July 29, 2025 • 15 mins
George Noory, author Maria Schmidt and Dacre Stoker, the great grandnephew of famed author Bram Stoker who created the character of the vampire Dracula, discuss the history of vampires in literature and pop culture, if it's possible Dracula could have been a real person, and people who live their lives believing they are actually vampires.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now here's a highlight from Coast to Coast AM on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
We've been talking with Maria Schmid about her work. Now
we're going to introduce you to Dayker Stoker, the great
grand nephew of Bram Stoker, who was the one who
created the story of Dracula back in the late eighteen hundreds. Now,
Dayker solidified his role as a leading historian a vampire
(00:25):
lore by co editing the lost journal of Bram Stoker
the Dublin Years, offering unprecedented insights into his ancestors' early life.
He's also the author of the book at rockcoul which
he wrote seven years ago. So let's bring in Dayker Deaker.
Welcome to the program.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hey George, good to hear your voice, my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm looking forward to this. Gosh, what's it like to
feel like you're so close to Dracula.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
It's big shoes to phil, but it's wonderful to be
a family member Bram Stoker's great grand nephew legacy. But
you know, nowadays so many people no Dracula, but not
so many people know the origins of it, the writing
and the story. So I'm here to fill that gap and.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What point in your life did your family begin to
tell you who you were related to.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Well, it's funny, it wasn't until I was about twelve
years old. And kids would come to the house when
I was growing up in Montreal, Canada doing trick or
treating and they go ooh, the Stoker house. You know,
you guys are spooky. You're going to take our blood
or give us candy. And I finally asked my dad, like,
what's going on, and he brought me to the family
archives and started telling me the story of how we're
related to Brahm's youngest brother George, who you know invented
(01:42):
ozone therapy, was a pretty interesting guy himself, but that
really started the you know, started the journey to understand
the family and Bram Stoker, and that's, you know, that's
when we got to know it all.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
It's fascinating. He must have been quite a guy. Would
you have loved to have met him?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Oh, that would have been so cool. He is a
very interesting guy. As you said at the top of
the show, I've done all this research, I found his journal.
I really feel I've got to know him through not
too many things left behind, Like he didn't write an autobiography,
but through his writings, through his notes on Dracula, the
actual typescript, seeing all the things that were taken out
(02:19):
of it, I think he would have been a great
guy to sit down and have dinner with.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Was Dracula based on the Vladdy Impaler.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Partly George Party. You know, Brad was really big on
research and authenticating things. So he found the name of
Dracula in two different books, one by William Wilkinson the
other by James Samuelson. All his history about impalement, all
these kind of you know, really dark history that he had.
But he wanted to make him relevant and sort of approachable,
(02:48):
so he based him on his boss, Henry Irving, who
played the role of Mephistopheles, the assistant to the Devil.
So he created a devil incarnate using vlad Dracula's name
and his country and his backstory.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
On the How did Transylvania Daker, How did that pop up? Well?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Funnily enough, it wasn't Brahm's first choice for the country
to set the story. It was Austria, and we've learned
this through analyzing his notes, But he did actually read
this story about Dracula coming from Valachia. And then he
read another book by a lady called Emily Gerard, who
did all this really cool research into the history, the
folklore the superstitions of Transylvania, and he found that's my target,
(03:30):
rich environment for superstitions in folklore, and he simply moved
Vladi Impaler from Valachia next door to Transylvania, and hence
we get the first three chapters of the novel. The
ending of the novel of the deep dark histories associated
with and folklore with present day Transylvania.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Do you think it's possible that Dracula was a real person.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Well, I mean he was a real person in Vladdim Paler.
But what people really believed at the time and they
still do to this day, that hist of the myth
of the vampire, that you know, after death, there's certain
things that do happen, and we just don't understand a
whole lot about the occult and spiritualism. And you know,
people would still love to to get to know Dracula,
(04:12):
either Vlad or the Count, if he could be brought
back by some ways.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Do you ever have an urge to bite anybody?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
No, But it's funny you say that. I get asked
often at conventions and on tours like, oh, I'd love
a little shot of that Stoker blood. It must be supercharged.
You want to did you give up a little bit?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
What do you think it was that got Bram, your
great uncle, to come up with that concept of Dracula.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Well, you know, you got to put things in perspective.
