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Dracula
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🦇📖 In this episode of Book Watch, we’re sinking our teeth into Dracula and its haunting 2024 adaptation, Nosferatu. Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece has inspired countless interpretations, but how does this latest version reimagine the timeless tale of obsession, fear, and immortality?
💡 Join Sarah-Daye and Jordyn as we explore:
✅ The enduring influence of Dracula in literature and film
✅ How the 2024 Nosferatu transforms familiar characters and themes
✅ What makes this new adaptation stand out—or fall flat—among a century of vampire cinema
Whether you’re a classic horror fan or a modern movie lover, this episode will have you watching the shadows just a little more closely.
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Introduction to Halloween Episode
00:00:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Welcome back listeners to another special Halloween episode, or I should say October episode, um where we're just covering some fun, spooky, horror type um books and films. And today i have Jordan Corita with me um again. You might recognize her from our Percy Jackson coverage.
00:01:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um But we are going to be covering um Dracula slash Nosferatu. So um Jordan, ah thank you again for joining me and welcome back.
00:01:19
Jordyn Carrido
So happy to be back. Thank you for having me.
Audiobook and Adaptation Discussion
00:01:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And ah like I said, we're going to be covering Dracula, which was written by Bram Stoker in 1897. And I listened to the audio book that had a um multiple voice cast, and that included Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, and more, um which was really interesting. So listeners, check that out. Yeah.
00:01:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then we're going to be comparing the book. It has had numerous adaptations, but we picked the most recent, which is the 2024 book.
00:01:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
movie by um directed by Robert Eggers. um And we'll get into the cast in a little bit. um But Jordan, let's talk a little bit about kind of like the history of Dracula and why Nosferatu is called Nosferatu. Do you know the history of this?
00:02:18
Jordyn Carrido
I do not, actually. I
Character Analysis and Legal Issues
00:02:20
Jordyn Carrido
was like very confused when I started reading the book, and it didn't that word like didn't really come up. i was like, okay, so I see Dracula, but then there was no Dracula in the movie, and then there's no Nostradamus in the book.
00:02:33
Jordyn Carrido
What is going on here? So please enlighten me.
00:02:35
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm. Yes. So the first adaptation, if you will, of Dracula, they did not get the rights to Dracula by Stoker's wife.
00:02:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um He had passed and she did not give up the rights. So they still wanted to tell this story and I should have written this down, um but I did not. But I believe it was in the 1920s and I believe it was like a silent film.
00:02:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So they didn't get the full rights so they couldn't use the names. Yeah. So they basically changed all the names. So Dracula is now Olark, Olok, and not Orlok, and he is Nosferatu.
00:03:10
Jordyn Carrido
Orlok. There you go.
00:03:13
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So, and then I'm going to scroll down to my notes here.
00:03:14
Jordyn Carrido
Got you.
00:03:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
So, um okay, well, let's just get into the cast. So Count Orlok is the Nosferatu Dracula character, and he is played by Skarsgård.
00:03:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then Ellen is kind of like the Lucy character, and that's played by Lily Rostep.
00:03:34
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:03:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Thomas Hutter is her husband in the film, and he's kind of the Jonathan Harker character, which is played by Nicholas Holt. And then we have Professor Albin Eberhard von France, who is the Van Helsing character, which is William Dafoe. And I want to talk more about Van Helsing later on um as a character, but um because so I think of Van Helsing as the um Hugh Jackman movie, right?
00:04:04
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, yeah.
00:04:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. um He's played by William Dafoe. And then we've got knock, which is the Renfield character played by Simon McBurney. So you've got the same characters. You've got the same plot points, but um again, they just, they that the reason why they changed the name was because they didn't have the rights and they did get in trouble for this.
00:04:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And
Director's Choice and Adaptation Style
00:04:29
Sarah-Daye McDougall
the film was pulled for a short time. um And if what I read on the internet is true, you never know. um
00:04:38
Jordyn Carrido
Thank you.
