vlad the impaler актер
«Я патриот. Я русский»: откровения Алексея Маетного, обладателя восьми «порно-Оскаров»
С будущей профессией Алексей очень долго не мог определиться, но точно знал: работать по специальности не будет. В порноиндустрию молодой человек, можно сказать, попал совершенно случайно. Как именно, узнаете ниже.
Сейчас на счету Алексея более 50 порнофильмов и множество престижных наград. 30 января 2019 года в его коллекции «Порно-Оскаров» произошло пополнение — Маетный стал обладателем уже восьмой статуэтки. По этому поводу журналисты Lenta.ru взяли у актера интервью, и мы хотим поделиться им с вами:
— Завидуют тебе, думаю, все. А кто тебя первым поздравил с победой на AVN Awards?
— Сложно сказать. Когда на следующее утро после церемонии я заглянул в телефон, в нем было около 16 тысяч поздравительных сообщений и непонятно сколько пропущенных звонков… Хотя вот — вспомнил! Первой меня поздравила моя подруга — просто подруга, если что.
— Данные разнятся, так что давай сразу уточним. Ты выиграл…
— 22 номинации! Ух… Ты во время церемонии сильно волновался?
— Парень из России живет между тем в Штатах. Ты себя сейчас кем ощущаешь — россиянином или американцем?
— Конечно, россиянином! Если я скажу иначе, мне бабушка яйца оторвет! Бабулю я очень люблю. Ей 84, у нее айпад, и мы с ней общаемся каждый день. Так вот… Я патриот. Я русский. Да, американцы меня приняли, помогли мне и поддержали. Но я не какой-то там сраный иммигрант, который уезжает в Америку, а потом свою страну поливает грязью. Я стараюсь всегда достойно представлять Россию, тем более что ко мне постоянно обращаются с вопросами про нашего президента: как он, что он?
— Получая награды, ты благодарил со сцены свою жену Бриджит Би, продюсера, коллег и так далее. Но ни слова не сказал о родителях и бабушке. Это от скромности?
— Он сказал: „Мальчик, не хочешь ли ты сняться голым?“
— Нет, не так. Прошло несколько лет. Я поступил в университет. Но моя бабушка… Для бабушек советской закалки мужчина, не служивший в армии, — не мужчина вовсе, а сосунок. И я отправился в военкомат — мол, здравствуйте, я хочу служить. Они мне: «Ты, мальчик, умом тронулся? Ты же в вуз поступил!» А я им про бабушку объясняю — хочу, говорю, чтобы она была довольна.
— Ты правда чокнутый!
— Ну да. Короче, дали мне в итоге направление на медкомиссию. Я же положил этот листочек в вазочку и благополучно про него забыл, проворонив свою очередь. Что дальше? Паника! А потом я вспомнил, как мой друг — тот самый — рассказывал, что все, кто у него снимаются, постоянно сдают анализы и ходят по врачам. Я попросил его о помощи. И он поехал со мной в клинику. Это было 30 августа. В этот день и началась история Маркуса Дюпри.
— Пока не вижу связи.
— 4 сентября раздался телефонный звонок от моего друга: «Леша, у тебя сданы все анализы. Не хочешь поучаствовать в съемке, потому что у нас заболел актер?» Я говорю: «Ты что! Конечно, нет!» Он позвонил мне снова — ровно через две минуты: «Приходи все равно. Я тебе хорошо заплачу, просто чтобы ты изображал массовку». И я поехал. Теперь представьте: дом на Фонтанке, дверь открывают две девушки — блондинка и брюнетка. Высокие каблуки, гладкая упругая кожа, красивые лица, нижнее белье, французский маникюр. И я забыл обо всем на свете! Я снялся. Это было потрясающе: пять разных девушек за один раз спустя всего три месяца после того, как я потерял девственность! Понятно, что у меня сорвало крышу. В тот день во мне проснулся какой-то зверь, чудовище, дьявол. И с тех пор он просыпается каждый раз, когда я занимаюсь сексом.