He wrote the story eighteen ninety seven, and in those
days there was actually belief circulating around Europe, and Bram
mentioned in one interview he gave he found fifteen countries
where they had very real belief in that, And funnily enough,
even in America he found a newspaper article in the
(05:02):
New York World about the vampire scare of New England,
which really was chocked up to be wonderful, deep romantic,
but also scientific exploration into the vampire myth which was
actually tuberculosis in the New England States. So yeah, he
was taking real beliefs, real mysteries and making them relevant
(05:26):
into a story that made Dracula seem very real.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Now, once he wrote the first Dracula in eighteen ninety seven,
did he continue to write a few more?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Well? No, Unfortunately he died in nineteen twelve. Funnily enough,
for George, he actually wrote a story that lives on
in this sort of the mystique of Dracula, called Dracula's Guest,
that was edited out of the novel. So that story
wasn't published till nineteen fourteen, two years after he died.
And these are some of the really cool stories that
(05:56):
I tell them, the tours with Maria, mysterious adventure tours,
not only what we know that was in Dracula, but
all the cool stuff that was edited out of it,
these little nuggets as we go along on these trips,
you know, what people need to know, because he set
the story in these real places. We go to them
and stand there and read excerpts from the novels, what
(06:17):
was in the novel, and also these little nuggets that
were left out of the novel.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Let's bring Maria in with us. Maria, welcome back.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Hi. Love to hear all that Daker said, because exactly
what it represents our tours, you know, and him and
I are a phenomenal pair together. Thank you Dacre for
joining our tour in Romania.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Oh absolutely, it's my pleasure. You know, I've done tours.
I've been in Romania, but this is the first one, Maria,
We've talked about it for years that we finally do together.
So everything's kind of coming together nicely for us. So
I'm really looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Those on the tour, Maria, what kind of questions do
they ask about Dracula.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Well, they want to know whether there is such thing
as Dracula, and I think you know, Daker just said it.
You know, they think it's a mythology. Truly, he's a
historical figure. In fact, the children revere Vlavian Paler, who
is Dracula, right, that's part of his name. The children
(07:18):
vier him. They see him as a hero. So we
come in as Americans and this is something that we
always have to sort of help coach people and to say,
forget about what you know back in America, look and
listen to the culture of this country. And that's what
makes Romania more exciting because they come and thinking, oh
my god, you know, the vampires are not true. You
(07:42):
know what we don't know Historically there's a lot of histories,
you know, a lot of stories about the the vampires
and witches and etcetera. Exactly. It's I mean, it's part
of their culture is part of the history brom Stoker
put it to life in his in his epic stories.
(08:07):
So yes, they all want to know whether Dracula is
to or not. And the message is, you know what's
left in that history, you know, and that's what Baker
kind of puts it all together. And we're going to
create some really neat experiences, some surprises that normally are
not done out there in conjunction with these tours. So
we're really excited about that opportunity. And to be in
(08:30):
what what they call Draculus Castle on the night before
Halloween is an exceptional treat. I mean, we're the only
organization company in the world that we'll be offering a
private party inside Draculus Castle, hosted by my mc Daker Stoker.
So we're so excited to be able to dine in there,
(08:53):
explore the castle, and have a wicked wicket vampire ball
inside Draculu's Castle. And yes, do I think Bramstug was
going to be there? I know that's your next question, George,
and I'll answer it. I absolutely believe he's going.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
To be there.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yes, Taker, what do you think of the nineteen twenty
two original movie.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Well, you know, it's funny. I could go on for
hours about the two and a half year court case
that Brams Dooker's widow had against a Prana Films because
it wasn't you know, it wasn't official and they didn't
actually pay any royalties. But you know that aside, it's
a wonderful film. It lives on because it's been remade,
(09:36):
remastered many times. The most recent Robert Eager's version, I
think was fantastic. But even going back to the very original,
it was actually very similar to Bram's book. You know,
it was dark, it was eerie, the vampire wasn't super sexy.
It sort of followed the chronological story very well. So
(09:57):
you know, it came out even before Dracula pier on stage,
which was Florence Stoker's plans, and she helped make a
common stage in nineteen twenty four, and then nineteen thirty
one she officially recognized and sold dramatic rights to Universal Films.
So that's the one. George has started it all in film,
over six hundred film adaptations, and you know, for the
(10:20):
most part, they're all great, but it's you know, it's
artistic interpretation of an iconic story.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Prey dramatic stuff, isn't that take her?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Drama is what it's all about, you know, George, It's
great storytelling. And this is why, you know, another reason
why Maria brought me along is, you know, I've been
lucky enough to be blessed with a creative mind. I've
dug into all sorts of interesting elements of Bram's life.
