Bram Stoker's Descendant Co-Writing 'Dracula' Prequel Novel

In 1897, author Bram Stoker changed the face of horror with his novel Dracula, detailing the exploits of a vampire who sought to spread his curse of the undead while Van Helsing hoped to put the monster to rest once and for all. More than 120 years later, Stoker's great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker, along with J.D. Barker, has written the novel Dracul, which takes place before the events of the original story.

In the novel, "It's 1868, and Bram, at 22 years old, has locked himself inside a desolate tower to face off against a vile and ungodly beast. Desperate to leave a record of what he has witnessed, Bram scribbles out the events that led him here — a childhood illness, a haunting nanny, stories once thought to be fables now proven true."

The book doesn't hit shelves until October 2, but acclaimed horror author R.L. Stine has already praised the story.

"Reading Dracul is like watching a classic vampire film," R.L. Stine shared with Entertainment Weekly. "Bram Stoker lives! Dracula lives! Horror lives on nearly every page. A terrifying read that gave me hours of fun."

Entertainment Weekly also went on to reveal the novel "is considered an interpretation of the 101 missing pages from Dracula which no living person has ever seen. The book was pieced together by Dacre, bringing this story to life with his access to his great-granduncle's editorial notes, journals, and artifacts."

Stoker's novel helped set the standard of what to expect from a vampire story, inspiring countless films, with the first being 1922's Nosferatu. This first vampire film has also helped inspire dozens of imitators, with The Witch director Robert Eggers taking a crack at a remake of the horror classic next.

"Right now, Robert is making The Lighthouse, which I could not be more proud of and more excited for, and I'm going to go and visit the sit," attached actress Anya shared with Entertainment Weekly. "He's such a brilliant man – other than being a wonderful human being, he's such a brilliant director. So, hopefully, we will get a chance to make that together, yeah."

You can see the book's cover and read an excerpt over at Entertainment Weekly.

Stay tuned for details on the upcoming Nosferatu remake.

Are you looking forward to learning what happened before the events of Dracula? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Entertainment Weekly]