easter bunny is little like Santa, delivering eggs to children, does he watch them sleeping too? If you can find or know anymore do let me know in the comments, I always like to learn more about dark origins and traditions. In the meantime eat too much chocolate, mourn the loss of winter and always look for a little darkness in this coming of the light.

*Read about Éostre on Wikipedia.

Creepy Wedding Superstitions

 Wedding Traditions with Creepy Origins

  There are many superstitions and traditions around the happiest day of you life. Nowadays with more themed and gothic weddings, most couples make their own luck and own traditions. However, for the more conventional weddings, there are many traditions and superstitions that are surprisingly creepy, even if some of the traditions aren't followed anymore.

Ward Off The Trolls

  In Norway, trolls are quite benevolent beings that are shy, like cake and are nice to people who are nice to them. In some places, trolls are not so nice. Evil beings fond of carrying off human women, it was best to try to keep them at bay, especially during a wedding. In Ancient Swedish tradition, brides would sew garlic, rosemary and cloves into their dresses in the hope the smell would keep away trolls. I'm pretty sure that would keep a few guests away too.

Never Wear Green

  As most brides these days wear white, this isn't as prevalent as it was, however, many people are careful to wear nothing green when they marry, such as emeralds. Some people say it's unlucky regardless of how many weddings you have. As you're only meant to wear white at your first wedding, some people opt for green at a subsequent wedding  Like many superstitions, people follow it without knowing it's origins. As brides used to wear their best dress to their wedding, white dresses only available to the rich, she had to take care her best dress was not green. The reason being that green is a fairy colour. In a time when fairies were terrifying creatures that could bring misfortune and even switch out your child for a changeling, you wouldn't want to offend them by wearing their colour to your wedding.

Exit The church First = Die First

  In North Carolina, USA in 1964, the order of the wedding also foretold the order of death. Other things also foretold death. If it rained on your wedding day the groom would die first also snow on the bride meant she would be a widow. Whomever left the altar first, exited the church first, sat at the reception first and/or stepped over the threshold of the new home first would be the first to die. A 50/50 chance either way, it is easy to see how these superstition may have had real results.

Bridesmaids

  The brides best friends and female relatives often make up an important part of the wedding party. A bridesmaid's job, especially chief bridesmaid and maid of honour, is to look after the bride; hence bride's maids. As the title suggests, it's supposed to be unmarried women. A way to honour and include your friends in your special day perhaps but it has a sinister origin. Bridesmaids are there to confuse evil spirits, rival lovers or even potential kidnappers about which one is the bride. Bridesmaids used to wear the same or a similar dress to the bride to confuse these would be wedding crashers. Of course this probably worked better before we could all afford white. Pretty obvious who the bride is now, I'm pretty sure the spirits would work it out.

Bad Luck To See The Bride Before The Wedding

  Probably an easy one to guess, this goes back to days of arranged marriages. If a groom saw his bride before the wedding and didn't like the look of her, he could refuse to go through with the wedding. If he did not see the bride until after he could no longer back out, as they would have been joined by God, they could not be separated.

Wearing a Veil

  A veil was  a symbol of the girl's virginity and worn to protect her modesty. Seeing the bride could get the young men's blood pumping. Concealing her from potentially lustful eyes was a must. The veil also hid her from evil spirits and the groom's eyes. Again ensuring an arranged marriage would go ahead.

Throwing the Bouquet Is A Distraction

   A bride was lucky, she had found herself a husband. As such, wedding guests used to try and grab some of that luck for themselves by tearing her dress. Brides would throw her bouquet as a distraction, having the guests tear at the flowers instead of her. These days, the single ladies wait for the bride to throw her bouquet but originally, she threw it almost instantly after vows for fear her dress would be a victim otherwise. 