I found things that he'd left out of stories. But
when we go on these tours, it's about storytelling, and
it's about bringing history alive and mixing it with the
(10:54):
folklore that's already in existence, and that folklore that sort
of pervades you know, people's attitudes and the culture. And
then it's telling the story. You know, we go to
places where brands set the story. We go to you know, Intercluge,
not only where there's this cool hoy about you forest
and paranormal in itself, but also one of the hotels,
(11:17):
you know, the location of there's a plaque where Harker
spent the night. Well we know he didn't really spend
the night there, but my gosh, it feels like he did.
And when we bring that to life and tell the
story in the terms of you know, historical perspective, relevant folklore.
It just makes the whole thing come alive and it
allows people's imaginations to just get to work. And that's
(11:40):
what great great tours are. Excuse me all about.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
What do you think of people who go to dentists
and get their teeth like Dracula.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, hey, they're living they're living the story, aren't they.
You know, they want to get immersed into the vibe.
You know, they get they get the fangs made. They know,
in some cases, you know, they buy all these really
cool costumes. They go to to Whitby where Brand actually
set chapter six, seven and eight. They go to vampire
Balls in Transylvania, where the cool costumes have the fangs tattoos.
(12:14):
You know, that's what's about it. It's self expression and
they're they're they're they're living the dream.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
What does the vampire ball look like?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Well, I got to tell you first of all the
fact that it's in Dracula's castle. Let me just make
a little connection here for people. Brand Castle not to
be confused with the Brahm Stoker, but Brand Castle in Romania,
just outside of brush Off, in the town of Brand
is this gorgeous, iconic castle, and it was Krean Maurice's castle.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
And it goes back to like you know, the year,
you know, five hundred, it's the Tectonic Knights and all this.
But Bram Stoker did actually see this castle in two
books that he used for his research. So for people say, oh,
it's no Dragon's castle, no, I'm telling you right now
in this show it really was. It was the castle
(13:05):
that Brand modeled the exterior of his fictional castle Dracula after.
Now mind you, he did model the inside another castle
from Scotland, Slain's Castle. So first of all, you've got
the place that Bran Stoker set the story and this
is just iconic. Now we're going to have only ninety tickets,
(13:26):
so it's a small intimate group within this gorgeous castle,
and we've got some interesting things plans beside a DJ
and some very wonderful dinner, We're going to have some
storytelling and I'm going to explain the connections. I'm going
to explain to the people about Vladvi and Paler Hell. Yes,
he was in the neighboring county, neighboring principality, and he
(13:48):
probably stopped in here doing his border control work and
trying to hold off the Ottoman Empire and paling people
for seven and a half years. So we bring the
story alive, We get all dressed up, we play interesting
immersive games. It's just a wonderful location. And as Maria said,
most of these parties are outside the castle in these
(14:10):
big tents. Ours is inside, so we get to wander around.
We get a tour and this game that we're gonna
be playing, this immersive game, takes place inside this whole castle.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
And Daker, what happens at the stroke of midnight?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Oh, it turns Halloween. My god, So we're when the
veil is lifted. Folks, We are in the location that
the world focuses on around Halloween, and we're there at
ground zero. Really, isn't it, Maria?
Speaker 4 (14:37):
It is.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
You may get authentic to be sure, don't you.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:40):
I mean that's it. Be in the right place at
the right time on Halloween, be there with us. It's
gonna be cool.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
What do the Romanians think of lad the Impaler?
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Well, as Maria said earlier, you know, they have great
sense of reverence for their hero. He only reigned seven
and a half years, but well he did. He was
responsible for pulling the country together, for holding off the potential.
And that wasn't just potential. There was actually battles of
the Ottoman Empire coming into taking over Christian Europe. So
(15:13):
this was the battle ground. The Carpathian Mountains, the Borgo Pass, Targo, Vishta, Pulnari, Sigi, Schwara,
all these places with really cool castles, Hananduarra Castle, all
these things had a role to play and keeping Europe,
you know, free from the invading Ottoman Empire. And so
they feel he's their hero, and you know, many of
(15:35):
them think, oh, it's pretty darn cool that Bram Stoker
in Hollywood has turned him into a you know, one
of the most recognizable monsters of the world. But first
and foremost, he's a really you know, refred historical character,
and they're very proud of him.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Listen to more Coast to Coast AM every weeknight at
one a m. Eastern and go to Coast to coastam
dot com for more
Now here's a highlight from Coast to Coast AM on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
We've been talking with Maria Schmid about her work. Now
we're going to introduce you to Dayker Stoker, the great
grand nephew of Bram Stoker, who was the one who
created the story of Dracula back in the late eighteen hundreds. Now,
Dayker solidified his role as a leading historian a vampire
(00:25):
lore by co editing the lost journal of Bram Stoker
the Dublin Years, offering unprecedented insights into his ancestors' early life.
