Dracula (a memory)

Well, the solstice is done and dusted, so days are slowly getting shorter, hopefully the heatwave should be over soon and this is thus time to... get ready for Halloween. I'm not kidding: I start preparing round this time of year. Yes, because this. But it is nothing new to me, I've always started getting on a spooky mind and preparing for Halloween months before. More than 35 years ago, if I'm not mistaken, in the summer of 1990, I first read Dracula by Bram Stoker. Before I watched any adaptation of the famous novel. I had been wanting to read classics of horror for a while and found a copy of Dracula in the local library. I blogged about it in details in a post from 2018. The memory came back to my mind recently. The novel was a revelation to me and it truly started my love of horror. I was interest in the macabre and scary stories before, but as a child my mother wouldn't let me read such things. As a teenager, she couldn't stop me.

Dracula Day

 Today is World Dracula Day, as it is the anniversary of the publication of Dracula by Bram Stoker. It is by far my favourite horror novel ever and also one of my favourite novels all labels aside. I have lost count on how many times I read it. So I find it important that I commemorate today. Also, in my long countdown to Halloween, or my countdown to the countdown, today is also a stepping stone. Stoker's novel is an essential read for any horror fan ans it remains to this day the greatest vampire story ever told.

The Dracula Puzzle

I an not a fan of jigsaw puzzles per se, that said I can enjoy doing one if the image on it talks to me. So I saw this one during my last visit in a Waterstones. I did not buy it: we already have many, many, many jigsaw puzzles and we seldom play with them, even though Wolfie likes them a lot. But I regret it and I just might buy it one day, just to have a Halloween-themed game to play during the countdown and because Dracula is, as you probably all know by now, my favourite horror novel. The puzzle shows quite a few key events of the book, albeit it has been tainted by the popular image of Dracula (the black and red cape for instance). All the same, I think it looks gloriously eerie and it deserves a place here among our games.

Dracula and the Spook

For today's countdown to Halloween post, more on Count Dracula. As Dracula is my favourite horror novel, heck, one of my favourite novels, period, I think he deserves some exposure on this here blog. During our visit at the York Castle Museum last April, I saw this mechanical puppet booth (I think that's the term): you put a coin in it, a mechanism puts in motion a little dramatic scene with characters and sounds. I have seen then before, in other places, they usually display a scene with monsters or ghosts, or some kind of supernatural story. This one's title/name caught my attention.

I will try to add a video to it, because of course I videoed it. It was quite pleasantly spooky. There's just something about these old pieces of technology, they just work for scary stories. of course, Dracula looks like the lounge lizard he has been depicted in movies and nothing like in the novel, but it makes sense that I found Dracula and the Spook in York. The Count, after all, entered England in Yorkshire. Anyway, I hope you like the pictures.

Why read Gibbet Hill for Halloween

I have blogged last Saturday about horror stories of Bram Stoker, recomending that you read them this year for Halloween. I mentioned the recently rediscovered Gibbet Hill. This Halloween 2025 has been for me, so far, the year of Gibbet Hill. Because it is the perfect read for Halloween, for many, many, many reasons, which I have listed here:

• It's set in mid-October, so it's already both autumnal and of course fittingly in the Halloween season.
• The autumn atmosphere is brilliantly rendered by Stoker. 
• Gibbet Hill is a real place in Surrey, for added authenticity. Also, you can actually visit it, if you live in England, for a sort of scary pilgrimage.
• It has snakes in it. Seriously, snakes deserves a more prominent place among Halloween critters.
• It features a strange and mysterious cult, practiced by two Indian girls and a blond boy. It's not merely a ghost story witha single antagonist, Stoker gives us a glimpse of something larger scale, a threat to civilisation. He will develop this in Dracula, of course, see this post from 2024.
• In the end, nothing is fully explained or rationalised, which adds to the unease. 
• There's just something about an old ghost story set in late XIXth century. 

 So yes, if you have to read one horror story this Halloween, it has to be Gibbet Hill.

Bram Stoker for Halloween

For tonight's countdown to Halloween reading suggestion, this book, a small collection of short stories by Bram Stoker. Not for The Burial of the Rats of the title, which is maybe not purely a horror story (although since I'm scared of rats, it's pretty much one for me), but for the other ones: The Squaw, The Judge's House, Dracula's Guest (well of course) and Gibbet Hill. The latter being the recently rediscovered ghost story and worth the purchase in itself. It's a genuinely scary ghost story, with creepy, cruel children and snakes, fittingly set in mid-October. I will blog more about it later in the month, but otherwise, the other stories, particularly The Judge's House and Dracula's Guest, are really great Halloween reads. You get the ghost of a hanging judge, more rats, a vengeful cat, weird cults, creepy children, an iron maiden and, well of course, vampires. My happy discovery this year, even though I read them all same one. And you can't go wrong with Stoker.