Throwing of the Garter

  While the bride throws her bouquet to the ladies, the one who catches it supposed to be the next one to marry, the groom throws the men his bride's garter. Seen as a modern tradition it is actually pretty old. In medieval times the bedding ceremony was a big part of the wedding. Possibly to make the marriage valid as soon as possible, the couple would consummate their marriage right after the vows. In a lot of cases, witnesses would even watch to ensure it actually happened and the couple didn't lie. The groom would remove his wife's underthings and toss them to the crowd as both proof and celebration of the marriage being consummated. Not something that would necessarily go down well these days!

Honeymoon

   A period supposed to last a month (hence moon) and a pleasant one, some believe it originally came from marriage by abduction. The groom would hide his kidnapped bride until the family stopped looking, or the poor girl fell pregnant, whichever happened first. Probably a lot longer than even the month long honeymoon, not quite as pleasant an event. As marriage by abduction was common, women were their father's property and an angry family could get violent. It led to another tradition.

Best Man

  Whomever you choose, best friend, brother etc the best man used to be the best fighter. He would be around to help the groom in a fight with the abducted bride's family and also stop the girl from escaping. A best man was basically your back up. Now he just has the job of organising the bachelor party/stag night.

Carrying over the threshold

  A tradition even unconventional couples keep as it is good luck, it has a few origins, First of all we have, again, protection from evil spirits or spells placed to harm the bride. Next is a superstition, if a bride trips while entering her new home it's unlucky, so the groom carrying her makes sure it won't happen. There's also the kidnapping history and the bride's reluctance to leave home, childhood and her virginity. As the bride was not allowed to be happy about leaving her father's home or losing her virginity, being carried over the threshold was the groom forcing her to do so. Not quite as romantic when looked at in that light. 

  So there you have it, the dark side to traditional weddings. Of course there's the darkness everyone can guess, the father giving the bride away, the business transaction it used to be, but here a few you may not have known. I only hope that if you're not married yet I haven't just kind of ruined the magic...yeah...sorry.

Urban Legend or Tragic Fact? Did a young English girl book in alone?

 

  Paris in 1889 was the year of the Great Exposition or World's fair. The event for which the Eiffel tower had been built. As such it was very busy, packed with businessmen, buyers and tourists. Most hotels were fully booked and, in May, two women checked in at a well-known hotel. The mother and daughter had booked two single rooms and checked in having arrived from Marseilles after travelling to France from India. 

  While both mother and daughter were originally from England they had spent time in India, it is not clear why but India was still part of the British Empire at the time with Queen Victoria the Empress of India. It was not uncommon for people to visit it or work there. 

  After signing their names in the register they were shown to their rooms. The girl's mother was in room 342, a luxurious apartment with heavy curtains of plum-coloured velvet, rose-covered wallpaper, a high-backed sofa, an oval satinwood table and an ormulu clock. 

  Almost immediately, the older woman fell seriously ill. The hotel doctor examined her and asked her daughter some questions. He and the manager had what appeared to be a somewhat excited conversation in the corner of the room. The girl did not speak French but when the doctor slowly spelled out instructions she was able to understand. Her mother required a particular medicine available only at the doctor's surgery on the other side of Paris. As he couldn't leave his patient, the girl would have to go and retrieve it. He sent the girl in his own carriage. The streets were busy and it seemed to take a long time. At the surgery, she was forced to wait and by the time she arrived back at the hotel with the medicine, four hours had passed.

  The girl rushed into the foyer and asked the manager "Comment va ma mére?" (How is my mother?) The man stared blankly at her and asked "To whom do you refer mademoiselle?" Taken aback, she stammered an explanation of her delay. He responded, "But Mademoiselle, I know nothing of your mother. You arrived here alone". Distraught, the girl protested: "But we registered here less than six hours ago. Look in the book." When the manager produced the register the girl's signature was there but above it, where her mother had signed, was the name of a stranger. The girl insisted they had both signed and that her mother had been in room 342 and she wished to be taken to her at once. The manager assured her the room was occupied by a French family but took her to the room for her to see for herself. The room was not decorated as she recalled and held nothing but the items of the family the manager said were staying there. Downstairs she questioned the doctor who denied knowledge of her or her mother. 