He's also the author of the book at rockcoul which
he wrote seven years ago. So let's bring in Dayker Deaker.
Welcome to the program.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hey George, good to hear your voice, my friend.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
I'm looking forward to this. Gosh, what's it like to
feel like you're so close to Dracula.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
It's big shoes to phil, but it's wonderful to be
a family member Bram Stoker's great grand nephew legacy. But
you know, nowadays so many people no Dracula, but not
so many people know the origins of it, the writing
and the story. So I'm here to fill that gap and.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
What point in your life did your family begin to
tell you who you were related to.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Well, it's funny, it wasn't until I was about twelve
years old. And kids would come to the house when
I was growing up in Montreal, Canada doing trick or
treating and they go ooh, the Stoker house. You know,
you guys are spooky. You're going to take our blood
or give us candy. And I finally asked my dad, like,
what's going on, and he brought me to the family
archives and started telling me the story of how we're
related to Brahm's youngest brother George, who you know invented
(01:42):
ozone therapy, was a pretty interesting guy himself, but that
really started the you know, started the journey to understand
the family and Bram Stoker, and that's, you know, that's
when we got to know it all.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
It's fascinating. He must have been quite a guy. Would
you have loved to have met him?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Oh, that would have been so cool. He is a
very interesting guy. As you said at the top of
the show, I've done all this research, I found his journal.
I really feel I've got to know him through not
too many things left behind, Like he didn't write an autobiography,
but through his writings, through his notes on Dracula, the
actual typescript, seeing all the things that were taken out
(02:19):
of it, I think he would have been a great
guy to sit down and have dinner with.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Was Dracula based on the Vladdy Impaler.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Partly George Party. You know, Brad was really big on
research and authenticating things. So he found the name of
Dracula in two different books, one by William Wilkinson the
other by James Samuelson. All his history about impalement, all
these kind of you know, really dark history that he had.
But he wanted to make him relevant and sort of approachable,
(02:48):
so he based him on his boss, Henry Irving, who
played the role of Mephistopheles, the assistant to the Devil.
So he created a devil incarnate using vlad Dracula's name
and his country and his backstory.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
On the How did Transylvania Daker, How did that pop up? Well?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Funnily enough, it wasn't Brahm's first choice for the country
to set the story. It was Austria, and we've learned
this through analyzing his notes, But he did actually read
this story about Dracula coming from Valachia. And then he
read another book by a lady called Emily Gerard, who
did all this really cool research into the history, the
folklore the superstitions of Transylvania, and he found that's my target,
(03:30):
rich environment for superstitions in folklore, and he simply moved
Vladi Impaler from Valachia next door to Transylvania, and hence
we get the first three chapters of the novel. The
ending of the novel of the deep dark histories associated
with and folklore with present day Transylvania.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Do you think it's possible that Dracula was a real person.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Well, I mean he was a real person in Vladdim Paler.
But what people really believed at the time and they
still do to this day, that hist of the myth
of the vampire, that you know, after death, there's certain
things that do happen, and we just don't understand a
whole lot about the occult and spiritualism. And you know,
people would still love to to get to know Dracula,
(04:12):
either Vlad or the Count, if he could be brought
back by some ways.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Do you ever have an urge to bite anybody?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
No, But it's funny you say that. I get asked
often at conventions and on tours like, oh, I'd love
a little shot of that Stoker blood. It must be supercharged.
You want to did you give up a little bit?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
What do you think it was that got Bram, your
great uncle, to come up with that concept of Dracula.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Well, you know, you got to put things in perspective.
