January 10th, the day I was born, and when my mother didn’t know yet, I would be attracted to vampires and their legends. On January 9th, my husband and I decided to watch Netflix’s Dracula. It was entirely unexpected.

Official Dracula Summary

Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to meet a new client and finalise the sale of a stately house in London, but finds himself trapped in a terrifying maze-like castle of undead brides with a vampire Count whose ambition is to conquer the world. — BBC One | Netflix

Dracula Of Ages

We all know Dracula is the character from Bram Stoker’s book. However, his inspiration came from a real man named Vlad III Tepes or Vlad the Impaler.

Loosely based upon the life of a warlord, never king, the only prince he did his best to protect his country and people all of his life. But for now, another Dracula is alive again on Netflix.

Depicted in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a vampire who lived in luxury and fed upon the lives of others. We are now far from Vlad III, who, just like sharks, suffered the doom of an author and, therefore, turned to be a monster.

Sharks are nowhere near what JAWS, as we believed, and Vlad III is nothing like Dracula either. But, because of Bram Stoker, the masses suffered a brainwash over the centuries.

After Bram Stoker gave us the Gothic masterpiece that is Dracula, a new age began. Quickly when the silver screen became available, we saw the vampire in theatres. It started the era of monsters.

Moreover, Dracula became a symbol to come alive almost every decade through movies, series, songs, novels, and more.

Hollywood, oversaturated, the name was not a legend anymore, but part of our dictionary. Dracula is a prince of vampires, monsters, legends, and a masterpiece of literature. So, how did his name become so, blah?

Just Another Dracula

Movies carrying the name Dracula are easy to come about. Just in the last thirty years, nearly twenty movies had the title. Despite Dracula being a notorious name, brand, and vampire, somehow, many movies lead to disappointment.

It is quite hard to represent a character such as Dracula when reputable actors portrayed the character already. More traditionally, we can turn to the wonderful work of Christopher Lee or in a twisted take, such as Dracula 2000, played by Gerard Butler.

Dracula remains a mystery to Hollywood. How to ironically bring the character back to life in a way that paranormal fans would ‘die’ for willingly. It is essential to understand that even the Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a read that goes beyond words.

It is necessary to understand the creature and forget about humans. The human factor is irrelevant when it comes to Dracula. Not many realize that. But today, Dracula is alive again on Netflix.

Netflix Dares Dracula

If one company could do justice to Dracula, it would be the one who redefined “movies at home.” It had to be a new brand for a new creature. But, for an already tired crowd of vampire fans, how would it become possible for Netflix to play their cards, right?

After all, even authors such as Charlaine Harris stayed away from Dracula. Some authors who desired to use Vlad but not Stoker’s vampire also refused to use the name. Why, you ask? Because of the fear, it brought with it a fear of hearing, “not another Dracula story!”

But Netflix didn’t care. Instead, they gave the green light. We received a three-episode series of Dracula. Well anticipated ever since the information leaked, Netflix’s Dracula news spread throughout the web in a flash! BBC One’s Dracula on Netflix, who would play Dracula, and so many more questions!

Then we got the trailer, and yet, I was not happy with it. I’m a vampire fan, Vlad III is my hero. I live and breathe the knowledge of vampire and Dracula to this day is a joke. Why would I give this Dracula a chance to ruin my Gothic heart again? After all, Dracula is alive again on Netflix.

Dracula Is Alive

Last evening, to my husband’s surprise, I put on Dracula instead of catching up on Stranger Things. I had to see it because the actor intrigued me. Furthermore, my husband said that finally, it was a brutal Dracula and not a romanticized one. Could it be? Did Netflix get it right?

In the first episode, the feel of the novel spread out so well you can almost smell the fresh ink of Bram Stoker’s words on paper. The mood of a heartbroken man who visited a count high up in a castle in the mountains of Transylvania is everywhere.

Some necessary adaptations took place but did not diverge from the overall feel of the novel itself. The music, so perfect, I felt the hypnosis instantly. The scenery and choice of places so well done, I felt the overwhelming sensation of satisfaction. As an artist myself, I recognized the work put into this production.

Netflix Alive

The story goes on, and my doubts about the actor portraying Dracula faded in one scene alone. Him, proud of who he is, unafraid and standing before a small crowd ready to take him down. I knew the actor was now part of the best, if not the best, to be Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The script was perfect, from a journey through time and dwellings. Dracula must adapt his vocabulary from place to place, country to country. The writers did not forget that simple detail easy to forget.

The actor demonstrated such easiness in Dracula’s arrogance, but in his subtlety, he showed us mask after mask Bram Stoker’s Dracula wore along with his life. The spotlight finally is where it always belonged, not on Helsing or the others, but Dracula and his endless battles.

It might not be flawless, but it is how close as it gets.

Dracula Alive Again

Endless attempts, successes, and failures that occurred throughout the century. Many failed at representing Bram Stoker’s immortal vampire. I was not a fan myself until last night.

When finishing the third and final episode of Dracula, which takes you to a whole new place with the character, I smiled. There was something about this actor and how he owned Dracula that had me think if he ever existed, it would be him.

This series is a new take on Helsing and Dracula. It is not as an update but a retelling of the novel from words between the lines. The writers took part in Dracula’s journey and brought it to life in this version of the book. We see a castle, but this time it is the Poenari Castle of Romania in a new light. The viewer visit a convent of nuns. Also, we see things we didn’t see in other representations.

I know it isn’t your normal Dracula, but it is one that could be and is to me. Forget the human and watch the vampire.

Netflix’s Dracula

I never thought I’d watch this Dracula just as much as I never thought I’d watch Netflix. I’m glad I saw this excellent work. It is not perfect. Dracula needed another two episodes, in my opinion, to settle everything they wanted to share. Some information missed the mark because it needed more time, but overall as a piece. It is impressive.

If only two more episodes existed to put between the second and final third episode, it would be flawlessness—at least to the story of this Dracula. Some say the third episode felt rushed, and it did because it needed two more to have us immerse in the direction Dracula lead us.

However, do not let this opinion stop you from watching this version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. If you are a formal fan, you might be a little on edge, but it is still worth a watch to compare universes at the very least. Go on, Dracula is alive again on Netflix.

I give this attempt at Dracula a solid 7.5/10.

The OCD Vampire,
Alexa Wayne