  The girl reported her predicament to the British Ambassador, but neither he, the police, or the papers believed her. Eventually, she returned to England alone and was lodged in an asylum.

  Similar stories to this one have been seen in books and other publications throughout the years. Some have slightly different details, such as the girl going to the doctor's house instead of the surgery or the doctor and manager speaking English fluently. In some, the girl discovers the reason her mother has disappeared and why both the doctor and manager deny knowledge of her. The explanation put forward in nearly all versions is that the mother had contracted a plague in India. The doctor, recognising the symptoms, conspired with the manager to conceal the news so as not to derail the Great Exhibition. If someone in the city staying in the hotel was revealed as having the plague the whole event would have been cancelled and people would, if they could, flee the city for fear of contracting the illness. If this is the case, could the register have been changed and the room completely redecorated in four hours? What did the doctor and manager do with the woman's body?

  As there is little detail in the story, such as names, there is little to go on in discovering whether or not this is a true story. Some people have claimed it is true but failed to come up with any evidence. People claiming it is nothing more than an urban legend have been reminded that some so-called 'urban legends' do turn out to either be true or based on real events, as legends often are. If it is a true story it is a truly tragic one and I cannot help but feel sorry for the poor girl. If it is an urban legend it has all the right elements, an unfamiliar place, an unexplainable disappearance, the fear of the unknown and being driven mad. Either way, it is a story that brings up many questions and mysteries that may never be uncovered.

Superstitions Across the World

 

  I talked about superstitions during 31 Days of Hallowe'en (Day Four). While I mentioned common ones, I didn't really talk about country or culturally specific ones. I plan to rectify that today.

Scotland

  There are Scottish superstitions which it is hard to find an origin for, such as 3 swans flying together foretelling a national disaster. Also red and green must not be worn together, It is unlucky to stand with your back to the edge of the door, post love letters on Christmas Day or throw vegetables onto the fire. The most sinister one is carrying a spade through the house meaning a grave will soon be dug.

Ireland

  I don't know why you'd do this, unless material is scarce, but it is considered unlucky to use broken tombstones for the walls of a cottage. There are superstitions all over the world involving the dead. Respecting them and their burial sites is probably the most common one.

Malta

  It was the custom for churches to have two clock faces, one showing the correct time and the other a false one. This was to confuse the Devil about the time of the service. I' sure it confused some of us mere mortals too.

Ibiza

 A little of the old religion coming through, priests are not allowed to board fishing boats. This is likely out of respect for the pre-Christian sea-gods. People who rely on fishing do not really want to annoy them.

Iceland

 Women need to be careful! If you are unmarried, you should not sit at the corner of the table or between two brothers, this means you will spend seven years single. It is not clear why but some believe sitting between two men confuses fate (or whomever brings you love) into thinking you are already attached and sitting at a corner of the table means a wooden leg between your legs. Make as many innuendos as you wish about that but the wood for the handle of a broomstick was seen as a metaphor for the Devil's manhood, hence witches riding them....that escalated quickly! Also a pregnant woman drinking from a cracked cup risks her child having a harelip. 

Holland

  People with red hair bring misfortune. Not an unreasonable superstition for a land once invaded by the Danes.

China

  Any death by accident or foul play is to be feared as the ghost may seek revenge on the seventh night.

Nigeria

  Sweeping a house at night is bad luck, they do it in the morning. It is also lucky to sweep after someone leaves. If a male is hit on the head with a broom he will become impotent unless he retaliates seven times with the same broom. I'm guessing you'll rarely have a Nigerian house missing a broom.

Japan

  A comb picked up with the teeth facing the body is unlucky. Killing a spider in the morning is destroying a human soul. Most cats bring bad luck.

