The Enchantments of Bram Stoker's Dracula
Part 3, The Disenchantment of the Vampire
Last post in this series reflecting on enchantment and disenchantment in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.
The main thing I want to point out, here in the final post, is how the vampire genre has become increasingly disenchanted.
The evil in Stoker's novel is very much enchanted, and sacred objects, especially the Host, repel the vampires. The battle is explicitly supernatural, a struggle between Good and Evil. In Dracula the Christian faith is true and provides the means of resistance.
But as the vampire genre has developed and evolved over time, Stoker's privileging of Christian metaphysics has been displaced. You see this whenever the Christian weapons from Dracula, like the crucifix, are portrayed as impotent and powerless. In many modern vampire stories, the vampire will laugh at you if you hold a crucifix aloft and will chid you for being superstitious. In modern stories, vampirism is often given a biological explanation, like a genetic mutation. The occult has been eclipsed by science. The effects of garlic, silver, and sunlight are described as severe allergic reactions. In much of the modern vampire genre God is dead. The world is wholly disenchanted.
You also find the disenchanting effects of Protestantism in modern vampire stories, a loss of the sacramentalism in Stoker's novel. For example, in Stephen King's Salem's Lot crosses are effective against vampires. But there are two changes. First, these are crosses, not crucifixes. A very Protestant change. Also, there's a scene where Father Callahan holds aloft a crucifix, but because the priest lacks faith the crucifix proves ineffectual. Notice the shift away from the robust sacramentalism of Stoker's Dracula. What matters in Salem's Lot isn't the power of God but the power of faith. The weapons against evil have shifted from the objective to the subjective, from the ontological to the psychological. Recall how the most powerful weapon in Stoker's Dracula is the Host, the Real Presence of Christ. A real, material power. But in Salem's Lot, the power shifts toward the human and the mental, something wholly subjective. As Barlow says to Father Callahan in Salem's Lot, “It is your faith against my faith, Father. Is your faith enough?” The center of power now resides the human heart. Do we have enough faith? Sola fide! Believe! God is in your mind!
All this to share how you can trace the influence of modernity in the disenchantment of the vampire genre since the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula. And this is an easy test anyone can conduct: In the vampire story you're reading or watching, when the crucifix--or cross!--is held aloft does the vampire even care?
The indifferent reaction of the modern vampire to the cross reveals much about the modern world.
Richard - When I saw the title of your next email post about DracuIa I thought I probably wouldn't be much interested but there were so many thoughts in it that really hit me. I can't comment on all of them but this was a highlight for me.
"It is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all, and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain." and "science….all those facts, those small truths, we keep and value them. But we don't let this handful of facts trick us into thinking we have in our possession all the truth in the universe." RB, April, 16 2025 (from Bram Stokers – Dracula) I have a "secret:) file" on my computer titled "Good Quotes" where I record anything I read (of importance to me) from my morning readings (I read you, Richard Rohr, Fredrick Buechner, Henri Nouwen). It seems that some light goes off, or a ring of truth, or some sort of poke happens when I read some material and many of your thoughts are in my file. Thanks for the part you play in my life. Murray
I get that the modern vampire genre has moved away from the original, theological message in Dracula e.g. Good versus evil, use of the sacraments, discussion around Catholic/Protestant practices.
However, I think that the reason why this generation love the vampire genre is because it does touch on the notion of what is good and evil, immortality, questions about ageing, old, young, time and space, intense relationships, along with generally triggering a longing for an enchanted, deep, meaningful existence & relationships.
The Vampire Diaries and the Twilight Series demonstrated this very well. This interesting, slightly gruesome, relatable overlapping of a spiritual realm with the earthly realm we live in, was very appealing to many young people. I for one watched ALL the Vampire diaries episodes and ALL the Twilight films 🤣The teenagers who I worked with at the time were obsessed with both these series! They were very popular.
They still tap into something within us I think.
But, yes, the sacraments, the power of the cross, the Host have mostly been omitted as major features/props in the modern vampire genre. It has actually, from a moral perspective, actually often been reversed, where evil is seen to be good. The evil of being a blood sucking vampire, is alluringly, crazily seen to be the attractive way to live in both these series. This is due to the vampires often being very physically attractive people. However, in both these series, to become a vampire IS to be resisted, and yet it is also a real temptation, there is a sense that to become a vampire in the end, has an inevitably about it. This can been seen in both the Twilight film series and the Vampire Diaries. Jesus is not even part of the story, but I do think teenagers like the vampire genre because it is an enchanted version of a life they relate to.
Whereas in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there is a clear message: Jesus is the Way.
And, I will say though, I am sure the exploration around the sacraments will continue to be one of life’s greatest mysteries! It is still is 128 years after Dracula was published and probably will be until the end of the age!