29 November 2007

Lost World of Dracula

Well, folks, I found another nice History Channeldocumentary about Vlad Dracula the warlord that became known allover Europe.
Among other images a scene described as one of the most terrifying landscape in history, a forest of impaled people in front of Vlad's residence in Târgovişte is presented. Also, images from Chindia Tower (The Sunset Tower) in Târgoviste, from Bran Castle or from "one of Eastern Europe's most breathtaking mountain-top castles", from many places in Transylvania or from Bucharest can also be seen.
The computer animation is amazing, it really brings back to life the lost world of Dracula.

Sighişoara, the place where Vlad Dracula was born (in 1431) is presented in details, with images and a short history of the town and of it's inhabitants. Vlad's father, Vlad Dracul, has been killed in 1446 together with his son Mircea.

28 November 2007

Iced Earth's Dracula - Brno

"Do you believe in Love ?
Do you believe in Destiny ?"


Dracula is the track 9 from of Iced Earth's "Horror Show" CD. This is the best quality of a concert performance I found so far for "Dracula" song:



Please refer to
my previous post for the lyrics.

27 November 2007

Iced Earth Live - Dracula

Here is another video of Iced Earth performance, with Matthew Barlow, the same piece Dracula.
This is from a show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (The Trocadero Theater).
The band line-up as given by Vigo on YouTube (thanks Vigo) is:

Matthew Barlow - Lead Vocals
Jon Schaffer - Rhythm Guitar & Back Vocals
James Macdonough - Bass Guitar & Back Vocals
Larry Tarnowski - Lead Guitar
Richard Christy - Drums & Back Vocals

26 November 2007

Tribute to Bela Lugosi

Was Bela Lugosi, in 1931, the best interpreter of Dracula ? For me, yes (so far) !
Take a look at this slideshow with images from his movies and banners of his movies and enjoy the music:


Very recently a movie was released by Florin Iepan, "Bela Lugosi, The Fallen Vampire", also bringing a tribute of the famous actor, as well as some light in the story of the man that played Jesus Christ and Dracula (in a timeframe of just few years).

Bela Lugosi

Bela Lugosi is considered by many the best interpreter of Dracula ever.
Indeed, he was the interpreter of Count Dracula in the first official Dracula movie, in 1931, the movie that brought Bram Stoker's novel back to live and made famous by the 1931 movie. Despite the fact that by the end of his career, Lugosi played in Ed Wood movies, he was a sacred monster of the cinema (and it would have been if he pnly played in Dracula)

25 November 2007

Iced Earth & Gerard Butler - Dracula

The same song "Dracula", of Iced Earth.
Now you can listen it while admiring this images from Dracula 2000 movie, featuring Gerard Butler, in this nice video clip:

Iced Earth in concert, playing Dracula

Here is the band Iced Earth, with Matt Barlow playing Dracula:

Bram Stoker's Dracula - soundtrack

here are the other tracks from the F.F. Coppola's movie:

Bram Stoker's Dracula Soundtrack

I found on Internet the sountrack of the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula", directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Here is the beginning of the sountrack, I hope you enjoy it.

Also check the part 2 - Vampire Hunters,
part 3, Mina's Photo,
part 4, Lucy's Party,
part 5, The brides,
part 6, Love Remembered.

and sountrack continues with...

Dracula Songs

Dracula music - all songs


Besides movies, there are many Dracula songs made so far. I'll try to present them by artist.

Sting - Moon Over Bourbon Street


Not directly related to Dracula, but to the theme of vampire/undead: Moon Over Bourbon Street

Iced Earth - Dracula



Dracula movies soundtracks


Bram Stoker's Dracula



Le Tombeau de Dracula - Dracula's Grave


Young composer Alexis Savelief wrote this when he was only 12.
The second part, Dracula's Death

Iced Earth play Dracula in concert

Here is Iced Earth playing Dracula. The controversial Timothy Owens seems not to be as beloved as Matt Barlow (see comments). For sure he sings different. If Barlow sings this song better or not...well, is on you to listed and decide

Iced Earth. Dracula

here is the Dracula, by Iced Earth, with lyrics:

22 November 2007

Bela Lugosi in Dracula, 1931

Here is a compilation of my favorite Dracula movie so far, the one in 1931, featuring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. I really like the music chosen for the compilation, don't you ?

21 November 2007

Alban Preaubert - Dracula

Here is another nice performance of Alban Préaubert in his long programm as Dracula at the Eric Bompard Trophee, 2007. Music is from Bram Stoker's Dracula movie:

Dracula Spectacles

I realise that the famous warlord transformed by Bram Stoker's novel in a king of vampires, the most famous vampire ever, is so wellknown that there are a lot of artistic spectacles that I added this page with all kind of performances having as central theme Dracula. They are grouped in cathegories, so everybody could choose the type of performance he/she is most interested in.

Skating performance


Alban Préaubert - Dracula the French skater in Courchevel Gala, August, 2007.

Alban Préaubert in his long programm as Dracula at the Eric Bompard Trophee.

Alban Préaubert as Dracula

Here is the free program of the French skater Alban Préaubert in Courchevel Gala (august 2007).

The music is from the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1993), composed by Wojciech Kilar and from "Interview with the Vampire"(Elliot Goldenthal). Alban is wearing the suit of the famous Count Dracula (the suit from the movie, not the one Vlad the Impaler was wearing in the 15th century):

17 November 2007

Bran Castle - Transylvania

Here is a documentary made by Sky News about Vlad Dracula (Vlad Tepes).
It starts with the presentation of Bran Castle, as well as the surrounding area. The very first image (second 8) is a view from Bran Castle over the hills around, the road going to Bran and Moieciu villages. They don's say this in the documentary but looking attentively one could notice a small stone building on the right side of the road, just between the road and the forest. There is a chapel where the heart of Queen Mary (that owned Bran castle) is burried, for a while (there is a similar chapel in Balcic, Bulgaria, where the queen lived).
The documentary explains that the castle is not what one could expect: vampires, ghosts, etc. It is just a normal XIII-th century castle. Interview with villagers from the area are interesting. They consider it a great ruler, and it is still known in Romania as a courageous and intelligent principle.
Also images from Poienari Castle are presented, as well as how Vlad escaped Turks, but his wife threw herself off the top (I found no proofs to sustain this).