  There are also superstitions specific to race and religion

  

Jews

  A Jewish child must not be watched when it sleeps, likely because of the similarity to the death vigil. It must also not be shown it's reflection until it has grown it's first tooth.

Gypsies

   It is dangerous to eat food that is stepped over or drink from a stream a woman has walked over. All caravans must be burnt after their owners die.

Of course there are probably others and it is not always clear how or why these superstitions started but some people are very superstitious, some people are a little superstitious and some only believe one or two. Some people are so superstitious that when they hear a new superstition they suddenly add it to their own superstitions.

  If you are not superstitious at all and believe it all nonsense, go out, but a cheap mirror and break it. I dare you!

Source Material: The Reader's Digest Book of Strange Stories Amazing Facts

  

The Darkside of Christmas

   Christmas is a time to be happy and merry and full of joy (as I understand it). Christmas is essentially a Christian celebration celebrating the birth of Jesus, the clue is in the name. However many of the Christian traditions seem to have all but disappeared. We have religious songs, some people do still go to church on Christmas day and we celebrate advent without knowing what it's actually about, but most Christmas traditions these days are from the Pagan celebration of Yuletide which have survived. Christmas is celebrated in December because early Christians were trying to replace the Pagan celebrations with Christian ones. They were most successful with Christmas of course, but it wasn't the only one. Easter they tried to replace with the crucifixion and resurrection, that didn't really take. Christmas still has a lot of religious aspects, not least the name, but there are people who refer to it as Yuletide, keeping with Pagan tradition.  Often Pagans are seen as satanic and dark witches but that is a misconception. It is not Pagan traditions however, that make up the dark things associated with 'the most wonderful time of the year'.

Krampus

  Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure from Central European folklore. he is described as 'half-goat, half-demon' and is a companion of Saint Nicholas. While Saint Nicholas was a real person, the only stories about him are legends. In many places, he is the patron saint of children and a legend is that he once secretly dropped money through the window of a house at night to allow the three daughters of an impoverished man to escape a future of prostitution and instead be able to marry. He is now called Santa Claus or Father Christmas. While in Western Europe and America he gives presents to good children and coal to bad ones, in Central Europe bad children are taken by Krampus to hell.

  There are variations of course, sometimes he simply punishes the children by thrashing them with a whip of some kind, in others he carries the children off to kill them. Either way, while Saint Nicholas gives rewards of gifts to good children, bad children are given a terrible fate by Krampus.*

The Nutcracker

  The Nutcracker is about a young girl named Clara, who receives a nutcracker for Christmas and discovers at night that he is alive and battling a mouse king. When the mouse king is defeated, the Nutcracker transforms into a handsome prince and takes Clara to his kingdom. It is implied she and the prince stay together and are happy.

  Sometimes it is a dream or alternate reality but one thing that stays the same from the original story is that Clara is a child. This makes her relationship with the nutcracker a little inappropriate. While young girls sometimes dream of meeting a handsome prince, actually being with one at such a young age would be inadvisable to say the least. In the original story, Clara is only seven and marries the Nutcracker within a year. Also, they can't be together in the real world so Clara leaves all her friends and family to live in the doll world.

  This may sound like a story of true love but at seven, should she really be making that decision? Child marriage is a little dark even with her being transported to the land of the dolls.

Christmas Eve 

  

  Christmas Eve, similarly to All Hallows Eve, is a night when spirits roam the earth. Restless ghosts walk the earth on Christmas Eve. It makes sense. In 'A Christmas Carol' Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet To Come on Christmas Eve. If you are brave enough to venture to a graveyard on Christmas Eve and dig a hole (far from the graves don't dig people up) you are supposed to find gold. However upon leaving you a likely to see ghosts passing by and may even hear animals speaking like a human. You know, in the dark, on your own, near a graveyard. Just saying.