00:04:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
They actually did destroy the films, but ah several copies were, of course, not destroyed. And that's why we still have that today, that original 1920s. um Now, why Robert Eggers decided to do Nosferatu and not ah Dracula, I don't know. I didn't read into that decision too much um but the names are all the same um from the the 1920s film and um but you know we were talking a little bit offline that the plot points are very similar to the book
00:05:12
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, yeah. I mean, i haven't seen the original Nosferatu film, so I'd be curious to see the differences between Eggers' version and that original film version of Nosferatu and where he differentiates between that story.
00:05:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
and
00:05:28
Jordyn Carrido
But I think if I – and I don't know either, so this is conjecture, but if I had to guess as to why he went with Nosferatu, because I feel like the name Dracula, like, carries so much weight – And like all vampires, like when you think of them, you think of Dracula first.
00:05:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:05:46
Jordyn Carrido
So maybe he wanted to like separate himself.
00:05:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:05:49
Jordyn Carrido
Like obviously it's still based on that source material of the novel Dracula, but maybe he just wanted to like kind of separate himself. And this is Dracula, but like a little bit different, something new, something a little bit more unique.
00:06:03
Jordyn Carrido
um And maybe there's something in that 1920s film version that he was like, no, I really want to emulate that and make people think of that as opposed to dracula and so that's why he went that way maybe
00:06:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And I think also, again, I don't know either, but Dracula, the character, i feel like always has a little bit of like suave-ness to him um and like seductiveness to him.
00:06:24
Jordyn Carrido
here
00:06:27
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Whereas Nosferatu is more of a creature.
00:06:27
Jordyn Carrido
yeah yeah more of like the monster
00:06:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
i definitely Yes, exactly. Whereas Dracula lures them in with his good looks um and then Nosferatu lures him in with more of like a calling.
00:06:39
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:06:44
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:06:45
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah. And
Gothic Horror and Setting Enhancements
00:06:46
Jordyn Carrido
in the book, like the very beginning when he – when Jonathan Harker is like first introduced to him and in the castle, he's like – he's a very good host. He's very charming. He's very kind. He's like, here, let me take care of you. Like my servants have all gone to bed, so I will make you dinner. And, you know, he's very like – ah unassuming in a way at first in the novel versus like from the first moment you see Orlok in 2024 Nosferatu you're like that is a monster that is something other that is something to be feared it's something scary and you he doesn't lure you in with the with the charms to get you to trust him it's just like no I am what I am and you should fear me right off the bat
00:07:32
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah Yeah, and I really like the voice that Bill Skarsard did for this character. like Like, he got really deep um and like kind of just added to that you know fear factor.
00:07:42
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:07:48
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, I mean, it's terrifying, like the rasping, wheezing breath and then like that accent, I'm like, oh, this is, it just makes your spine crawl.
00:07:52
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, the wheezing.
00:07:57
Jordyn Carrido
is just uncomfortable to listen to.
00:08:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah but So I think they nailed that then as the Nosferatu kind of...
00:08:03
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm.
00:08:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Aesthetic.
00:08:06
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah. Yeah.
00:08:08
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So yeah, I think that kind of like covers the differences between the two, even though they're technically the same character. But, um you know, Dracula, like you said, he kind of defined what we know as the modern vampire,
00:08:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um kind of shaping horror literature and horror film. um And then Nathorato being the first cinematic adaptation, kind of,
00:08:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
established gothic horror um and i think that kind of um edgar's kind of wanted to pull that gothic horrorness um so again like that's probably why he went with the nasperatu like it's very classic horror i felt even with a modern like such a modern like aesthetic and like cinematography but like he definitely pulled on those like classic horror
00:08:56
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, definitely.
00:09:01
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:09:04
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah. One, even like for me, the fact that he changed the setting from England to Germany made it more horror like, because I think a like England and like the city of London has always been like such a progressive city, like they're on the forefront of technology and culture.
00:09:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:09:23
Jordyn Carrido
And so it's kind of hard to, think of there being this terrible monster in a modern city like London. But if you take it back to 1837
00:09:35
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:09:35
Jordyn Carrido
All of a sudden, that's like that's a whole other place. It's a little bit more like anne almost simple in a way, to me it felt. And to where it's like, oh yeah, i totally believe that there could be a vampire loose in that city.
