Something of a bucket list item of mine has been to do my own adaptation of Dracula one day. Thanks to the recent release of Nosferatu by Robert Eggers, and my recent watch of Le Vourdalak on Shudder, I think I have an angle that matches the Dracula I’ve always wanted to see.
So this sketchbook entry is a little noodling about what I might do. You get to see a bit of my design process as well.
Count Dracula in Many Forms
My own experience of reading Bram Stoker’s novel has always emphasized the undead element of the monster. I like the imagery of a faded noble reduced to a corpse who tries to maintain an illusion of their status within their abandoned castle. As much as I like Bela Lugosi as the Count, it isn’t exactly what I envision with Dracula as a character. I was always more taken with Max Schreck’s Orlock as a depiction of Count Dracula.
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu was fantastic and I am very much obsessed with it. I also appreciate that the Orlock of the film leans on the heavy mustache look, which I always associate with Stoker’s novel. So, whenever I do my own Dracula adaptation, the mustache is essential to my take.
Just yesterday I had a chance to watch Le Vourdalak, a French film about a vampire, and the vampire is a marionette. it is a wonderful movie, and the puppeteered, shriveled corpse struck me very much. I have a thing for undead characters.
Designing Dracula
So, that’s the thought process that aligned and led to my take on the Count, here. This is just noodling and a rough pass, but I have ideas. I like the idea of the thick mustache helping hide the fangs within the mouth with shriveled lips. It has a particular abject quality to it. Imagine the bristling mustache parting to reveal four, sharp teeth. Imagine the grotesque accumulation of blood within the thick, aging mustache hairs. Oh, and of course I want those pointy ears on my version.
I have a sense of a possible outfit for the character here, partially inspired by the bundled look of Gorcha from Le Vourdalak. But, I’d probably aim for the heavy durry coat and Turkish influence of Orlock from the recent Nosferatu. As the story progresses, we see Dracula’s form flesh out a bit more, but this would be the initial frightening appearance revealed to Harker in dim lighting.
Let me know if you want to see me adapt Dracula someday. If you are interested in supporting what I do, you can do so through donations on Ko-Fi. I also take commissions.