15 November 2007

Medieval festival in Braşov

The organizers of Etnovember festival in Braşov, now arrived at XVI-td edition, prepared a marathon of music, photography, poetry, design, architecture and, generally, the medieval spirit of Braşov.
The festival will be officially open Saturday, November 17th at 12:00 at the university Transylvania of Braşov, with an exposition of architecture, furniture design, picture, sculpture and photos. The Sunday will be dedicated to the medieval era.
I remember Vlad Dracula inhabited in Braşov before seizing the Wallachian throne for his second and longest reign.

11 November 2007

Real Count Dracula - Romania

Here, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TbEitVbyF0 is a short Documentary I found about Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Dracula). Short History and origins of Dracula are presented as well as places where he lived: Braşov city, main city in Transylvania, where Vlad lived before taking the throne of Wallachia. Then it continues presenting Bran Castle, near Braşov presented to tourists as Dracula's Castle. The rulers in that parts where controlling trade, as well as territory. While they present Bran Castle as the Transylvanian Castle closest to Bucharest, I'd say Râşnov Castle, also in Transylvania is closer, at least for driving. While they say Bram Stoker, the novelist that made Dracula so famous, never visited Transylvania, there are good probabilities he did (proofs can be brought in order to sustain this).
Then we enjoy images from Sighişoara, birth place of Vlad the Impaler. Also the reporter went to Poienari Castle that can be considered Dracula's Castle, as well as to Pasul Tihuta, to visit hotel Castle Dracula.

I'd like to mention that Vlad Dracula was NOT "a minor Count in a different part of Transylvania " as the guy who posted the video states, but be was the ruler of Wallachia, in three times during the XV-th century. And he was all but "minor".

10 November 2007

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Bram Stoker's Dracula - the final scene with Mina (Wynona Ryder) killing the vampire Dracula and cutting his head (don't watch it if you have heart problems). Even if, as the youtube comments mention, the movie do not follow the book entirely, I consider it deserves the time if you like this kind of horror movies:

Dracula's Castle

Dracula's Castle as Bran Castle is known is for sale! With an estimated price of 140 m. Euro, the medieval castle is the second most expensive property worldwide, according to a recent top made by "Forbes".
The castle lies 30 km away from Brasov City, South-Eastern Transylvania, in the heart of Romania.
The first place in the list is occupied by a property in Beverly Hills that belonged to William Randolph Hearst. Forbes notes that the castle is being sold by Baytree Capital, in the name of Dominic de Habsburg, son of princess Ileana of Romania, that received the castle back from the Romanian government.

However, in September, the Chamber of Deputies accepted the report of a commission that established the given-back of the Bran Castle has not been done to the right persons (there is an argue about who has the rights to receive the castle), therefore all papers being declared non-valid. Lower of the House of Habsburg, Corin Trandafir considers the decision of the deputies a political one and intends to ask for compensation of 150 m. euro.

08 November 2007

Bela Lugosi, the Fallen Vampire

Bela Lugosi, The Fallen Vampire


300.000 Euro and a young, ambitious director, Florin Iepan. The result is a Romanian documentary about the life of Bela Lugosi..
"Bela Lugosi, The Fallen Vampire" is a very recent production made by a team of 30 -40 actors: Romanians, Hungarians, Americans, Irish. The documentary has been shot during three years, in America, Austria, Germania, Hungary and Romania (Lugoj).

Born in 1882 in Transylvania, in a small town called Lugoj, Bela Lugosi (Bela Ferenc Dezso Blasko on his real name), has a fascinating life. Few people know that before going to Hollywood and playing Dracula, he interpreted Jesus Christ at the National Theater in Budapest.

The movie that made him famous in 1931, Dracula, also destroyed him; after that he accepted roles less important, even playing in "Plan nine from outer space", by Ed Wood, one of the worst movies ever.
Bela Lugosi remained so addicted to the character of Dracula that he was playing it even in the real life, during the interviews for example.


Did you know that Bela Lugosi has been burried wearing the suit of Dracula, that made him famous and meantime has been made famous by Bela ?

07 November 2007

Christopher Lee as Dracula

Dracula Hypno, with Christpher Lee, in a movie from Hammer Films, "Scars of Dracula":

Dracula 2000 Soundtrack

Well, I found the soundrack of the movie Dracula, from year 2000 :

06 November 2007

Making of Dracula Movie, by Copola

Here is a video presenting techniques, the storyboards and editing of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992):

04 November 2007

Poienari Castle, Romania

Here is the real Dracula's Castle, Poienari, on the way to Fagaras Mountains

Romania today

This video-clip made by the Romanian Government to promote Romania and it's great natural heritage and millenary history:

03 November 2007

Real Castle of Vlad The Impaler Dracula

Here is a short anmatorial movie presenting a visit by night to Poienari Castle, the real Dracula's Castle:



According to the legend, Poienari Castle, made up of bricks and stone, has been built by the betraying boyars. During his second reign, after the corronation Vlad called them all and after a party accused them of ruining the country for them own interests and send them to Poienari, to build the defending castle. Copy of images representing this are kept in Chindia Tower, in Târgovişte.

A tour in the area can be offered by a romanian travel agency