00:09:50
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:09:50
Jordyn Carrido
Because that's, yeah, 1837 Germany, of course there was vampires there at that time versus even 1837 Germany. London or 1897 when the book was written in London you're like no they've got like trains and cars and like yeah and like there's a fight it's a I feel like it makes it harder to believe in a film version like the costumes and all that kind of stuff
00:10:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, just a little bit more hustle and bustle. Mm-hmm.
00:10:12
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Well...
00:10:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
I feel like that goes back to our conversation about how Dracula, the vampire is more
00:10:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
human in a way.
00:10:25
Jordyn Carrido
mm-hmm yes
00:10:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Like he will blend into that hustle and bustle life. Whereas Nasherato definitely and will not blend in. Like he is a monster. um so you have to kind of be out in the middle of nowhere.
00:10:33
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:10:37
Jordyn Carrido
Yes. Yes, absolutely.
00:10:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:10:40
Jordyn Carrido
yeah And like in in the book too, heat Dracula takes time to like learn.
00:10:41
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Um,
00:10:45
Jordyn Carrido
He is asking Jonathan Harker all these questions.
00:10:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. Uh-huh.
00:10:47
Jordyn Carrido
He's like trying to learn the culture.
00:10:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Uh-huh.
00:10:49
Jordyn Carrido
What is London like? What are your customs? How do you, how do you act? ah Because he wants to be able to blend in and, you know, be a hunter and live amongst his prey. And then Nosferatu just like, no, I'm just going to,
00:11:03
Jordyn Carrido
I'm just going to go, I'm just going to go be a monster and be as I am.
00:11:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah
00:11:06
Jordyn Carrido
He's not trying to hide himself amongst the the population.
00:11:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Yeah. And even like so much so that the townsfolk have rituals to and like sacrifices to keep him at bay.
00:11:20
Jordyn Carrido
yeah Yeah. In Transylvania,
Themes of Reality and Dreams
00:11:22
Jordyn Carrido
they, They have all these different things and talismans and stuff. And I thought that whole intro to the to the movie was really interesting too because even at that point before he even – before Nicholas Holt as Thomas Hart – Thomas Holt, Thomas something –
00:11:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Thomas Hutter.
00:11:42
Jordyn Carrido
ah Thomas Hutter, thank you. Before he even gets to the castle, he's struggling with like, what is real and what am I dreaming? And that theme of like having to turn distinguish between what is, what am I dreaming?
00:11:54
Jordyn Carrido
Or what is what is the monster like telling me in my mind versus what's real perpetuates that whole film. And then even in the book too, like people are like, they're having to, it's presented through like diary and letters.
00:12:07
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, which is really cool.
00:12:07
Jordyn Carrido
And so like even when they're writing in their own diary, like if I don't write this down, I'm not going to know what's real and what's not real. I have to keep track of what's happening in my waking hours. Cause when I'm asleep and the demon is like coming to me, I don't know.
00:12:23
Jordyn Carrido
i don't know what to believe.
00:12:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:12:24
Jordyn Carrido
So that's, that was a really fascinating way, like in the cinematography to show like some, just to establish that confusion of reality versus dreams.
00:12:37
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Yeah. um So breaking down kind of like the main um progression of the film from the book and the film.
00:12:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then I i believe like the 1920s film also. But um we kind of covered um his arrival at Dracula's castle versus Hunter's castle.
00:12:58
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:13:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
eerie journey through the snow plague-rooted lands.
00:13:03
Jordyn Carrido
here
00:13:06
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So that was really interesting to see kind of like the differences, but also the similarities, like the little old lady saying, don't go, um please don't go.
00:13:16
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um and like the language barrier between the two. um
00:13:20
Jordyn Carrido
yeah
00:13:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And like that was pretty much pulled directly from the page.
