In the late 19th century, Irish author Bram Stoker set out to create a work that wasn't just fiction, but a warning of a very real evil - a childhood nightmare. Fast forward to the early 1990s, and Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of "Bram Stoker's Dracula" catapulted the sexy killer trope into the mainstream.
It seems we got our hearts broken by romanticizing violence and darkness. The '50s had James Dean and Marlon Brando, rumbling with switchblades and getting their scrapes kissed by lovers from the wrong side of the tracks. The '70s brought John Travolta in "Grease" and Matt Dillon in "Over the Edge." Even Joel Schumacher's "Lost Boys" in 1987 couldn't stop the tide.
Prior to Coppola's reimagining, we had more modest portrayals of killer suitors - the likes of which included James Dean, Marlon Brando, John Travolta and Matt Dillon. In contrast, modern adaptations have no qualms about depicting straight-up murder as a mere deal-breaker.
Bram Stoker drew inspiration from real-life Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, Voivode of Wallachia, whose brutal methods earned him his devilish moniker. "Dracula in Wallachian language means DEVIL," Stoker wrote in his journal. This notion has stuck, with Gary Oldman's portrayal of the character delivering lines like, "I've crossed oceans of time to find you." Winona Ryder as Mina couldn't help but fall for this fallen angel.
It seems we've come full circle - our taste for sexy killers was born from a cautionary tale about an actual warlord with devilish connotations. We can thank Francis Ford Coppola's reimagining for launching generations into an obsession with the likes of Robert Pattinson's Edward Cullen and Adam Driver's Kylo Ren.
It seems we got our hearts broken by romanticizing violence and darkness. The '50s had James Dean and Marlon Brando, rumbling with switchblades and getting their scrapes kissed by lovers from the wrong side of the tracks. The '70s brought John Travolta in "Grease" and Matt Dillon in "Over the Edge." Even Joel Schumacher's "Lost Boys" in 1987 couldn't stop the tide.
Prior to Coppola's reimagining, we had more modest portrayals of killer suitors - the likes of which included James Dean, Marlon Brando, John Travolta and Matt Dillon. In contrast, modern adaptations have no qualms about depicting straight-up murder as a mere deal-breaker.
Bram Stoker drew inspiration from real-life Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, Voivode of Wallachia, whose brutal methods earned him his devilish moniker. "Dracula in Wallachian language means DEVIL," Stoker wrote in his journal. This notion has stuck, with Gary Oldman's portrayal of the character delivering lines like, "I've crossed oceans of time to find you." Winona Ryder as Mina couldn't help but fall for this fallen angel.
It seems we've come full circle - our taste for sexy killers was born from a cautionary tale about an actual warlord with devilish connotations. We can thank Francis Ford Coppola's reimagining for launching generations into an obsession with the likes of Robert Pattinson's Edward Cullen and Adam Driver's Kylo Ren.
they're like, totally missing the point of Bram Stoker's original tale, you know? it was a warning about real-life evil, not some romanticized fantasy 
like how we've got Edward Cullen and Kylo Ren, but what about Vlad III, for real? he was the inspiration for Dracula, someone who literally tortured people to death 
so it's kinda messed up that our obsession with sexy killers has come from a cautionary tale about actual human suffering 
I mean, think about it... we've been glomming over these hot-blooded, brooding characters in movies and books for ages now, but it all started from a warning about a real-life historical figure who was basically a human version of Dracula 
. Vlad the Impaler was known for his brutal methods, which is where Bram Stoker got his inspiration from. And honestly, I think it's kinda messed up how we've romanticized violence and darkness in our entertainment over the years... like, remember those iconic characters from the 50s and 70s? They were all about rebellion and nonconformity, but not necessarily about glorifying murder or mayhem 
It's almost like our culture is fascinated by the dark stuff now. 
. And don't even get me started on how they make vampires look so hot now... it's like, hello, they're undead and gross! 
But hey, I guess it's all good for the franchise money 
...
. I mean, I get it, Stoker was trying to warn us about real-life evil... but now we're living in a world where vampires are basically just romantic interests 
. Now we've got Edward Cullen and Kylo Ren, and they're like the ultimate dream guys 
... meanwhile, the actual real-life horror is just kinda forgotten 
. I guess it's crazy how our tastes can change so much over time... but, tbh, I'm good with my non-vampire romance movies 
... it's all just so... weird 
. Coppola's adaptation was a game changer, no doubt, but I think its time for us to take another look at the original story and see if theres more to it than just the sexy killer trope 
.
... it's like we lost sight of what it means to be afraid of something. And don't even get me started on those Twilight movies 
.
. And now, vampires are just another part of our pop culture landscape 
.
The original Dracula was all about warning us about real-life evil, not some sexy vampire who just happens to be a bloodsucking monster 
I mean, can't we just have some heroes for once? 
Like, give me someone to root for besides Edward Cullen or Kylo Ren 
And don't even get me started on how Mina falls for Dracula - what's up with that? 
. Maybe we need a break from the whole vampire thing and try something new... 
. Like, we used to be into the brooding bad boy thing with James Dean and Marlon Brando, and that was cool, but now it's like we're just obsessed with anyone who can pull off a cool death scene 
. Anyway, it’s definitely interesting to see how Bram Stoker's original intention was actually a warning about an actual evil person, not just some fictional character