— На следующие съемки, понятное дело, тебя уже уговаривать не пришлось.
— Мотоциклы! А после этого он предложил мне сняться в его фильме «Сын Рокко», потому что, если посмотреть наши фото, видно, что мы с ним очень похожи. Он сказал: «Если хочешь расти, тебе нужно ехать в Будапешт!» Рокко привез меня в Европу, представил всем кинокомпаниям и всему научил.
— Научил, прости, чему?
Спустя некоторое время девушка вышла замуж, и это стало для актер настоящим ударом. Тогда Рокко Сиффреди сказал ему: «Если ты хочешь, чтобы она снова тобой заинтересовалась, ты должен заявить о себе». После этих слов россиянин немедленно оформил визу и отправился в Лос-Анджелес покорять мир порноиндустрии.
В Америке у Алексея началась новая жизнь. На съемочной площадке россиянин встретил будущую супругу — испанскую порноактрису Бриджит Би (настоящее имя — Лус Абреу). Парня постоянно приглашают на съемки, его гонорары со времен первого фильма значительно увеличились, а недавно в копилку его достижений добавился восьмой «Порно-Оскар».
Однако все же есть одна вещь, которой Алексею не хватает для полного счастья. По словам россиянина, главная его мечта — чтобы о нем услышала Лера.
А вам понравилась история успеха Алексея? Что вы об этом думаете?
Источник: Lenta.ru
А вы знали, что у нас есть Instagram и Telegram?
Подписывайтесь, если вы ценитель красивых фото и интересных историй!
Куда пропал Влад А4. Поклонники и коллеги строят теории, почему блогер исчез со своего ютуб-канала
Пользователи Сети и блогеры строят теории об исчезновении ютубера Влада А4, также известного как Влад Бумага. Авторка Medialeaks разобралась в шести предположениях поклонников и коллег молодого человека и выяснила, почему версия о съёмках в кино выглядит самой правдоподобной.
Владислав Бумага из Минска, также известный как Влад А4, стал популярен в Сети благодаря каналу на ютубе (34,7 миллиона подписчиков), где публикует ориентированный на детей контент. Его ролики отличаются красочной картинкой и высокой динамикой, что привлекает совсем юных зрителей. В основном блогер снимает челленджи, а помогают ему в этом коллеги Глент и Кобяков.
Влад Бумага, Глент и Кобяков
Впрочем, последние восемь роликов на канале Влада вышли без его участия, а сам ютубер ничего не постил в своих соцсетях уже около месяца. Молчание блогера подтолкнуло его коллег и поклонников стоить собственные теории о его исчезновении.
Заболел или улетел отдыхать. Что не так с версиями об исчезновении Влада А4
После того как Влад Бумага перестал появляться в роликах на своём ютуб-канале, оставив вместо себя Глента и Кобякова, многие блогеры решили провести мини-расследования загадочной пропажи коллеги. Версий исчезновения А4 было много — например, блогер marazm в своём ролике предположил, что Влад заболел.
Мы можем предположить, что Влад мог заболеть. Или не просто заболеть, а с ним могло случиться что-то серьёзное, например он мог сломать ногу, — говорит ютубер в ролике.
Однако эту версию он сам отмёл, отметив, что трудолюбивый Бумага точно бы придумал, как не выпадать из съёмочного процесса — например, снял бы челлендж с бегом на костылях.
Также блогер предположил, что Влад мог перестать снимать на своём канале, но не бросил детище. Теперь, как считает ютубер, парень занялся продюсированием. Однако позже сам опроверг свою теорию, так как уверен, что А4 не стал бы уходить из кадра.
А некоторые коллеги Бумаги предположили, что исчезновение лица канала из роликов построено для привлечения внимания к его творчеству. Впрочем, эта версия также не кажется правдоподобной, ведь рейтинги 30-миллинного аккаунта в последнее время не падали.
