DRACULA by Bram Stoker ⭐⭐⭐

(Original review written November 3, 2020)

October 2020 Spooky Read of the Season:

When in Dracula’s castle, shit goes down and the creep factor climaxes. When elsewhere, we get a slow-roll lecture on how vampires work. This was probably more fun 100 years ago.

The beginning comes in strong with foreboding. We know what is coming, and knowing makes it somehow scarier. Following Jonathan Harker through his terror holds up sooo well after all these years, it’s clear the lore of the Count has maintained over a century. Once his section in the first 1/3 ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, the tension just never climbs back to that epic high. The long interlude listening to Van Helsing explain each vampiric trait after it’s too late and too obvious cools the horror vibe and feels like a chore. When we come back to the castle at the end, it’s over in a few pages, and the demonic villain of history is no longer so scary.

Three stars for the obvious talent of Stoker bringing this legend to the page. If you’ve seen "Nosferatu", however, the best parts inspired by the book are onscreen, and it’s more exciting. All credit to the original, but I don’t see myself rereading this one for any future October spooks.