Counting on DACRE: Talking all things Dracula with a Descendant of Bram Stoker

I had a wonderful conversation with Dacre Stoker, the great grand nephew of BRAM STOKER (anybody NOT know what novel he wrote?) We had a spirited conversation about the author and his life, the controversy behind it coming to film, and Dacre's journey as the defender and chronicler of the great legacy of his relative. I've been a fan of Dracula on film and in literature since 1973 so this was a real treat! Dacre Stoker's interview will be part of the IN THE DARK series exploring macabre works "in the passionpit." 

Because of the history with Dracula's copyright, Dacre, with encouragement from screenwriter Ian Holt, decided to write "a sequel that bore the Stoker name" to "reestablish creative control over" the original novel. In 2009, Dracula: The Un-Dead was released, written by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. Both writers claim to have "based [their work] on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition" along with their own research for the sequel, though the plot and characters often directly contradict the original novel. This also marked Dacre Stoker's writing debut.

Stoker contributed to Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010, along with Caroline Joan Picart, David J. Skal, J. Gordon Melton and John Edgar Browning.

Stoker directed, produced and wrote the 2011 documentary film Dracula meets Stoker.

Stoker, with his colleague Hans C. De Roos, is currently working on a Bram Stoker Dracula travel guide which will identify real-life locations mentioned in Stoker's novel as well as highlight the places Bram grew up in. 

In 2018, he released ‘’Dracul’’, a prequel to Dracula which he wrote alongside J.D. Barker.