Dracula and Seeking Permanence in an Impermanent Society

Dracula has, arguably, been one of the most delved into and adapted stories from novel to screen. But why do we have such a fascination with a tale retold over and over?

Perhaps a fascination with permanence has arisen in the waking of a society that pushes impermanence. Fast fashion? Check. Ready-to-assemble furniture? Check. What we lack is an appreciation for craftsmanship and what we have come to accept is quantity over quality. And it is this loss of enduring quality that takes time to cultivate that we may find media’s obsession with the eternal life of a vampire reborn.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

For a cult classic from the 90s that has a dedicated following, I admit with enough shame that I watched this version this year. What alerted me to its pedestal status was an Instagram reel showcasing the beauty of the cinematography and of course, a young Keanu Reeves (come on, it’s Keanu Reeves, am I right?). 

Its decidedly sexy undertones and plea for true love to prevail are what drawn in viewers with an itch to scratch. 

Song association: Wandering Star by Portishead

Dracula Untold (2014)

The Batman-esque rendition of Dracula embraces the moody lens of Twilight and focuses on the legacy of Vlad the Impaler. Where the 1992 film emphasizes Dracula’s agonising wait for his love to be reincarnated and the lengths he goes to reunite with her, the 2014 take condenses this focus to a throwaway scene that concludes the film. 

Above all, Dracula Untold is about a warrior, a leader and a husband bent on saving his family and people. And it is one of the few adaptations that links Dracula’s vampirism to a source outside of religion: another vampire. 

Song association: Kashmir by Led Zeppelin

Nosferatu (2024)

If Dracula thought he had waited decades for his love to return to the waking world, he didn’t know how long the movie world waited for a remake of the groundbreaking Nosferatu (1922). With Lily-Rose Depp at the helm being pulled towards the darkness of Bill Skarsgård’s Dracula, the film is a homage to horror. 

It’s about infatuation with the allure of death, sacrifice for the good and pure of heart, and the overarching theme of good triumphs evil.

Song association: Клетка (Kletka) by Molchat Doma

Dracula: A Love Tale (2025)

As indicated by the title, this take on Dracula is a love story. It’s deeply romantic and about one man’s journey to find his love reincarnated. He scours the Earth and waits centuries for the possibility that she will return. Dracula’s longing encourages the viewer to side with an otherwise morally grey character. This romantasy focusses on Dracula’s journey and provides ample time with his reincarnated wife — a luxury skimped on by previous versions of the story. 

Let’s give a warm welcome to the latest edition to the collection of Dracula variants.

Song association: Salvatore by Lana Del Rey

Of course, there are dozens of additional Dracula interpretations floating throughout the media world:
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Brides of Dracula (1960), Love at First Bite (1979), Dracula 2000 (2000), Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), Dracula’s Daughter (1936), Count Dracula (1977), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

And the list goes on…

So many versions with so many meanings — the malleability of Dracula cannot be understated. But one cannot help question, “why a story about a vampire?”. Firstly, the vampire represents permanence. Eternity. Everlasting. They are a counter and negotiation to the loss of memory — living history. Secondly, modern depictions of vampires are decidedly sexy. Alluring. Darkness with seduction. If you don’t want to be them, then you want to sleep with them. The Vampire Diaries is a case and point of this. Team Stefan or Team Damon? Maybe even Team Klaus? They are humanity without a leash. 

Dracula, however, hasn’t always been the hot vampire with an enticing sex-appeal. We see him youthful but also somewhat repulsive in his body aged beyond normalcy. But one cannot help but respect his dedication to finding his wife and restraint from indulgences. He is (somewhat) a rebel with a cause. And perhaps, it is this pairing of a promised eternity with an honourable mission that makes the tale so appealing to be retold and reimagined. 

But why are filmmakers seeking a symbol of permanence? Could it be that our society has become impermanent? Momentary? A sort of fast-fashion-living scenario? We are highly uncomfortable with not leaving behind a legacy. We fear the loss of subjectivity and getting lost in psychologist Jung’s collective unconscious of shared memory. 

This begs the question: have we become so disconnected from striving for an everlasting greatness that contributes meaningfully to the canon? And as a result, we have fallen into the trap of fast-living and pushing out hordes of mediocre films. Or perhaps we have become attuned to the short-lived nature of social media reels and videos, resulting in high attention with the least amount of time. In other words, our stimulation for mental engagement has evolved to fast, quick and easy. Three-hour movies may feel like time wasted when we could have watched a 15-minute recap. But this reveals a longing for something to grab our attention in a corset-ripping-way, hold it and leave us feeling fulfilled. Remember leaving the cinema as a kid and the end credits roll as you walk back into the world with a new perspective and spring in your step? You felt invincible. 

It seems our connection to an entity symbolic of being endless has revealed our sin of wanting to be timeless at the expense of seeking significance.