/Film has reported that Winona Ryder is one of three actors to join Darren Aronofskys psychological/supernatural chiller BLACK SWAN. The latest from the director of PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM is set to roll in New York City within the next month.
He is, without a doubt, the most famous vampire (yes, even more famous than Edward from the TWILIGHT franchise). His villainy is legendary and his story inspired centuries of sequels in both books and movie form. Spawned from the genius of Bram Stoker, DRACULA gave readers the original figure who started the bloodsucker craze. Now, in 2009, an actual descendant of the Stoker line is bringing Vlad the Impaler back to life.
DRACULA THE UN-DEAD (out now in hardcover from Dutton) was written by Dacre Stoker (Brams great-grandnephew) and Dracula historian Ian Holt. Equipped with Brams personal notes and thorough research, they have turned out a novel that is definitely worthy of sitting on the shelf beside the 1897 classic.
Told from several perspectives (as was the original), DRACULA THE UN-DEAD re-introduces readers to favorite characters like Mina Murray/Harker, Jonathan Harker, Dr. Jack Seward, Arthur Holmwood and Abraham Van Helsing. Stoker and Holt do a terrific job of keeping true to these characters roots, and even more effectively saddle them all with miserable existences, since the evil of their past still lingers in their thoughts. Mina and Jonathans marriage is treading that final line, Jack is a rambling drug addict, Van Helsing is waiting to welcome death and Arthur has completely severed his ties to the others. But at the center of this tale is Quincey Harker, the aspiring-actor son of Mina and Jonathan. After taking a job on a stage production of DRACULA directed by Bram Stoker himself, Quincey learns the truth of his parents pastand is none too happy about it. When the old characters begin dying one by one, Quinceyand readersare plunged into the chaos, which, once it starts, never slows down.
A major difference between the Stoker novels is that in 1897, Bram kept a tight lid on the violence and sex; though present, they were hidden deep beneath the surface. Dacre, however, holds nothing back. The murder scenes are remarkably detailed, giving readers gruesome descriptions that will certainly make them cringe. One of the best involves a character who is discovered impaled, similar to the method Vlad was known for. The romance between Mina and her dark prince is handled flawlessly by the writers, doing it justice while not allowing it to overshadow the rest of the plot.
Unfortunately, Dacre and Holts attentive research does, at times, figure so prominently that the story is lost. Not to say that it was unnecessary, because its always nice to read a novel in which the backstory smoothly flows into the present. If they had only worked to make certain chapters sound less like history lessons, the novel would have been even stronger. The conclusion is an intriguing one, however, and will most certainly raise the question Did they or didnt they? allowing readers to make their own analyses.
If this book will do anything for Dracula buffs, it will make them question anew what is good and what is evil, as they begin to suspect that it may not be Dracula who is responsible for the murders; as the plot unfolds, the villain of Brams book may be given a new title. Dacre and Holt will also draw in new fans with this fast-paced, well-written and character-driven novel. Though Brams book will continue to go down in history as one of the best Gothic tales of all time, DRACULA THE UN-DEAD manages to breathe new life into its characters and situations. And with rumors speculating about a film version of Stoker and Holts saga, Dracula doesnt look like hell be staked anytime soon.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment just gave Fango the heads up that they're celebrating the Halloween Season with a new promotion called HORROR UNLEASHED.
In case you’ve forgotten the name of one of America’s most talented and under-appreciated auteurs, let me reintroduce you to Francis Ford Coppola. Forget about APOCALYPSE NOW, THE GODFATHER TRILOGY and BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA for a moment. We all know and love those films, including those of you who don’t No need to raise your hands and make yourselves look silly. Coppola is so much more than these films, but they’re the only ones he ever gets remembered for.
Let me first take you back to 1974 and a little film called THE CONVERSATION starring Gene Hackman, perhaps one of the…
We've been telling you about the official print follow-up to Bram Stoker's Dracula for over a year now. Dacre Stoker, Bram Stokers great-grandnephew, has penned a sequel to the original novel along with Long Island screenwriter Ian Holt, which even has the official backing of the Stoker Estate, the first to have such a designation since the original film adaptation starring Bela Lugosi. Now that the book is in the can a promotional trailer has hit the web.
The book is also scheduled to be adapted for the screen but there's not much movement on that front just yet. For a bit more check out Ian Holt's blog.
Synopsis
Dracula The Un-Dead is a bone-chilling sequel based on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition. Written with the blessing and cooperation of Stoker family members, Dracula The Un-Dead begins in 1912, twenty-five years after Dracula "crumbled into dust." Van Helsing's protégé, Dr. Jack Seward, is now a disgraced morphine addict obsessed with stamping out evil across Europe. Meanwhile, an unknowing Quincey Harker, the grown son of Jonathan and Mina, leaves law school for the London stage, only to stumble upon the troubled production of "Dracula," directed and produced by Bram Stoker himself.
The play plunges Quincey into the world of his parents' terrible secrets, but before he can confront them he experiences evil in a way he had never imagined. One by one, the band of heroes that defeated Dracula a quarter-century ago is being hunted down. Could it be that Dracula somehow survived their attack and is seeking revenge? Or is their another force at work whose relentless purpose is to destroy anything and anyone associated with Dracula?
