Bram Stoker’s Dracula written in the year 1897 has since then become a classic in literature and has found its way into modern culture. Based on the Eastern European legends of undying vampires, Stoker fueled his imagination to create The Prince of Darkness, Dracula.
So brilliant was his creation that over the years many movies, television shows, and theatrical adaptations based on his character have been made; albeit creative liberties have been taken. The character of Dracula remains relevant in even today’s pop culture, inspiring shows like Castlevania. With the expectance of the fourth season of Castlevania on Netflix sometime during the summer of 2021, fans would love to know what similarities the popular anime shares with the original classic, and areas in which it differs.
Similarity: The Location
While there are many vampire related shows on Netflix to watch, Castlevania holds a special appeal, especially so because of the setting and ambiance it has. Staying true to the classic literature written by Bram Stoker, Castlevania’s Dracula hails from Wallachia, which is very close to Transylvania, the home of Stoker’s Dracula.
In fact, Vlad the Impaler, upon which Stoker’s Dracula is partly based, was a Wallachian knight, who fought thousands of Turks, when the latter demanded homage from the kingdom of Wallachia.
Dissimilarity: Alucard
Created by Curt Siodmak and Robert Siodmak for their 1943 horror-movie known as Son of Dracula, Alucard is a character that did not feature in Bram Stoker’s original novel. Alucard is the opposite of Dracula, even as far as the name is concerned. It is an exact opposite anagram of “Dracula”.
He is also the son of Dracula and features in the games that Castlevania has been essentially adapted from. However, he is not a character that readers of Bram Stoker’s Dracula would be acquainted with given the fact that the author did not create him.
Similarity: Dracula's Death
For fans of Castlevania, there are many vampire movies they would like, all directly or indirectly influenced by the tropes that Bram Stoker had masterfully cultivated through his brilliant gothic horror novel. The death of Dracula is something that consisted of two such tropes; the first being decapitation to kill a vampire and the second being a stake driven through the vampire’s heart.
Castlevania stayed true to these rituals established by Bram Stoker, and during Vlad Tepes’s death, Alucard drives a stake through his heart while Trevor Belmont decapitates him with his long-sword, only to see Dracula’s body reduce to ashes. Furthermore, it is not just the rituals that are the same but the event in which it happens, with one hero driving a stake through the Count’s heart and another decapitating him. However, it was Quincey Morris and Jonathan Harker doing these tasks in the book, as compared to Alucard and Trevor in the anime.
Dissimilarity: Dracula's Death
Although the ritual and sequence in which Count Dracula dies in the books are starkly similar to Vlad Tepes’s death in Castlevania, one striking difference remains in the fact that he died in the year 1476, as opposed to the fact that he dies somewhere around 1897 in the books, after haunting Wilhelmina Murray and Jonathan Harker. However, it should not be forgotten that the anime is primarily adapted from the games and not Stoker’s original.
Furthermore, there are many evil characters in Castlevania, especially so in season 3. One amongst them was Sala, who unsuccessfully tried to resurrect the Count. In the games, Dracula has been resurrected multiple times and therefore, it would not be surprising to see him rise from death once again in the animes. He might even meet the Morris clan in the future seasons, a clan inspired directly by Quincey Morris, created by Bram Stoker.
Similarity: Vlad The Impaler
Bram Stoker created his iconic character Dracula basing it partly upon Sir Henry Irving, to whom Stoker was employed as a personal assistant, and partly upon Vlad the Impaler, from the House of “Dracul” or Dragon, a Wallachian prince who lived during the 15th century.
Vlad the Impaler literally translates to Vlad Tepes in Romanian, and the antagonist of the anime also hails from Wallachia, the kingdom of the 15th-century prince upon which Bram Stoker based his character. These similarities, although slim are hard to ignore.
Dissimilarity: Absence Of Major Characters
The anime Castlevania needs to be applauded for creating some of the most complex characters in the series. However, it needs to be ed that these characters have been created keeping the videogames in mind.
They are hugely different from the characters that Bram Stoker had created in his classic gothic novel. Therefore, not seeing Jonathan Harker or Abraham Van Helsing in the series is nothing to be surprised of. However, it is a dissimilarity that is quite stark from the start.
Similarity: Dracula's Intelligence And Aristrocacy
In Bram Stoker’s original, Dracula is described to be a “most remarkable man in life” by Abraham Van Helsing. Jonathan Harker perceives him as cordial and aristocratic when he first arrives at Castle Dracula and is impressed by the Count’s immaculate knowledge and ion for history and culture. Furthermore, he was apparently a statesman, soldier, and alchemist when alive, and there was no branch of learning belonging to his time that he had not essayed.
These traits seem strangely similar to that of Vlad Tepes, of Castlevania. He too is a nobleman and his aristocracy and insurmountable knowledge are easily perceived by Lisa of Lupu when she first visits his castle. His castle in itself is a marvel of science, holding within its walls secrets that the world has still not learned, such as electricity and gears.
Dissimilarity: Belnades And Belmont
"Belnades and Belmont," as Sypha puts it, refer to Sypha Belnades, the Speaker, a character that fans have loved so much that she has inspired many beautiful cosplays, and Trevor Bellmont, the Monster Hunter. These characters are intrinsic to the anime and the games but do not belong to the original novel written by Bram Stoker. While the character of Trevor does share some characteristics with that of Abraham Van Helsing, these similarities are slim.
Furthermore, unlike the original characters in Bram Stoker’s novel, Belnades and Belmont also possess magical weapons and even powers, something that was not the case with the mere mortal characters of Stoker’s creation.
Similarity: Strengths And Certain Weaknesses Including Inexplicable Rage
Bram Stoker had basically created the foundation for all vampire-related tales that came to be told in the years later. His typical tropes that signified whether someone was a vampire or not have been adapted by many through the years to create myriad works of fiction. Therefore, it is no surprise to see Vlad Tepes share the same strengths and weaknesses as the original Count Dracula. His ability to control the “children of the night,” shapeshift into familiars or mist, levitate, hypnotize, and his inexplicable rage is all but similar to Stoker’s Count.
Although Count Dracula was prone to insurmountable rage whenever his plans were thwarted, Vlad Tepes from Castlevania is enraged at the loss of his beloved Lisa and thereby endeavors to take his revenge on humanity. Some of his weaknesses like diminished strength during the day are also similar to clichés about vampires that Bram Stoker had established. It is probably for this very reason that fans have come to adore Castlevania, which they should further entertain by and movies.
Dissimilarity: Pyrokinesis
While the anime has utilized most of the main characteristic weaknesses and strengths that Bram Stoker had created to give life to his character Dracula, it also improvises in certain aspects to make Vlad Tepes more synchronized with the settings of the anime and stay true to the games that it has been adapted from. As a result, Vlad Tepes is endowed with additional powers that Bram Stoker had not mentioned in his original novel.
One amongst them is Pyrokinesis, as witnessed when Dracula hurls huge balls of fire towards Alucard while battling his son inside his castle during the final encounter of season 2. This is a power that Stoker hadn’t created and therefore, does not comply with the original novel.