Good and Bad Luck

  There is dispute over what is good luck and bad luck during Christmas. Of course, finding the sixpence in a Christmas pudding is good luck, just try not to break your teeth or choke on it. It's supposed to be bad luck to sing Christmas songs pre December 1st post January 6th. January 6th is actually the last day of Christmas so is the day you're supposed to take all your decorations down. If we're being technical, you're not supposed to put anything up, including the tree, until Christmas Eve. Things such as holly and fir trees are good luck as they represent life and rebirth due in spring. When so many plants seem to be dead bringing live ones into the home dates back to Ancient Egyptian custom when they would bring palm leaves into the home in the winter. Mistletoe is a tricky one. some believe it's good luck some bad, whether you plan to kiss under it or not. The only ones I observe with any regularity and superstition are the Christmas songs and taking down the decorations on the twelfth night. All the conflicting ideas on other things is too confusing.

Father Christmas

  Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Pére Noel, St Nick, whatever you call him, the jolly man in red has become a big part of Christmas. While there is discussion about where he came from originally, he's actually a collection of lots of different characters and folklore. With so many different people from different countries and cultures travelling to and settling in the New World, the Americas put it all in a melting pot, so to speak, and Santa Claus was born. 

  In 1822 "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" was published and it gave us the description of Santa that we all know today. Prior to this, many of the depictions of a St Nicholas type was fairly lean. Now Santa is a portly man in red, thanks in no small part to the Coca-Cola illustration.

  England's Father Christmas is the one who lived in the north pole and was originally dressed in green. While most if not all of the Santa-like depictions are happy and benevolent elves, the Santa of Finland started off a lot darker.

  Before Christmas, we had the winter celebration of Yule. Of course, yuletide traditions have lasted and make up more of the Christmas season than the religious side these days. In Finland, evil spirits would visit houses during Yule and demand gifts and leftovers from the feasts and celebrations. In the 19th century, the evil Yule Goat was combined with the Coca-Cola Santa to become a benevolent figure and give gifts rather than take them. In Finland, rather than coming down the chimney the Santa rings the bell and asks if good children live in the house. If they do, he leaves them gifts. Of course, there is a little darkness to Santa now. Does he really watch us and our children sleep? Creepy.

  Enjoy the most wonderful time of the year when people come down our chimney when we're asleep....yeah. 

* In season 3 of the TV series Grimm, Krampus kidnaps teenagers who have been stealing, hangs them in baskets from the highest tree at the highest point and keeps them there before consuming them on 21st December, the eve of the winter solstice. He leaves lumps of coal in the areas he abducts the kids from. At midnight he disappears until the following year.

Krampus Parade in Munich, Germany

31 Days of Hallowe'en: Day Thirty-One, All Hallows Eve

 Day 31 All Hallows Eve: Dracula

Who has not heard of the famous Transylvanian Count? Bram Stoker's 1897 novel has become the one against which all vampire stories are measured. There have been over 200 film adaptations which even diehard fans seem to struggle to see in their entirety. Add in all the the adaptations and even a lifetime may not be quite long enough to see, hear and read everything. From Max Shreck (or Bela Lugosi if you like) to Claes Bang, the role of Dracula is one many people have managed to add to their CV. Of course, with so many adaptations (stage, screen and of course radio) few people read the book anymore. However the book, is a good way to get to know the characters. The book itself, is essentially diary entries of the main characters with a few letters and newspaper articles. 

  The book starts with the diary of Jonathon Harker. He leaves his fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray in England with her best friend Lucy, while he travels to Transylvania to provide legal support for the Count for a real estate transaction. The Count is moving to England. Jonathon writes every day of his strange friendship with the Count and the mysteries of the castle he is staying in. The Count's vampiric tendencies, the three vampire brides in his castle and the fact that he never intends to let Jonathon leave alive become clear the longer Jonathon stays. Back in England his fiancée is missing him while her best friend is choosing a suitor between the three men courting her. Eventually the Count arrives in England and wreaks havoc in the lives of all. Luckily for the characters, The man Abraham Van Helsing (named after Bram Stoker) is there. He knows about vampires, the Count and how to fight against them. The count's ultimate goal is slowly revealed, he wants Mina as his bride.

