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In a genre that knows many failed attempts, horror fiction may have no greater success story than that of Dracula. Since it was first published in 1897, the book has never been out of print (Skal 10). Very few stories of any genre can make such a claim and among the annals of gothic horror this record is truly remarkable. Even for a successful horror story the usual pattern is a brief flurry of interest followed by obscurity. One needs only to consult a standard film encyclopedia (Hardy) to become convinced that most horror stories have a very short period of popularity. Set against this pattern, the success of Dracula is unexpected and baffling. Unexpected because of the usual failure rate among horror stories in general, and baffling because the consensus is that the book is poorly written with virtually one-dimensional characters (MacGillivray 525-26). If these claims are true, how may we account for the fact that the name Dracula is known the world over as a synonym for evil?
To those familiar with only the latest film version of the Dracula produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, a reading of the book must be disconcerting. The tale which unfolds on the screen has a familiar theme but differs in important details and tone. No doubt many would attribute these changes to the skill of a Hollywood screen writer. While skillful screen writing is abundantly evident in this latest rendition, this paper will attempt to demonstrate that the most important transformations in the Dracula story occurred in the German film Nosferatu.
To fully understand what has transpired, it would be useful to assess the reasons) why the story has survived. Hensley (1995) has argued that Dracula has become a tale of the "dark lover" and that this story of eternal passion sets it apart from other horror entries. Moreover, preliminary empirical evidence appears to corroborate this idea (Hensley 1996). The romantic dimension of the story is the most predominate element among the reasons cited for enjoyment of Dracula films.
The thesis of this paper is that the romantic theme was introduced in Nosferatu thus setting the stage for all subsequent revisions. Moreover, it will be argued that the changes made in the plot and...