STACK NZ Jan-Feb #59

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of both the original novel and film
adaptations, such as Francis Ford Coppola
1992 version, which also explored the
origins of VladThe Impaler.
“I found Bram Stoker’s novel when I was
eight years old, at the library at school,”
recalls Shore. “I have no idea why it was
in school but it was something I read and
I was very fascinated about it. Obviously
growing up in Dublin, my Dad used to
always bring us down to Bram Stoker’s
house, which was actually just down the
road, and very close to my house, so I was
aware from a very early age. And then
obviously the Count in Sesame Street!”
So why does Dracula remain such an
iconic creation? Shore replies: “I think
what really captured people’s imagination
at a time when the book was written
– and it is all written as a diary and
prose – is that it was almost like a
literary version of realityTV. People
felt that they were reading this as a
first person experience, and I think it
was a success because of that,
because there was an immersiveness.
“And I think with Dracula, it has been a
case of Chinese whispers, everybody has
a version of that story that gets handed
down and transforms over the years.
Approaching this film, that is the way I
had to look at it as well. We are taking
the seeds within history, but we are
expanding that and making
something and that grows
into pure fiction.”
With DRACULA UNTOLD, the opportunity to create a new origin story for the infamous
vampire was the main to first-time director GARY SHORE.
It’s a coming-of-age story,
but it’s really an exploration
of the idea of legacy
G ary Shore, who until now had
worked almost exclusively in
advertising, admits he was a
little skeptical when he was first
approached to make a new movie about
the infamous Count Dracula. “You look at
it and you go ‘OK, Dracula, do we really
need to see another Dracula film?’”
However, he soon realised that Dracula
Untold would offer an opportunity to take
a fresh book at one of literature’s most
filmed creations. Although the medieval
figure VladThe Impaler – the real-life
inspiration for Bram Stoker’s blood
sucking count – has been explored
before on film, this new project takes
a more left-field approach.
“I thought the way it was able to take
the real character of Vlad in history and
make that bridge across into mythology;
was a really exciting approach,” explains
Shore. “It’s a coming-of-age story, but
it’s really an exploration of the idea of
legacy. Vampire mythology is about
legacy, about handing something down
to the next person, whether it is DNA,
memories or responsibility. I felt people
would be able to relate and respond to
the father/son idea. It continues to be the
most inspiring part of the story.”
In this new take on the legend,
the battle-weary Vlad III (played here
by rising British star Luke Evans)
turns to the dark side when
ruler of the Ottoman Empire
(Dominic Cooper) demands
thatTransylvanian prince provide him with
1,000 boys – including his own son – to
serve as child soldiers in his army. Vlad
reluctantly enters into a Faustian pact
with an evil demon (Charles Dance)
which leaves with superhuman abilities
but an insatiable thirst for human blood.
Although Dracula Untold takes a very
different approach to the story of Dracula,
the Irish-born filmmaker remains a fan
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