Другой распространённой у блогеров версией стала поездка А4 в отпуск. Однако никаких фото с отдыха или же сторис Бумага не постил, а последнюю публикацию сделал почти два месяца назад.
Скриншот из инстаграма Влада А4
Блогер ДИРЕКТОР ЮТУБА снял целую серию роликов, в которых доказывал, что Влада похитили его друзья, ведь давно хотели забрать у него канал. Однако в описании каждого видео он уточнял, что оно носит лишь развлекательный характер, а значит, верить в предположения ютубера вряд ли стоит.
Самая правдоподобная версия пропажи Влада А4
Несмотря на большое количество различных версий, есть одна, которая кажется правдоподобной и пользователям Сети, и коллегам Влада А4. По мнению большинства, Бумага занят на съёмках в кино, именно поэтому не появляется на канале.
Может, он снимается в новом фильме, а фильм нужно снимать где-то 30 дней.
Несмотря на то что информации о производстве кино, где снимается блогер, в Сети нет, в одном из своих роликов ютубер упоминал, что ему предлагали роль. Поначалу он отказывался от съёмок, ведь примерно на месяц пропадёт с канала.
Впрочем, на момент написания материала ни сам Влад, ни его коллеги или менеджер никак не комментировали пропажу лица канала. С полной уверенностью можно сказать, лишь что Бумага жив и никто его не похищал, так как в начале октября блогер заходил на свою страницу во «ВКонтакте».
Скриншот со страницы блогера во «ВКонтакте»
Другой блогер привлёк внимание пользователей Сети без таинственного исчезновения. Приятный Ильдар написал ряд постов в своём телеграм-канале и потерял несколько поклонников из-за фэтфобии и сексизма.
Рэпер SODA LUV лишился номинации на премию GQ Russia из-за подозрений в домогательствах. Поклонники увидели якобы переписки кумира с несовершеннолетней девушкой и не верят в его оправдания.
Vlad The Impaler
Vlad The Impaler was written by Sergio Pizzorno and is the 8th track on West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. It was released on 15 February 2010 as the fourth single off the album and peaked at #114 in the UK charts.
Contents
Background [ ]
Inititally considered to be the opening track of the album as well as the first single, Vlad The Impaler was released as a free download on the band’s official website between 31 March and 3 April 2009. [1] [2]
Named after Vlad III of Wallachia, the original inspiration for Dracula, the song has often been compared to the Beastie Boys or The Clash and was at one point referred to as «Apnoea’s bigger brother.» [1] [3] Serge described the lyrics as «a call out to all our people, the ones who are tuned into our radio station.» [4]
The line «Joker, see you on the other side» is a reference to actor Heath Ledger, who died shortly after the song was written. [5] During live performances, Tom will often substitute «Joker» for names of recently deceased celebrities, and occasionally living people.
Vlad The Impaler was debuted at a session for BBC Radio 1 in April 2009. Since then it has always been a permanent part of the set, sometimes as an opener or the first song of the encore during the West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum Tour. During the Velociraptor! Tour it was usually performed as the second song of the encore, between Switchblade Smiles and Fire. On a few occasions a snippet from The Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up was added at the end of the song.
Video [ ]
The first official Vlad The Impaler video, starring Noel Fielding in the title role and directed by Richard Ayoade, was released together with the free download of the song in March 2009. A second video, a live performance recorded in Dublin in November 2009 and also featuring Fielding, was released in February 2010, coinciding with the single release. The entire Dublin gig was later released on a bonus DVD with the deluxe edition of Velociraptor!.