  While a long read it is gripping. Unlike the tales of blood and gore we find in modern horror stories, Dracula is more subtle, showing a way in which vampires survive within society. The Count can walk among others during the day, his powers are just weaker than at night. Also, people are not found drained of blood with the blood all over the room or their throats ripped out, they wither away from an unknown disease. While they do have puncture marks in their necks and turn pale from loss of blood, unless people know about vampires, you'd just know someone had died from an untreatable, incurable illness. No one is going to be blamed for someone becoming ill and dying. We never see anything from the perspective of he Count. He has no need or desire to keep  journal so everything is seen through the eyes of the other characters. The way the reader themselves would see it. 

  Dracula is not the only story of a vampire but it is the most famous. He has almost become the original vampire, all others are secondary. It does seem that, within his own story, he is the most powerful. While we have been bombarded with different vampires and vampire lore, Dracula is still the one that is most often referenced. In some other vampire stories vampires claim him as real, others dismiss him as myth. He appears many times in media, he even appeared in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One thing that never seems to change with Dracula, however people fight him, he always comes back. 

   

  What people seem to forget about Count Dracula, is that he was actually based on a real person.

  Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler, was the ruler of Wallachia (now part of Romania). There were many stories about Vlad's cruel and gruesome treatment of his enemies. When visitors from Turkey refused to remove their turbans in his presence, he had the turbans nailed to their foreheads. When he captured prisoners he had them executed and impaled, earning him his nickname. He also massacred many people. Vlad's father was referred to as Vlad Dracul, Dracul meaning dragon. Vlad III was often referred to as Dracula during his reign. Dracul in modern Romanian, mean devil. In literature, Vlad is often referred to as Dracul, translated as the son of the devil, adding to his reputation. Stories of his cruelty were popular after his death. Stories of his cruelty and apparent bloodlust, made him the perfect inspiration for Bram Stoker's title character. The bloodthirsty ruler becomes the bloodthirsty Count. Some adaptations of Dracula have him constantly adapting for the times. In modern times he is often a doctor, giving him access to blood banks.

  As I said before, Dracula has made the inevitable transition form page to screen. Film and TV adaptations are in abundance. I myself saw the ballet. I loved the ballet it was brilliant. Of course my poor mother spent most of it scared but it made me appreciate more her taking me to it. Shows another side of ballet for the sceptics who think is all, pointing, jumps and essentially boring. I have never seen a play or indeed heard a radio adaptation, but am working my way through the better known films.

  The first Dracula film was, essentially, the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu. 

  Unable to get the rights to Dracula, the studio changed the name and appearance of the title character. The names of supporting characters were also changed. As the story was still practically the same as Dracula however, the studio was sued by Bram Stoker's widow and was forced to declare bankruptcy to avoid paying.

  The first film to actually have the title of the character is one of the most famous. In this adaptation, in 1931, the Count was played by Beal Lugosi.

  This film was actually based on a stage adaptation which was endorsed by the Stoker estate Bela Lugosi was actually reprising his stage role. This is, as I said, one of the most famous adaptations. It is credited with initiating the Universal horror film series of the 30s and 40s. 

  In 1958, a very famous studio called Hammer, released an adaptation starring Christopher Lee.

  Van Helsing was, of course, played by Peter Cushing. A more cinematic Gothic interpretation, it took many liberties with the plot. However the performance of Lee and Cushing not only were credited with making it very memorable, it fixed Lee with the image of the count in popular culture. Dracula became a Hammer series and both Lee and Cushing reprised their roles in The Brides of Dracula (1960), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), Scars of Dracula (1970), Dracula AD 1972 (1972) and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973). Peter Cushing reprised his role as Van Helsing in The Legend of the 7 Golden vampires in 1974 which did not feature Christopher Lee. Lee reprised his role in 1970 with Herbert Lom as Van Helsing, this was not a Hammer film and was made on a small budget. 