He wrote the story eighteen ninety seven, and in those
days there was actually belief circulating around Europe, and Bram
mentioned in one interview he gave he found fifteen countries
where they had very real belief in that, And funnily enough,
even in America he found a newspaper article in the
(05:02):
New York World about the vampire scare of New England,
which really was chocked up to be wonderful, deep romantic,
but also scientific exploration into the vampire myth which was
actually tuberculosis in the New England States. So yeah, he
was taking real beliefs, real mysteries and making them relevant
(05:26):
into a story that made Dracula seem very real.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Now, once he wrote the first Dracula in eighteen ninety seven,
did he continue to write a few more?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Well? No, Unfortunately he died in nineteen twelve. Funnily enough,
for George, he actually wrote a story that lives on
in this sort of the mystique of Dracula, called Dracula's Guest,
that was edited out of the novel. So that story
wasn't published till nineteen fourteen, two years after he died.
And these are some of the really cool stories that
(05:56):
I tell them, the tours with Maria, mysterious adventure tours,
not only what we know that was in Dracula, but
all the cool stuff that was edited out of it,
these little nuggets as we go along on these trips,
you know, what people need to know, because he set
the story in these real places. We go to them
and stand there and read excerpts from the novels, what
(06:17):
was in the novel, and also these little nuggets that
were left out of the novel.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Let's bring Maria in with us. Maria, welcome back.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Hi. Love to hear all that Daker said, because exactly
what it represents our tours, you know, and him and
I are a phenomenal pair together. Thank you Dacre for
joining our tour in Romania.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Oh absolutely, it's my pleasure. You know, I've done tours.
I've been in Romania, but this is the first one, Maria,
We've talked about it for years that we finally do together.
So everything's kind of coming together nicely for us. So
I'm really looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Those on the tour, Maria, what kind of questions do
they ask about Dracula.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Well, they want to know whether there is such thing
as Dracula, and I think you know, Daker just said it.
You know, they think it's a mythology. Truly, he's a
historical figure. In fact, the children revere Vlavian Paler, who
is Dracula, right, that's part of his name. The children
(07:18):
vier him. They see him as a hero. So we
come in as Americans and this is something that we
always have to sort of help coach people and to say,
forget about what you know back in America, look and
listen to the culture of this country. And that's what
makes Romania more exciting because they come and thinking, oh
my god, you know, the vampires are not true. You
(07:42):
know what we don't know Historically there's a lot of histories,
you know, a lot of stories about the the vampires
and witches and etcetera. Exactly. It's I mean, it's part
of their culture is part of the history brom Stoker
put it to life in his in his epic stories.
(08:07):
So yes, they all want to know whether Dracula is
to or not. And the message is, you know what's
left in that history, you know, and that's what Baker
kind of puts it all together. And we're going to
create some really neat experiences, some surprises that normally are
not done out there in conjunction with these tours. So
we're really excited about that opportunity. And to be in
(08:30):
what what they call Draculus Castle on the night before
Halloween is an exceptional treat. I mean, we're the only
organization company in the world that we'll be offering a
private party inside Draculus Castle, hosted by my mc Daker Stoker.
So we're so excited to be able to dine in there,
(08:53):
explore the castle, and have a wicked wicket vampire ball
inside Draculu's Castle. And yes, do I think Bramstug was
going to be there? I know that's your next question, George,
and I'll answer it. I absolutely believe he's going.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
To be there.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Yes, Taker, what do you think of the nineteen twenty
two original movie.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Well, you know, it's funny. I could go on for
hours about the two and a half year court case
that Brams Dooker's widow had against a Prana Films because
it wasn't you know, it wasn't official and they didn't
actually pay any royalties. But you know that aside, it's
a wonderful film. It lives on because it's been remade,
(09:36):
remastered many times. The most recent Robert Eager's version, I
think was fantastic. But even going back to the very original,
it was actually very similar to Bram's book. You know,
it was dark, it was eerie, the vampire wasn't super sexy.
It sort of followed the chronological story very well. So
(09:57):
you know, it came out even before Dracula pier on stage,
which was Florence Stoker's plans, and she helped make a
common stage in nineteen twenty four, and then nineteen thirty
one she officially recognized and sold dramatic rights to Universal Films.
So that's the one. George has started it all in film,
over six hundred film adaptations, and you know, for the
(10:20):
most part, they're all great, but it's you know, it's
artistic interpretation of an iconic story.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Prey dramatic stuff, isn't that take her?
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Drama is what it's all about, you know, George, It's
great storytelling. And this is why, you know, another reason
why Maria brought me along is, you know, I've been
lucky enough to be blessed with a creative mind. I've
dug into all sorts of interesting elements of Bram's life.