The first version of the video has been released on
Remixes [ ]
Zane Lowe Remix [ ]
Zane Lowe is a radio DJ, producer and TV presenter. The remix was released on
Quotes [ ]
Releases [ ]
Live Releases [ ]
Lyrics [ ]
Face check I walk this beach
I’m frying in the heat
In the cauldron, stir me
Chomp down my diamond teeth I ain’t got
The simple things in life have been lost
You have got to witness
This is your last retreat
My last repeat
All my friends are as sharp as razors
Cut you down if you touch the faders
High class girls hung in elevators
Now we have got the floor
Get loose, get loose
You can’t miss me, I’m still alive
Snake skin shoes I’m pleading homicide
Come on and feel this, I’m still alive
Joker meet you on the other side
Banshee I hear you call
We need to raise the dead
We need to raise the people
Cut throat this blood runs thick, it is true
The simple things in life have been lost
You have got to witness
We are the last beatniks
The lost heretics
All my friends are as sharp as razors
Cut you down if you touch the faders
Listen up all you masqueraders
Now we have got the floor
Now we have got the floor
Get loose, get loose
You can’t miss me, I’m still alive
Snake skin shoes I’m pleading homicide
Come on and feel this, I’m still alive
Joker meet you on the other side
Vlad the Impaler: The real Dracula was absolutely vicious
Few names have cast more terror into the human heart than Dracula. The legendary vampire, created by author Bram Stoker for his 1897 novel of the same name, has inspired countless horror movies, television shows and other bloodcurdling tales of vampires.
Though Dracula may seem like a singular creation, Stoker in fact drew inspiration from a real-life man with an even more grotesque taste for blood: Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia or — as he is better known — Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes), a name he earned for his favorite way of dispensing with his enemies.
Vlad III was born in 1431 in Transylvania, a mountainous region in modern-day Romania. His father was Vlad II Dracul, ruler of Wallachia, a principality located to the south of Transylvania. Vlad II was granted the surname Dracul («dragon») after his induction into the Order of the Dragon, a Christian military order supported by the Holy Roman emperor. [8 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries]
Situated between Christian Europe and the Muslim lands of the Ottoman Empire, Transylvania and Wallachia were frequently the scene of bloody battles as Ottoman forces pushed westward into Europe, and Christian Crusaders repulsed the invaders or marched eastward toward the Holy Land.
When Vlad II was called to a diplomatic meeting in 1442 with Sultan Murad II, he brought his young sons Vlad III and Radu along. But the meeting was actually a trap: All three were arrested and held hostage. The elder Vlad was released under the condition that he leave his sons behind.
Years of captivity
Under the Ottomans, Vlad and his younger brother were tutored in science, philosophy and the arts — Vlad also became a skilled horseman and warrior. According to some accounts, however, he may also have been imprisoned and tortured for part of that time, during which he would have witnessed the impalement of his the Ottomans’ enemies.
The rest of Vlad’s family, however, fared even worse: His father was ousted as ruler of Wallachia by local warlords (boyars) and was killed in the swamps near Balteni, Wallachia, in 1447. Vlad’s older brother, Mircea, was tortured, blinded and buried alive.
Whether these events turned Vlad III Dracula («son of the dragon») into a ruthless killer is a matter of historical speculation. What is certain, however, is that once Vlad was freed from Ottoman captivity shortly after his family’s death, his reign of blood began. [7 Strange Ways Humans Act Like Vampires]
In 1453, the city of Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, threatening all of Europe with an invasion. Vlad was charged with leading a force to defend Wallachia from an invasion. His 1456 battle to protect his homeland was victorious: Legend holds that he personally beheaded his opponent, Vladislav II, in one-on-one combat.
Though he was now ruler of the principality of Wallachia, his lands were in a ruinous state due to constant warfare and the internal strife caused by feuding boyars. To consolidate power, Vlad invited hundreds of them to a banquet. Knowing his authority would be challenged, he had his guests stabbed and their still-twitching bodies impaled.
What is impaling?
Impaling is a particularly gruesome form of torture and death: A wood or metal pole is inserted through the body either front to back, or vertically, through the rectum or vagina. The exit wound could be near the victim’s neck, shoulders or mouth.
