Based on ancient folk tales and myths, the story of Dracula the vampire is the most enduring of all horror stories. The 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker (1847–1912) is the first recorded tale of Count Dracula, who rises from the dead to feast on the blood of the living. Adaptations have appeared on film, television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3), and radio (see entry under 1920s—TV and Radio in volume 2) and in print many times. From folk tales to TV's The X-Files (1993), vampire stories have been used for centuries as a way of explaining strange events. The blood-sucking Count has been most successful in the darkened movie theater, however. With Bela Lugosi (1882–1956) in the title role, Dracula (1931), directed by Tod Browning (1882–1962), provided the original for many of the Dracula images that became familiar in American popular culture. The movie also inspired vampire characters, from...