Dracula climbing up a wall

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, a bit more about Count Dracula. Again. Be warned: I am obsessed about the novel (if you haven't noticed) and every Halloween I blog about it. This year, expect to see even more, because I read a lot of Bram Stoker and I want to share my discoveries. Anyway, I saw this in Vienna, from this ferris wheel. Which of course reminds me of a scene in the novel, when the count climbs down the walls of his castle. Climbs down head first and at night, but I suspect the display was inspired by the novel anyway. Fitting, as Stoker had initially wanted to have what would become Dracula set in Austria. Anyway, it looks very cool and scary.

Crab, Mayonnaise and Vampires

 This may come as a surprise, but this post is another one for my countdown to Halloween. Because allegedly, crab mayonnaise and horror are somewhat related. Or rather, a famous horror classic. Because there is a claim that Bram Stoker found the inspiration to write Dracula after a nightmare caused by an indigestion of crab mayonnaise. It is only a claim and everything leads to believe that is unfounded. Be that as it may, I ordered crab mayonnaise a month ago for our wedding anniversary meal. Because why take a chance? It was delicious, but unfortunately gave me no nightmare to work on. To my wife's dismay, however, it made me snore.

The Dracula Game (a memory)

 Long time readers may remember that I blog from time to time about the Dracula Game. This was a make belief game my brothers and I played with some friends back in 1989, freely inspired by J.H. Brennan's gamebook Dracula's Castle, before I read the original novel. We only truly played it once, but it was one of the most exciting games we ever played, one that got us in an early Halloween mood, and I remember it fondly to this day. I am mentioning it again because after doing a bit of research I can say with a fairly strong amount of certainty that today is the anniversary of the day we played. It might sound silly to keep track of time like this, for one afternoon in our childhood, but that fateful day was important: my brothers and I made a new friend (read the original post for more details) and it was my first proper introduction to classic horror and to my favourite horror story.

So I read Gibbet Hill

 You may remember that I blogged last October about the rediscovery of Gibbet Hill, a ghost story of Bram Stoker that had long been forgotten. Well, I did not waste time and bought it a few months ago. As this is now my officious countdown to Halloween, since we are after all in Augtober, I read it already, along other scary or supernatural stories. It was first on my to be read list this year for the spooky season. And I loved it. I will blog about it in more details in the future, but to all the horror fans among those following this blog, I heartily recommend it. There is a lot to love about it: it's set in October, it's beautifully eerie and atmospheric, there is plenty of horror and a fair deal of gore too. Some of the ideas he placed in there, he deveoped them later in Dracula (but I guess all his writing ultimatey leads to his most famous novel). Oh and, bonus point for those living in England: Stoker used real places for the story's settings, so you can visit them if you are so enclined. I will mention more about it in a future posts, but one in particular isn't so far away from where I live. So yes, read it if you can.

Les jeux de la comtesse Dolingen de Gratz

Après avoir écrit mon billet de dimanche dernier, j'ai appris grâce à mon frère PJ qu'il existe un film d'horreur français inspiré librement de la nouvelle de Stoker. Il s'appelle Les jeux de la comtesse Dolingen de Gratz. J'ai peu d'expérience sur les films d'horreur français, mais je crois me rappeler qu'il y en a d'excellents. Et puis comme je suis obsédé par les vieux vampires gothiques, ainsi que par l'oeuvre de Stoker, il faudrait bien que je le regarde un de ces quatre, alors que je me mets dans l'ambiance de l'Halloween. Ce sera une nouvelle quête cinématographique et macabre pour moi.

Countess Dolingen of Gratz

To celebrate Walpurgis Night, I reread, as I do every year, Dracula's Guest. One of my favourite vampire short stories, set on the fateful night. If you want to read my theory about its relationship to the novel, read my comments on this post. I thought about blogging about today's topic during the official Halloween countdown, but I have this in mind now, so why not do it now. I am already in a spooky mood in any case. So yeah, it struck me (again) reading it that there is actually one named vampire in it: Countess Dolingen of Gratz in Styria, who "sought and found death in 1801", according to her tombstone. I find it interesting for many reasons. First, because she is named, unlike the Weird Sisters/the Brides of Dracula. Then, because it is implied that the Countess Dolingen did not become a vampire after being bitten by one, but because she committed suicide. Although this may only be to hide the true cause of her death. And finally, because if Gratz means Graz in Austria, well, I have been there once. Another reason to visit it again one day. Otherwise, although we know barely anything of Countess Dolingen from her cameo in the short story, of course the fanbase and continuators invented a full biography of her. I don't care about Bram Stoker's continuators, but I might try myself on a bit of fan fiction featuring her one day, if something good comes to my mind. In any case, I hope to blog about her again come October.

Wismar and Nosferatu

 Halloween is a long time away, yet I often get in a spooky mood these days. I am already anticipating and preparing myself mentally. So I stumbled upon a BBC article about the city of Wismar, which was used for the filming of the original Nosferatu (and its remakes). Being a big fan of Dracula, which is of course the source material of the horror classic, I think I should visit the city one day. From the pictures I saw, it looks like a warm and friendly place, very quaint, utterly unsinister, but I guess that's what can make it eerie. I have been wanting to make horror pilgrimages in various places associated with classic scary stories. I haven't really made much if any headways, but Wismar is definitely on my list.