In some cases, the pole was rounded, not sharp, to avoid damaging internal organs and thereby prolong the suffering of the victim. The pole was then raised vertically to display the victim’s torment — it could take hours or days for the impaled person to die.
Though Vlad is widely credited with bringing order and stability to Wallachia, his rule was undisputedly vicious: Dozens of Saxon merchants in Kronstadt, who were once allied with the boyars, were also impaled in 1459.
The Ottoman Turks were never far from Vlad’s thoughts — or his borders. When diplomatic envoys had an audience with Vlad in 1459, the diplomats declined to remove their hats, citing a religious custom. Commending them on their religious devotion, Vlad ensured that their hats would forever remain on their heads by having the hats nailed to the diplomats’ skulls.
Vlad’s victories over the invading Ottomans were celebrated throughout Wallachia, Transylvania and the rest of Europe — even Pope Pius II was impressed. But Vlad also earned a much darker reputation: On one occasion, he reportedly dined among a veritable forest of defeated warriors writhing on impaled poles. It’s not known whether tales of Vlad III Dracula dipping his bread in the blood of his victims are true, but stories about his unspeakable sadism swirled throughout Europe.
Tens of thousands killed
In total, Vlad is estimated to have killed about 80,000 people through various means. This includes some 20,000 people who were impaled and put on display outside the city of Targoviste: The sight was so repulsive that the invading Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, after seeing the scale of Vlad’s carnage and the thousands of decaying bodies being picked apart by crows, turned back and retreated to Constantinople.
In 1476, while marching to yet another battle with the Ottomans, Vlad and a small vanguard of soldiers were ambushed, and Vlad was killed and beheaded — by most reports, his head was delivered to Mehmed II in Constantinople as a trophy to be displayed above the city’s gates.
The Middle Ages were notoriously violent, and the name of Vlad III Dracula may have been a mere historical footnote were it not for an 1820 book by the British consul to Wallachia, William Wilkinson: «An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia: With Various Political Observations Relating to Them.» Wilkinson delves into the history of the region, mentioning the notorious warlord Vlad Tepes.
Stoker, who never visited Vlad’s homeland, was nonetheless known to have read Wilkinson’s book. And if ever there were a historical figure to inspire a bloodthirsty, monstrous fictional character, Vlad III Dracula was one.
Vlad the impaler актер
Wikimedia Commons Though Vlad the Impaler is a national hero in Romania to this day, this “real Dracula” perpetrated untold atrocities throughout the mid-1400s.
In 1897, writer Bram Stoker published the novel Dracula, the classic story of a vampire named Count Dracula who feeds on human blood, hunting his victims and killing them in the dead of night.
The Count Dracula in the book, which contemporary critics described as the “most blood-curdling novel” of the century, was Stoker’s own creation. But many believe the bloodthirsty villain was partly inspired by Vlad the Impaler, the terrifying ruler of Wallachia (part of present-day Romania) in the mid-1400s.
He earned his fearsome nickname for impaling more than 20,000 people and killing as many as 60,000 others during his bloody reign. He was even said to dine among his impaled enemies and dip his bread in their blood.
But while the stories of the “real Dracula” have surely been embellished over the years, the true history of Vlad the Impaler is far scarier than anything Bram Stoker could have dreamed up.
The Son Of The Dragon Is Born
Wikimedia Commons Some historians say that Vlad Tepes’ body count reaches above 100,000.
Because the historical record is often spotty when it comes to the story of Vlad the Impaler (otherwise as known as Vlad III), we know only that he was born between 1428 and 1431, during a time of unrest in Wallachia.
His mother, the queen, came from a Moldavian royal family and his father was Vlad II Dracul. The surname translates to “dragon” and was given to Vlad II after his induction into a Christian crusading order known as the Order of the Dragon. Young Vlad had two brothers, Mircea and Radu.
