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28. Dracula (Just in general) (24 points)
Nominated by: Anagram (1/6 remaining)
https://imgur.com/gallery/lCh7rxo

Importance: 10
Fear: 6
Snake: 8

There's hardly a name out there as ubiquitous to horror as Dracula's. Originally introduced in 1897's Dracula written by Bram Stoker, Count Dracula set the archetype for the entire vampire genre to follow. In addition to inspiring countless vampires, Dracula himself has seen millions of different interpretations over the years and is one of the most widely adapted characters in history. The first to come to mind for many people however is probably Bela Lugosi's definitive performance in 1931's Dracula. Lugosi commanded audiences with a chilly gaze and a slow, deliberate speech pattern that many Dracula's and vampires since have replicated over and over again. Also established was the Count's ability to hypnotize others, need to sleep in a coffin during the day (in Transylvanian soil I may add), as well as transform into animals including a wolf and most famously, a bat, which all do come from the novel but popularized visually in pop culture through the film. Lugosi became so synonymous with the role of Dracula that in the 1932 film White Zombie he was even billed as Bela "Dracula" Lugosi. However, it wasn't just Lugosi who established key aspects of Dracula and vampires.

Christopher Lee's portrayal, first seen in 1956's Hammer version of Dracula, actually helped popularize the idea of fangs showing in vampire characters. Christopher Lee brought an even more intense Dracula portrayal to the screen, bringing across a deep sense of loneliness that comes with immortality, but also commanding the inherent evilness that comes with the Count. Lee almost rarely speaks as the Count, but it's his excellent visual performance that makes the portrayal so effective, and for some, the definitive Dracula.

Christopher Lee portrayed Dracula in 10 different films, while Lugosi had 6 under his belt. After Lee and Lugosi, there has never been another long-running Dracula portrayal like them, but there's still plenty of iconic Drac's none the less. In 1979, Nosferatu the Vampyre starred Klaus Kinski as the Count, modeled after Count Orlok of the 1922 silent classic, with the rights fully intact this time. This Dracula had a creepy, ghastly, pale appearance, a far cry from the gentlemanly, high-class personas of Lee and Lugosi. 1992 gave us Gary Oldman as Dracula, and more introverted, love-stricken take who only yearns for his lost love Elisabeta. Oldman's full vampiric form has become an iconic Dracula look in its own right. Finally, there's also the Dracula in the long-running Castlevania video game series, which you can almost say is akin to the long running Dracula film series of yore. Dracula has even seen the front of cereal boxes and cartoon parodies like Count Duckula.

Dracula's influence on the horror genre is undisputed. A best-selling novel, unforgettable films, and a wide-range of performances, genres, and mediums make Dracula not only one of the most well-known characters worldwide, but also one of the most varied and nuanced. The amount of stories you can tell with the Count means limitless potential, and that can only be good for both horror and the wider range of fiction.
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If the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will!
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