• ‹ previous
• 131 of 324
• next ›

I wasn't a very sharp kid. I didn't get the sexual overtones in the Dracula story until much later. Like all the other monsters, Dracula had to get the girl. But for Dracula the girl was not just a snappy accessory to carry around while being chased by angry villagers, by angry city folks, by concerned scientists, or by a well-equipped military. For him it was about getting the girl to follow him. And did I suspect anything else was up

with his unsupervised visit to the girl's room which resulted in an exchange of precious bodily fluids? Nope, didn't even cross my mind.

For me it was about the struggle of the men: Harker, Renfield, Van Helsing. It was about Dracula's transformations: bat, wolf, mist, bucket of water. And about the rules. The most enjoyable part of any vampire tale is which set of rules wills that story follow. Mirrors, crosses, stakes, garlic, sunlight, sleeping arrangements, et cetera. The checklist for a vampire author has more options than for a caterer.

And I think that's why I was never particularly scared of Dracula, like I was of the Wolfman. If you have a little forethought, a vampire is an entirely preventable -- or at least manageable -- issue. And I can plan ahead. Unlike the adults around me, Dracula had well-documented weaknesses. So when the Dracula alert goes out, grab the garlic and a cross -- better yet a cross made out of garlic -- and you'll make it through the movie.

The detail I like about this model is the tree. Even though it's small, they did a great job of making it look gnarled and twisted. And I have no idea what happened to his fangs. You gotta think he came with a set of chompers. But let that be a lesson to you kids out there, you take care of your teeth and they'll take care of you.

• ‹ previous
• 131 of 324
• next ›