I found things that he'd left out of stories. But
when we go on these tours, it's about storytelling, and
it's about bringing history alive and mixing it with the
(10:54):
folklore that's already in existence, and that folklore that sort
of pervades you know, people's attitudes and the culture. And
then it's telling the story. You know, we go to
places where brands set the story. We go to you know, Intercluge,
not only where there's this cool hoy about you forest
and paranormal in itself, but also one of the hotels,
(11:17):
you know, the location of there's a plaque where Harker
spent the night. Well we know he didn't really spend
the night there, but my gosh, it feels like he did.
And when we bring that to life and tell the
story in the terms of you know, historical perspective, relevant folklore.
It just makes the whole thing come alive and it
allows people's imaginations to just get to work. And that's
(11:40):
what great great tours are. Excuse me all about.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
What do you think of people who go to dentists
and get their teeth like Dracula.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, hey, they're living they're living the story, aren't they.
You know, they want to get immersed into the vibe.
You know, they get they get the fangs made. They know,
in some cases, you know, they buy all these really
cool costumes. They go to to Whitby where Brand actually
set chapter six, seven and eight. They go to vampire
Balls in Transylvania, where the cool costumes have the fangs tattoos.
(12:14):
You know, that's what's about it. It's self expression and
they're they're they're they're living the dream.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
What does the vampire ball look like?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Well, I got to tell you first of all the
fact that it's in Dracula's castle. Let me just make
a little connection here for people. Brand Castle not to
be confused with the Brahm Stoker, but Brand Castle in Romania,
just outside of brush Off, in the town of Brand
is this gorgeous, iconic castle, and it was Krean Maurice's castle.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
And it goes back to like you know, the year,
you know, five hundred, it's the Tectonic Knights and all this.
But Bram Stoker did actually see this castle in two
books that he used for his research. So for people say, oh,
it's no Dragon's castle, no, I'm telling you right now
in this show it really was. It was the castle
(13:05):
that Brand modeled the exterior of his fictional castle Dracula after.
Now mind you, he did model the inside another castle
from Scotland, Slain's Castle. So first of all, you've got
the place that Bran Stoker set the story and this
is just iconic. Now we're going to have only ninety tickets,
(13:26):
so it's a small intimate group within this gorgeous castle,
and we've got some interesting things plans beside a DJ
and some very wonderful dinner, We're going to have some
storytelling and I'm going to explain the connections. I'm going
to explain to the people about Vladvi and Paler Hell. Yes,
he was in the neighboring county, neighboring principality, and he
(13:48):
probably stopped in here doing his border control work and
trying to hold off the Ottoman Empire and paling people
for seven and a half years. So we bring the
story alive, We get all dressed up, we play interesting
immersive games. It's just a wonderful location. And as Maria said,
most of these parties are outside the castle in these
(14:10):
big tents. Ours is inside, so we get to wander around.
We get a tour and this game that we're gonna
be playing, this immersive game, takes place inside this whole castle.
Speaker 4 (14:21):
And Daker, what happens at the stroke of midnight?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Oh, it turns Halloween. My god, So we're when the
veil is lifted. Folks, We are in the location that
the world focuses on around Halloween, and we're there at
ground zero. Really, isn't it, Maria?
Speaker 4 (14:37):
It is.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
You may get authentic to be sure, don't you.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:40):
I mean that's it. Be in the right place at
the right time on Halloween, be there with us. It's
gonna be cool.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
What do the Romanians think of lad the Impaler?
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Well, as Maria said earlier, you know, they have great
sense of reverence for their hero. He only reigned seven
and a half years, but well he did. He was
responsible for pulling the country together, for holding off the potential.
And that wasn't just potential. There was actually battles of
the Ottoman Empire coming into taking over Christian Europe. So
(15:13):
this was the battle ground. The Carpathian Mountains, the Borgo Pass, Targo, Vishta, Pulnari, Sigi, Schwara,
all these places with really cool castles, Hananduarra Castle, all
these things had a role to play and keeping Europe,
you know, free from the invading Ottoman Empire. And so
they feel he's their hero, and you know, many of
(15:35):
them think, oh, it's pretty darn cool that Bram Stoker
in Hollywood has turned him into a you know, one
of the most recognizable monsters of the world. But first
and foremost, he's a really you know, refred historical character,
and they're very proud of him.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Listen to more Coast to Coast AM every weeknight at
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dot com for more
The Best of Coast to Coast AM News
Host
George Noory
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