The romantic subplot of Dracula attempting to recapture the reincarnation of a long-lost lover who died/committed suicide/is murdered, etc., has been used in so many movie versions of the Dracula story (including
Francis Ford Coppola's famed version,
Dracula (1992)), that many who have not read the book actually believe it is part of the original novel; it is not. It appears here, in this version, for the first time and was actually cribbed from director/producer
Dan Curtis' own hit daytime soap opera on ABC, "
Dark Shadows (1966)." The first daytime program to feature supernaturally-themed plots, "Dark Shadows" became a raging hit and international sensation when, for four years, it introduced and featured a 175-year-old vampire attempting to use his powers to be rejoined with his 18th century fiancée who had committed suicide. Stoker's vampire is a decidedly amoral & evil character who entraps Mina Harker in the novel into drinking his blood so that he may possess her & thereby, gain access to the "investigation" in which Van Helsing & the others are engaged; he already has three "wives" back at the castle. "Long lost love" is furthest from his mind in pursuing Mina.
