This is probably my second time reading Dracula, but I picked to be my official scary book of the fall. I was possibly influenced by my recent consumption of LORE podcasts. In one episode on ghost hunters, the host discusses how in popular culture, the main characters of Dracula, Jonathan, Mina, and Lucy, are far overshadowed by our fascination with Van Helsing. Because deep down, we all want to be monster slayers, or in this case, vampire hunters.
One of the things I love with this book is that it really good late nineteenth century British literature that doesn't try to be incredibly deep, or a "classic". It is just a really good adventure story. It is a scary tale, that is further improved by the shifting first person narrative. All good ghost stories are told from the first person. It makes them so much more believable.
Of course this book essentially gave birth to every thing we associate with the modern vampire story, however the 1897 vampires were significantly stronger. People forget that Dracula can come out in the daylight, he is just weak. He can also shift his human appearance, shape shift into animals, turn into a mist to go through cracks in walls, command wolves, and influence the weather. When he attacks people, it can go on for weeks or months before he finally turns them. And the corner stone of fighting vampires, is the Holy Host, wafer. Yes that method is of course too religious for modern tales, but in nineteenth century Britain, that was serious ammunition.
Random thoughts: The Keanu Reeves 90's movie wasn't that great of adaptation, (for instance, the real Count is much more frightening than Gary Oldman), but in every Van Helsing part in the book, I pictured Sir Anthony Hopkins. Also, now I really want a Kukri knife; because you never know when the Count might rise again.
