Things I’d like to ask Bram Stoker: What was the true inspiration for Dracula? It’s possibly the most common question writers are asked. Everyone wants to know where a writer gets their ideas, and the writer often struggles to come up with a satisfying answer. But the history surrounding Dracula’s origins makes the question irresistible!
So who was it inspiring such terror in Eastern Europe that could have sparked something in Stoker? Was it Vlad the Impaler? He’s certainly a solid and popular possibility. But there’s also Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who has a story that will make your blood run cold (and I doubt she would be happy about that).
Take ten minutes to watch this YouTube video and visit the extraordinary Bran Castle in Romania, and learn more about the possibilities for where Dracula’s story was born.
A Vampire Story in Romania
Few stories have as much rich history and surrounding mystery as that of Dracula. While we can never know the true answers of Dracula’s origins, investigating the possibilities is an amazing horror history tour in itself.
Are you ready to take a trip to Romania and visit Bran Castle for yourself?
For more about this iconic story, check out The Midnight Society’s Dracula Posts.