00:13:25
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, yeah. It was very similar. And like, it it's kind of it felt like a, I mean, I guess the classic horror movies that I'm thinking of are kind of ripping on this, but like, you're being told, don't go, don't go to that place. That place is bad. That place is dark. It's evil. Like, don't go. And it's like, what I have, I have to go. You feel like you feel like this need to go. And it's like,
00:13:48
Jordyn Carrido
the classic like trope of the horror movie like don't go in there don't do that that's not gonna end well and but you're watching and you just can't stop it from happening that was that was cool to be like oh this is probably where that trope kind of started was here
Gender Roles and Character Dynamics
00:14:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um and that's The main main portion of the story is... so in the book, Dracula feeding on Lucy and Mina.
00:14:13
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um
00:14:13
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm.
00:14:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And then in the movie, it's Orlok's obsession with Ellen. And even in the very intro, we get some weird um prologue of... um their first connection, I guess.
00:14:28
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm.
00:14:29
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And then that's carried out throughout the film. um And then... um so just to cut kind of cap it off, we...
00:14:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Van Helsing is pulled in um with his like battle of science and faith and trying to help. um And then Bon France's character um also trying to help. And then the ending of the story is, you know, the, the death of this character um with Dracula being defeated by the men.
00:15:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um But in Nosferatu, we have Ellen sacrificing herself and, by keeping orlok distracted in the sunrise happens um so really interesting to see like the differences between
00:15:13
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm.
00:15:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um like the agency that they give the female character in nasa ratu versus how like the men like hunt him down to protect the females
00:15:24
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm.
00:15:32
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, I thought it was really interesting to kind of flip that. And I guess it kind of speaks more to the time in which each of these was written.
00:15:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah friend
00:15:43
Jordyn Carrido
um Because for for the men to be the one to defeat the monster, to save the woman, you know, makes sense for 1897 and would make sense even today.
00:15:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
him
00:15:53
Jordyn Carrido
and And a lot of stories, it's still, you know, the femme fatale or you know the the female character being saved.
00:16:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
damsel in distress yes
00:16:01
Jordyn Carrido
Yes, that's what I want. That's what I wanted. Sorry. um Yeah. And letting the men kind of do like the the gross hard work of like killing the beast um to to save, you know, the maiden's honor or whatnot.
00:16:16
Jordyn Carrido
But to give Ellen the ah the power through her sacrifice, I thought was very fascinating. And it kind of made sense in through the 2024 lens because like Dracula or Orlok is preying on mostly women.
00:16:35
Jordyn Carrido
Like he messes with Thomas, but he was only killing. We only see him really kill Anna, Emma Corwin's character, and then the two daughters. And then he's been hunting Helen the whole time.
00:16:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:16:49
Jordyn Carrido
to, to for like the women who are the primary prey of this creature to be given that opportunity to be the ones who destroy the creature and, and defeat him, I thought was a nice little modern twist on it to be like, you know, like we're the ones being hunted.
00:16:59
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah
00:17:04
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Exactly.
00:17:08
Jordyn Carrido
So we're going to be the ones to take him down.
00:17:11
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, love that. Girl power.
00:17:14
Jordyn Carrido
Period slay. Yeah.
00:17:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
okay um So is there anything else you kind of want to talk about the book and the story before we kind of get into our kind of final thoughts?
00:17:27
Jordyn Carrido
I think it was interesting how the film kind of took the l Ellen and kind of made her a combination of Lucy and Mina from the book.
00:17:39
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Okay.
00:17:39
Jordyn Carrido
Because she kind of is doing double duty because she's playing like the Thomas slash Jonathan character's wife. And then she's also playing the role of Lucy where like she's the –
00:17:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
desire
00:17:51
Jordyn Carrido
the at least like through the first half of the book she's the first person that has like the connection with the van with the count with the vampire character and like is the one being hunted and like going through all of these like not being able to sleep and like having her blood taken and like that kind of part of it um was interesting and then like uh
00:17:53
Sarah-Daye McDougall
fire
00:18:20
Jordyn Carrido
Oh my gosh. Aaron Taylor Johnson's character, like gone. yes Just not here. But then on the other side, um the doctor's there, but then like lu because Lucy doesn't exist in the film, the two other men who are courting her and wanting her hand, they don't really exist either.
