Behind the Folklore -
Monster Movie

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DRACULA
Anyone conversant in vampire lore knows of Bram Stoker's infamous monster Dracula, but not everyone is aware that the infamous Count is based on a real life monster- Vlad Tepes Dracula, a bloodthirsty fifteenth century ruler of Wallachia (now Romania).

"Dracula" in Romanian means literally, son of the Dragon. Vladislavs "Tepes" Dracula was born in 1431- the year Joan of Arc was burned at the stake- in Sighisoara, Romania, in a modest stone house that still stands today. His father and namesake Vlad Dracul was the governor of Transylvania, a Knight of the Order of the Dragon, from which he took the name "Dracul." The Order of the Dragon was a Catholic chivalric order similar to the Knights Hospitaller, whose mission was defending Christianity against the Turks.

Young Vlad was raised in Wallachia, educated, and trained to become a knight like his father. Unfortunately, politics would soon intervene, and turn his life upside down. The Turks over-ran Constantinople and became a serious threat to the elder Vlad's kingdom. The elder Dracul decided that under the circumstances, the best course of action would be to throw in his lot with the Turks. He offered an alliance, and his sons as surety. At the tender age of eleven, the youthful Vlad was sent along with his younger brother to live in virtual exile with the Turkish Sultan as a guarantee of his father's goodwill. The boy and his brother Radu became prisoners, confined for four years under strict house arrest. Vlad came of age a bitter, untrusting young man.

Scarcely four years later, Vlad senior found himself in a difficult position, when he was called to fight Turkish invaders- he was forced to make to choose between fulfilling his sworn duty as a Knight- allowing his sons to die- or to save the lives of his young sons and incur the wrath of the Church, which might leave him to the mercy of his many enemies. Faced with such a difficult decision, Vlad chose to do neither, instead opting to send his eldest son in his place. The Christian army was defeated, and in the end, both Vlad and his son were assasinated-tortured and buried alive by anti-Turkish subjects.

Vlad returned home immediately to seek vengeance, and with the aid of the Turkish cavalry, took his father's throne- a rule that was to last only weeks. Over the next seven years, he plotted to regain Wallachia from his father's enemies, and in 1456, he succeeded- and thus began one of the cruelest and bloodiest reigns in the history of Europe.

Vlad quickly became known for his swift and brutal punishments, meted out even for minor crimes. His favorite punishment for lawbreakers was impalement, but he also employed burning, dismemberment, and other cruelties. He loathed the dishonest, beggars, and people who could not or would not work. On one infamous occasion, he sent out an invitation to the beggars of Wallachia to attend a great feast. When his guests arrived and were seated, he ordered the doors locked, and building was then burned to the ground, leaving no survivors. In Germany, pamphlets describing his atrocities began to circulate, along with rumors of blood drinking and worse.

Relations with the Turks eventully grew strained, and after a series of raids and other insults, the Turks declared war. Though his armies were vastly outnumbered, Dracula nevertheless employed every psychological and guerilla tactic he could dream up- poisoning water supplies, engaging in sneak attacks, even employing a crude form of germ warfare- and finally, he impaled some twenty thousand Turks, a scene so grisly it caused the Turkish sultan to retreat. However, the Turkish army soon returned in force- led by Vlad's own brother, Radu.

When the Turks reached his mountain fortress, Vlad was able to escape to Transylvania, aided by villagers. His wife was not so fortunate- according to legend, she threw herself from the battlements to avoid capture. He sought help from the King of hungary, who instead had him imprisoned on false charges. Later, with the King's aid, he became the Prince of Wallachia (how, nobody knows) and was assassinated less than a year later. In total, his reign lasted just six years. He is regarded as a hero to this day in Romania.

WOLFMAN
Wolf man or wolf-man or wolfman refers to a werewolf, a type of lycanthrope.

THE MUMMY
Character from the 1959 film starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. In the 1890s a team of British archaeologists discover the untouched tomb of Princess Ananka but accidentally bring the mummified body of her High Priest back to life. Three years later back in England a follower of the same Egyptian religion unleashes the mummy to exact grisly revenge on the despoilers of the sacred past.

SHAPESHIFTER
See folklore from Nightshifter (S2) for info on Shapeshifters.


OTHER REFERENCES
Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany. Much of the fest revolves around beer and food.

The Goethe Theater is named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was a German writer, best known for his play "Faust".

Dean: It looks like we stumbled upon a midnight showing of Dracula Meets the Wolf Man.
There is no film called "Dracula Meets the Wolf Man", however, there is one called "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" from 1943 starring Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi.

Sheriff Deitrich: I mean some Satan-worshiping Anne Rice-reading Gothic psycho vampire wannabe.
Anne Rice is an American author best known from her vampire series of novels, beginning with "Interview With A Vampire" which was made into a film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

Dean: We got a Dracula and a Wolf Man monster-mashing it in this town?
Monster Mash is a popular novelty song from 1962. It is musician Bobby "Boris" Pickett's best-known work.

Dean: We need to find this guy before he Creature from the Black Lagoons somebody.
This is a reference to the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon, starring Richard Carlson and Julia Adams. In it, an amphibious creature known as "Gill-man" kills research scientists seeking to find fossil evidence of the legendary creature's existence.

Jamie: So, you guys are like Mulder and Scully or something, and the X-Files are real?
Referencing the long-running Fox series The X-Files starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, FBI agents who investigate various alien and supernatural phenomena.

Shapeshifter/Dracula: It was beauty that killed the beast.
This was the last line, spoken by the character Carl Denham, in both the 1933 and 2005 King Kong films.

Dean: And the Dude will not abide.
This is an homage to the 1998 Coen brothers' cult classic, The Big Lebowski, starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman. In the film, title character Jeffrey Lebowski (also referred to as "The Dude") frequently uses the catchphrase "The Dude abides" to indicate his acceptance of something.

Dean: He almost Frankenstein-ed me.
This is a reference to the movie Frankenstein, directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff as the Monster. Dr. Frankenstein creates his monster in a lab that looked exactly like the shapeshifter's lair, using electricity on an inanimate body strapped to a table.


Sources: About.com, Winchester Journals