To finish up this year’s 31 Days of Horror, I am ending with
an origin story of one of the most widely used characters in movies and
literature since Bram Stoker first penned the tale of Dracula in 1897: Dracula Untold. We all know the tale of Dracula and his love
of Mina and the battle that Jonathan Harker and Van Helsing undertake. But what we have never really seen is how
Dracula first came to be the infamous vampire of legend.
Dracula Untold
begins with Vlad, beloved husband, father, and crown Prince of Transylvania.
Having endured several years as a soldier in the Turkish army where he
was feared as Vlad “the Impaler” (a term given due to his penchant for impaling
his enemies on the battlefield in a form of psychological warfare); Vlad merely
wishes to rule his land in peace. But unforeseen
circumstances unfold and the Turkish army is determined to continue an old
tradition. When they demand that 1,000
Transylvanian boys be handed over to the Turkish army to replenish their
numbers (in addition to his son being handed over as well), Vlad’s wish for
peace is tested. Unable to allow his son
and the others suffer the same fate that he did as a child, Vlad makes a deal
with a Master Vampire and accepts the powers of a demon to save his family and
his people.
Directed by Gary
Shore, Dracula Untold stars Luke Evans as Vlad
with Sarah Gadon as his wife, Mirena.
Co-starring Dominic Cooper, Charles Dance, and Diarmaid Murtagh, Dracula Untold was much better than I
anticipated and worthy of being the final movie highlighted for this years 31
Days of Horror. If you are tired of the
same story being rehashed in the Dracula line, then please watch this movie to
refresh your love of an iconic character.
My only misgivings for the film were the last few minutes when they
unfortunately felt the need to flash forward a few centuries (sigh) but I can
easily forgive them for the remarkable tale told prior to that.
That concludes this year’s 31 Days of Horror! Though the timing of the reviews may have been
off more than I liked, life does have a way of happening and pushing timelines
back. I hope you enjoyed this years
random viewings as much as I have! Until
next time…
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