00:18:40
Jordyn Carrido
It's kind of been
00:18:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:18:42
Jordyn Carrido
Everything has kind of been like narrowed down and simplified um for the film, which makes sense. is In a
Adaptation Desires and Influences
00:18:48
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, exactly.
00:18:48
Jordyn Carrido
film, you don't have as much time to explore all the different characters and their motivations and stuff.
00:18:53
Jordyn Carrido
But Van Helsing is very fascinating to me, so I'm excited to get, as we dive more into each character, talk more about him.
00:19:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah, um and I don't remember really the movie at all, the Van Helsing movie, um but, like, I always envisioned Van Helsing as being, like, a vampire hunter or monster hunter.
00:19:17
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:19:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um So to get this, like, other side of him where it's, like, so science-based,
00:19:25
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:19:25
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um you know, it was just a really interesting, like, um difference, like different character, you know?
00:19:34
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah. Yeah. And again, speaking to like the time period when it was written, that makes more sense because like you don't really have like the adventurer warrior archetype really.
00:19:46
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:19:46
Jordyn Carrido
All like all, you know, quote unquote great men. They want to be learned men, men of science, men of study and books. And like that's how you like show that you are.
00:19:58
Jordyn Carrido
you know high class gentleman and so to like have that timeliness from 1897 again ah he without him they can't defeat the monster because he's the one who has all of this knowledge but
00:20:01
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:20:14
Jordyn Carrido
His power is in his knowledge, not necessarily in his physical power. like He talks about how like you know i'm I'm an old man. like I'm much weaker than you other young men around me. like
00:20:23
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:20:24
Jordyn Carrido
I can't do all these same things that you can do, but he's the one with all the knowledge where nobody else can act without him kind of leading the way like that.
00:20:30
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:20:34
Sarah-Daye McDougall
It would be kind of cool to see a TV show add up this um and really get into those kind of nuances um and see, like, get into the the character arcs that the book shows you.
00:20:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah Because, like we said, we you have to cut down a lot of that and you have to combine characters when you're adapting such a long book into a movie when you only have two hours or so.
00:20:53
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm.
00:21:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um so I mean, I know something like HBO could do a really good job, whether it's Dracula or Nosferatu. Like I would like to see like an actual um adaptation of the book with the name Dracula.
00:21:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
But Nosferatu does have some interesting, you know, pieces to it, like some changes that could be cool to see, like bring Dracula to life, but include parts of Nosferatu as well.
00:21:23
Jordyn Carrido
here
00:21:30
Jordyn Carrido
yeah i'd love to see like a more faithful adaptation to the book and like we totally can include some of those elements that are unique to nosferatu but i don't know that a like page by page line by line adaptation of Dracula has ever been done.
00:21:49
Jordyn Carrido
I think it's more of like different artists throughout time, taking the aspects of it that they, that like, but you know, that click with them and then kind of making their own thing out of it, which is also cool because that, you know,
00:21:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
ah yeah
00:22:04
Jordyn Carrido
the fact that this one novel like doesn't have any sequels, doesn't have any follow-ups, it just is a standalone thing, created this whole universe of vampires where now we've got, you know, Twilight and stuff like that, that, you know, promote vampires and like they're a huge part of our culture today.
00:22:10
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:22:21
Jordyn Carrido
Like I would love to see like a really you like dedicated adaptation or it's like every single bit of it is by the book and how that impacts us.
00:22:22
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:22:26
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:22:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes. I mean, like, and I want to talk about the cultural impact that Dracula had because, um like you said, I mean, we've got Twilight, True Blood, like, every generation kind of has its own vampire story.
00:22:48
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And it would itll be cool to kind of go back and see, like, okay, here's Dracula, and then what was next, and then what was next, and what got us to the Twilight and True Blood of today.
00:22:58
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:22:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And you know we're still like we just had the nasferatu in 2024 and so you know vampires and werewolves and all of those kind of like translovenian spooky halloween themed characters you know all stemmed from this book
00:23:16
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, basically this and Frankenstein.