A thought on Dracula

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, a thought about J.H. Brennan's gamebook Dracula's Castle, the original novel Dracula, and of course the Dracula Game. I think one of the appeals of the novel and what makes it stand apart to this day from other horror stories and make its title character such a terrifying antagonist is that he is not merely a monster in the shadow, but a bona fide conqueror. Because Count Dracula's scheme is to actually invade the British Empire and then the world. He has ambitions. That's what makes him such a great villain and such great antagonist for a make belief or role-playing games. This is what so many adaptations miss, because of limited budgets or because they simply don't get the character. Dracula wants to invade, subdue, conquer, dominate human civilisation. When he is in a story, the stakes should be high.

Gibbet Hill (a "new" ghost story by Bram Stoker)

For today's countdown to Halloween, some great news for the amateurs of gothic horror, like myself. Especially those, again, like myself, who are fans of of Dracula. My wife pointed me to this article: they found a long lost ghost story by Bram Stoker, after 134 years. It is titled Gibbet Hill and I hope to find a full copy online soon. Until then, I don't want to read too much about it. Stoker had written just when he had started working on his most famous novel, so that ought to be interesting not only as a bona fide horror story, but on a genetic perspective: there might be some tropes or themes common to both short story and novel. Or not. Either way, what a timely discovery, just before Halloween.

Dracula's Daughter

For today's countdown to Halloween I come back again to J.H. Brennan's gamebook Dracula's Castle. The book that was the basis for the Dracula Game of my childhood. I was obsessed about Count Dracula before I got my hands on the gamebook, but it certainly helped me develop my fascination for classic horror and it allowed me to explore it while I was still not allowed to read the original text. I am sharing two images from it. The first one is of a beautiful maiden whom you meet in the castle when you play Jonathan Harker. She is afraid of you and you think she might be an innocent victim lost in that dreadful place...

...until she turns out to be a vampire. Well of course. And not just any vampire, as you have guessed reading this post's title. When you explain to her that you came here to slay Dracula, she answers: "You want to kill Daddy?" I could have guessed right away, but apparently Harker could not. It makes for a nice bit of dramatic ironu. Anyway, I half expexted to see this unnamed daughter of Dracula when I read the novel about a year later. But she was nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, I was not disappointed. The source material is better in every way and the female vampires invented by Stoker are far more terrifying. be that as it may, this was my very first lady nosferatu, depicted both as lovable and fiendish, which is pretty much how they are traditionally depicted. And since I love the pictures, I thought I would share them here.

Demonic Hand

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, I thought I would write about an horror trope. I found this picture from used  J.H. Brennan's gamebook Dracula's Castle . It shows an Evil Hand. When you play Dracula, it attacks you and, if you win, it submits to you and becomes your ally, or rather a kind of macabre, supernatural, sentient gadget. I always loved the image. This hand made such impression on me that it made its way into the Dracula Game. It tried to strangle and claws many of our vampire hunters. there is just something about a limb with a mind of its own, bend down on committing murder and create terror. But this post is mostly an excuse to share this striking image.

The Haunted Castle

 For today's countdown to Halloween post, I wanted to share a game I bought for Wolfie during one of his schools' fayres last summer. It caught both our eyes. My son seems to have a spooky mind. We spent a rainy afternoon playing it. It's called The Haunted Castle, but it is truly a vampire castle: its owner is a vampire, aptly named Lord Darkwood. The name of the place is Dreadmoor Castle. The story is heavily influenced by Dracula, especially the first part: you even use the help of a journal left there by Abraham Van Helsing, who visited Dreadmoor shortly after the events of the novel. I don't want to give too much away, but it's a great way to introduce your kid to horror stories and classic vampire tropes. It's both clever and atmospheric.

Things to do this September

Well, September is already a week in, but it is still early enough to mention do some planning and find inspiration for activities, in family or with friends. Just like every year (and, indeed, every month), the English Heritage published a post titled Top 5 Things To Do in September. I just wanted to mention a few things about it. Firstly, going on historical sites during autumn is always a great idea. Also, the post mentions uncovering sites with literary links including... Dracula. Because yes, it is not too early to get into a spooky mood. I am not the only one who thinks that September is Halloween Eve. And I really love it, especially since the trees are already getting colours. So anyway, what are you going to do this September?

NOT Dracula's Castle

I know we are a long way from Halloween, but what the heck. I'm also a fan of Dracula, my all-time favourite horror novel. I saw this meme recently on my Facebook feed. I think I recognised Bran Castle. My answer: yes I would but no, this is not Dracula's Castle. Read Elizabeth Miller's work to understand why, but grosso modo, Bram Stoker knew diddly squat about Bran Castle, or indeed any Romanian castle. He invented one for his vampire and that was that. Okay, rant over. Or are you guys otherwise?