  In 1979, Dracula took on a more sensual role played by Frank Langella. 

 A rather sexually charged film (in the 70s!) it switched the characters of Lucy and Mina and Laurence Olivier (apparently Mina's father in this one) took on the role of Van Helsing. This is a very good version of the film. The special effects were well done (although Mina as a vampire seems a little overdone) and the climax is one of the more exciting ones.

  Also in 1979, a clever horror comedy called Love At First Bite was released, starring George Hamilton.

Only Dracula and Renfield are the familiar characters, this film followed Dracula to New York as he tries to find his reincarnated true love. Van Helsing's unskilled, bumbling grandson brings a lot of the jokes and, even though often seen as a just a disco Dracula, is a funny comedy that many sill enjoy.

  One that is fairly well-known is Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film. It started with the cast reading the book together (reading their characters' parts) which took two days. They then, as requested, went to Coppola with anything not in the script that they felt was needed. Coppola said later they all succeeded in making their parts bigger. In this version, Dracula was played by Gary Oldman.

  Often credited as being very faithful to the book, titled Bram Stoker's Dracula, it also included a back story and subplot. Most notable in this version is Dracula changing appearance. He starts off looking very old and gradually looking younger as the film progresses. This version boasted a stellar cast with Keanu Reeves as Jonathon, Winona Ryder as Mina, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, Richard E Grant as Dr Jack Seward, Cary Elwes as Arthur Holmwood and Sadie Frost as Lucy. Monica Belluci also appeared as one of Dracula's brides, a role she is well known for. Unlike many other film adaptations, all the principal characters appear and Lucy has all three suitors. It portrayed Dracula as a more sympathetic character, more a tragic hero than a malevolent creature. Dark and gothic, it includes several sexual references including two love scenes. 

  In 2000 a Dracula film that has largely been forgotten came out starring Gerard Butler.

 Often, unfairly I feel, passed over, Dracula 2001 saw a gang of thieves unwittingly freeing the Count and letting him loose in New Orleans. In a way he almost recreates his persona, acquiring the three brides while trying to find his favourite, who in this version is a descendant of Van Helsing. The story of who Dracula actually is, is revealed towards the end and explains his aversion to both religious artefacts and silver. A good film in many ways, featuring Christopher Plummer, Johnny Lee Miller, Justine Waddel, Omar Epps and Jeri Ryan. A better film that perhaps it gets credit for, it was followed by a nonsensical sequel devoid of any of the original cast that found a following of the late night cable film lovers.

  There are many other Dracula films of course, including Blackula, which I suspect is a little non-PC these days, and one that apparently goes heavy on the kung fu. There was a time of course that Hollywood loved a bit of kung fu. In the universal films at least, Dracula became a movie monster along with Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman. 

  In 2006, the BBC treated us to a very erotic version at Christmas. This starred Marc Warren.

  A good story with a brilliant cast, it tends to be most remembered for the very erotic love scene between Dracula and Lucy. Sophia Myles played Lucy and both her and Warren did a lot of the promotional material for this seasonal treat. Of course, in keeping with tradition, the apparent defeat of Dracula didn't quite stick.

  Dracula as a novel and character, is one that in a lot of ways, now resemble little of what they were originally. Of course the novel is still out there for anyone who wants to get to know it. However Dracula has become such a big part of popular culture, precious few actually read the book anymore. Dracula is very unlikely to be forgotten or fade into obscurity, even if he will be remembered very differently than he was portrayed so long ago by Bram Stoker. I plan to read the book again, I have read it before, it will reach it's 200th birthday in the not too distant future. With luck, it will reignite the original story's popularity a little. In  the mean time, grab some garlic, put on a costume, heat up some popcorn and have a happy, haunted All Hallow's Eve.