Dracula 2

They're making a sequel to Dracula! Dracula: the book! Sequels, remakes, relaunches, and 're-imaginings' are out of control!

Whatever happened to coming up with some characters (new characters) and then having them do something (preferably something people hadn't really done before)?

Anyway- Dracula- Not surprisingly, they've already adapted the new book into a screenplay. In addition, two more sequels will follow (in book form, then most likely movies...).

So is this really necessary? I'll let you decide. Come, let's chart Dracula over the years.

1897 - Bram Stoker writes the novel Dracula.
1922 - F. W. Murnau makes his unauthorized film version, Nosferatu
1924 - Dracula is staged as a play starring Bela Lugosi
1927 - The play hits Broadway
1931 - The stage play is adapted into Tod Browning's film for Universal Studios
1931 - George Melford remakes Dracula, shooting at night on the same sets for the Spanish-language market
1936 - Universal Studios' Dracula 2 - Dracula's Daughter
1943 - Universal Studios' Dracula 3 - Son of Dracula
1944 - Return of the Vampire, starring Bela Lugosi, often considered an unofficial sequel to Universal Studios' original film Dracula
1944 - Universal Studios' Dracula 4 - House of Frankenstein
1945 - Universal Studios' Dracula 5 - House of Dracula
1948 - Universal Studios' Dracula 6 - Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein
1953 - Turkey adapts the book as Dracula Istanbul'da
1957 - The Blood of Dracula - visits the character during his teenage years
1958 - The Return of Dracula - an unofficial sequel to the novel
1958 - Hammer Films makes Dracula starring Christopher Lee (aka Horror of Dracula)
1960 - Hammer Dracula 2 - The Brides of Dracula
1966 - Hammer Dracula 3 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness
1966 - Billy the Kid vs. Dracula - an anachronistic take on the character
1968 - Hammer Dracula 4 - Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
1969 - Hammer Dracula 5 - Taste the Blood of Dracula
1969 - Al Adamson's Blood of Dracula's Castle has the character living to America
1970 - Hammer Dracula 6 - Scars of Dracula
1970 - Jesus Franco's Count Dracula - a Franco-ish take on the novel
1970 - Al Adamson's Dracula vs. Frankenstein
1972 - Hammer Dracula 7 - Dracula A.D. 1972
1972 - Dracula's Great Love, with Paul Naschy

1972 - American International Pictures' Blacula, starring Shakespearean actor William Marshall

1973 - Hammer Dracula 8 - The Satanic Rites of Dracula
1973 - TV movie starring Jack Palance adapts the novel

1973 - American International Pictures Blacula 2 - Scream Blacula Scream

1974 - Paul Morrisey and Andy Warhol present Blood for Dracula
1974 - Hammer releases The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires

I'm going to stop right here. 1974. 24 years ago. And we've already created all the adaptations listed in this big block of text that you probably didn't bother to read...

So what's my point? My point is if the original has inspired this much derivation, think about what a sequel will do. Like when you make a copy of a copy... or does that metaphor no longer work on the MP3, bit-torrent generation?

We simply don't have enough time left on this planet to deal with any other forms of this story. We're sick of it. Any sane rational person would have realized we reached our limit somewhere long before 1974. So let's stop bull-shitting each other.

I know Twilight is coming out today and it will make millions, but that's not Dracula. It's a new story. Just like the similar / superior Let the Right One in (trailer way up at the top there). These are films that take the mythology developed in the Dracula novel and build upon it. That's cool. We've got no problem with that. By building on the established horror conventions of vampires, zombies, and werewolves we may actually see some truly unique horror films in our lifetime.

Maybe.

Probably not though.

Dan