Count Dracula, the forefather of modern vampires, was created by Bram Stoker in his novel Dracula (1897). The novel was a bloodcurdling success in the 1920s–30s, boosted further by various theatre and film adaptations. On the screen, this emotionless monster gradually evolved into a seeker of a lost, romantic love.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula casts a long, foreboding shadow on popular culture. Dracula is the unquestioned king of horror films and the most frequently filmed literary character of all time. A new kind of romantic and erotically charged vampire fiction for female readers emerged in the USA in the 1970s, which has inspired even more love for vampires. Today these die-hard creatures are more popular than ever.

Vapriikki decided to find out what it is about vampires that fascinates people. The exhibition unveils vampire-related superstitions to show where vampires come from, how they can be recognised and how mortals can protect themselves against them. The similarities between Vlad the Impaler, the tyrant of Wallachia, with Count Dracula are also revealed.

In addition, the exhibition sheds light on vampires in films, literature and pop culture, not forgetting the most iconic bloodsucker of all time, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The objects on display at the exhibition come from various European and American museums, as well as private collections.

One of these is the Bram Stoker Estate, which has provided the first editions of the novel Dracula, some of the source materials used by Stoker, and his personal notes. The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna has lent us some glorious objects related to the life of Vlad the Impaler. Many collectors and museums have also kindly lent rare props from vampire films.