00:23:18
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yes frankenstein also mm-hmm
00:23:23
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. So anything else? I know where it's kind of a quick episode, but um anything else you want to talk about? the Dracula and this adaptation or, you know, the cultural impact of Dracula before we hop off?
00:23:38
Jordyn Carrido
Um, e
00:23:40
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:23:41
Jordyn Carrido
well, I guess I'll turn it back to you and see, like, was there any of the changes made from the book into the film that had you kind of scratching your head? Like, why did they do that?
00:23:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yes not not anything that really was scratching my head because I i think that Edgar's took a lot from the 1920s and the reason why the 1920s adaptation had to change so much was so that they didn't get in trouble for copywriting, although they did anyway.
00:24:13
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
00:24:14
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um But um so so no, nothing that's really scratching my head. Like I thought it was a really – interesting artistic adaptation um but what i do like in general from the book is that ellen is the one like i mean i hate that she has to sacrifice herself but um i do like that it is her that brings down the downfall of him instead of like the men going to hunt him down like the beast
00:24:33
Jordyn Carrido
Mm-hmm.
00:24:44
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah.
Artistic Adaptations and Storytelling
00:24:45
Jordyn Carrido
Well, and they they still use that plot point as like, because they know that Nicholas Holt's character won't want his wife to willingly sacrifice herself. Like he loves her, so he doesn't want her to do that.
00:24:54
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:24:56
Jordyn Carrido
So they still use the men going off to fight the battle to to kill the monster as a plot point to keep him away so that his wife can do what needs to be done.
00:25:00
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:25:07
Jordyn Carrido
and I think the conversation between Von Friends and Ellen in the film was actually really sweet because like they both know what has to happen.
00:25:17
Jordyn Carrido
They both like because Orlok has come to her and said like, going to keep killing people until you give yourself up to me.
00:25:21
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:25:23
Jordyn Carrido
And the doctor, like they find, you know, the book from the Renfield character. And that explains like what has to happen in order to defeat the monster. And so they both just have to have this sad understanding with each other of like,
00:25:37
Jordyn Carrido
Yeah, like you have to die and you have to sacrifice yourself and you have to make this choice, this terrible choice to do it for everybody else around you, for your loved ones and for, you know, even the the strangers in the town, like just so that they aren't.
00:25:49
Sarah-Daye McDougall
here
00:25:56
Jordyn Carrido
Because they added the...
00:25:56
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Slaughtered.
00:25:57
Jordyn Carrido
um Yeah, they are not part of the slaughter because they added the plague aspect in the film where the rats...
00:26:02
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:26:03
Jordyn Carrido
the The plague ship and the rats are coming around infecting everybody. And so it's like it's not just you and your husband that are in danger. Like the whole city is in danger.
00:26:13
Jordyn Carrido
And so, you know, it's a terrible thing to have to ask of you, you know, the this young woman, this young wife to do But it has to be you. And she's just...
00:26:25
Jordyn Carrido
To me, like she's so quiet, but she's still so brave at the same time to tend know it and accept and be like, yeah, I know what I have to do.
00:26:28
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes, exactly.
00:26:33
Jordyn Carrido
And so I'm going to do it and I'm going to I'm going to do what has to be done.
00:26:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm. yeah
00:26:38
Jordyn Carrido
um i think that that type of bravery is not. And to me, it's a very female type of bravery. ah very unique to being a woman where like we're not as prone to fits of bravado the way that men are where they're like, I'm going to beat my chest and swing my sword and row and go out and fight. It's like.
00:27:02
Jordyn Carrido
That quiet resignation of like, I know what must be done and so I'm going to do it even though I'm scared and I don't want to. that's that kept That feminine bravery i thought was really beautifully portrayed in the film.
00:27:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Exactly. Yes. 100% agree with you. Yeah. um what Which medium do you think told the story better?
00:27:23
Jordyn Carrido
I think the the text is really dense. There's a lot going on and a lot of it, like I'm flipping back into the um like the notes to see like what things mean all the time.
00:27:36
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:27:38
Jordyn Carrido
So I think like as far as being approachable to a wider audience, definitely the film, because it's very easy to follow, it's easy to understand, um and it's a lot more accessible.
00:27:51
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:27:51
Jordyn Carrido
um But I always, i mean I'm a... I'm a book girl first and foremost. So I'm always going to say, I'm always going to say that the book is better, but like you really have to kind of take your time and like go through it slowly to fully grasp everything that's happening just because the language of the time can be confusing to for me as a, you know, as a 2000s person.
00:28:15
Jordyn Carrido
um So that's, that's kind of where I would, would stand on it.
00:28:21
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. um And like I said, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. um And i I've always been a fan of um stories that...
00:28:33
Sarah-Daye McDougall
use a unique way of telling the story like whether it's like dual time lines or like this where it was letters and you're getting all the information from letters or like Daisy Jones and the Six where it's um pieces of interviews so I always love reading a book like that that has a different way of storytelling.
00:28:55
Jordyn Carrido
yeah yeah i thought i'd like to read i'd like to read it all from dracula's point of view
00:29:03
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yes.
00:29:03
Jordyn Carrido
Because that's something so that's something that we don't get in the book and we don't we like kind of get his motivations in Nosferatu. But like I really want – how did he become a vampire in the first place?
00:29:14
Jordyn Carrido
Because we in the book, we at least we watch how he turns Lucy.
00:29:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah.
00:29:19
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:29:20
Jordyn Carrido
But how did he get turned? And is there another like generation before him that's still running around? Or like how did he come to exist in the first place? I'd love to i love to hear that from Bram Stoker.
00:29:30
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I would love that too. i Like even, you know, yeah. I mean, where, like the first vampire, where did he come from? And like, how did this disease or whatever you want to call it be created?
00:29:41
Jordyn Carrido
yeah
00:29:45
Jordyn Carrido
yeah because I mean like I don't you using the word disease made me think of like Edward Cullen and like he like his struggle with being a vampire like he feels like he has no soul and like that he is like because he's you know undead that he's like inherently evil and he's you know
00:29:47
Sarah-Daye McDougall
yeah
00:30:05
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right. Right.
Dracula's Origins and Episode Wrap-up
00:30:05
Jordyn Carrido
he doesn't want to do that to Bella so like I wonder if
00:30:09
Jordyn Carrido
Dracula but like no other him and like the Cullen family are very unique in that like thinking and so I wonder if you know if Dracula ever struggled with that or had that thought of like I am a monster I'm evil I should try and you know not do that or if he was from day one like if he sought it out maybe because I again like in the in the film there's the book of the occult that um Von Frock looks at
00:30:15
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:30:24
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Right.
00:30:29
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Mm-hmm.
00:30:37
Jordyn Carrido
And it says how to kill him. So somebody had this knowledge and put it in a book at some point. So is there also knowledge on how to attract a vampire, how to become a vampire? Did he, you know, just getting, i mean, spooky season.
00:30:52
Jordyn Carrido
i love villains and talking about villains and getting into their minds.
00:30:55
Sarah-Daye McDougall
their motivations, yes.
00:30:55
Jordyn Carrido
So like, I'd love, Yeah, like I said, I'd love to, I wish we could know what motivation bram Stoker would have given Dracula if he had written Dracula from the Count's point of view.
00:31:06
Sarah-Daye McDougall
Hmm. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. That's really fascinating. I would love to know that also. Good call. um Okay. Well, anything else before we hop off?
00:31:19
Jordyn Carrido
I think that covers it.
00:31:20
Sarah-Daye McDougall
and Great. Well, um thank you once again for joining me um and listeners. um Go join us in the Facebook lounge and tell us your thoughts on Dracula or maybe um who your favorite Halloween villain is, whether it's Dracula or a witch or um Frankenstein and his monster.
00:31:45
Sarah-Daye McDougall
And um we will see you next week. It is a fifth week of October. So we're going to do a little bonus episode where we talk about just fun Halloween traditions.
00:31:58
Sarah-Daye McDougall
um And Jordan will be joining me as well as Chris. So please don't miss out and subscribe.
00:32:06
Jordyn Carrido
See you guys next week then.
00:32:08
Sarah-Daye McDougall
bye