Due to Wallachia’s proximity to the warring factions of Christian-ruled Europe and the Muslim-ruled Ottoman Empire, Dracul’s territory was the site of constant turmoil.
In 1442, the Ottomans called for a diplomatic meeting and invited Vlad Dracul. He saw an opportunity to educate his younger sons in the art of diplomacy so he brought Vlad III and Radu with him.
Wikimedia Commons Vlad II and Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, who kidnapped him and his children.
But Dracul and his two sons were captured and held hostage by the Ottoman diplomats instead. The captors told him that he would be released — but he had to leave his sons.
Dracul, believing it was the safest option for his family, agreed. Fortunately for Vlad III and his brother, during their time as hostages, the two princes received lessons in science, philosophy, and the art of war.
However, things were far worse back home. A coup orchestrated by local warlords — known as the boyar — overthrew Dracul. In 1447, he was killed in the swamps behind his home while his oldest son was tortured, blinded, and buried alive.
How Vlad The Impaler Took Power And Embraced Brutality
Wikimedia Commons Depiction of Vlad the Impaler meeting with envoys from the Ottoman Empire, who captured him when he was young.
In 1448, Vlad returned to Wallachia to take back the throne from Vladislav II, the man who had taken his father’s place. He succeeded, but after just a few months, the deposed Vladislav returned and took back the throne. But in 1456, Vlad returned with an army and support from Hungary and was able to take the throne from Vladislav for a second time.
Legend has it that Vlad personally beheaded his rival Vladislav on the battlefield. And once he was back on his father’s throne again, his reign of terror truly began.
Some historians believe his family’s horrific deaths were what turned Vlad III into Vlad Tepes, the original Romanian for Vlad the Impaler. Some accounts state Vlad was subjected to beatings and torture during his imprisonment under the Ottomans, which may also be where he learned the tradition of impaling enemies.
Soon after he took the throne back, Vlad had enemies of his own to deal with. Some in Wallachia considered Vladislav II a better leader, which caused uprisings in villages across the region. The returning monarch knew he had to assert his dominance over the people. So, he decided to host a banquet and invite his opposition.
Wikimedia Commons Vlad Dracula’s alleged cannibalistic feast among the rotting bodies of his impaled victims.
It didn’t take long before the festivities turned bloody. Vlad’s dissenting guests were stabbed to death and their still-twitching bodies were impaled on spikes.
From there, Vlad’s violent reputation only continued to grow as he defended his throne and devastated his enemies time and again via the grisliest methods imaginable.
The Real Dracula’s Reign Of Terror
Wikimedia Commons Word of Vlad the Impaler’s brutality spread far and wide and was depicted in many works of art throughout the Middle Ages.
Vlad the Impaler was an undeniably brutal ruler. Nevertheless, much of Christian Europe supported his strong, if macabre, defense of Wallachia from various incursions from Muslim Ottoman forces.
In fact, even Pope Pius II expressed admiration for the notoriously violent ruler’s military feats. A threat to Europe was deemed a threat to Christendom and, therefore, the pope.
Though the real Dracula brought some stability and protection to a vulnerable region, Vlad III was still seemed to relish his own brutality. During one of his successful campaigns against the Ottoman Turks in 1462, Vlad wrote the following to one of his allies:
“I have killed peasants, men and women, old and young, who lived at Oblucitza and Novoselo, where the Danube flows into the sea… We killed 23,884 Turks, without counting those whom we burned in homes or the Turks whose heads were cut by our soldiers… Thus, your highness, you must know that I have broken the peace.”
The Turks gave him the nickname kaziklu bey, meaning “impaling prince.”
Impalement was no doubt Vlad the Impaler’s murder method of choice. During impalement, a wooden or metal pole would be jabbed through the body starting either in the rectum or vagina and and would then slowly pierce through the body until it came out the victim’s mouth, shoulders, or neck.
Sometimes the pole was rounded so that it would go through the body without puncturing any internal organs, prolonging the victim’s torture. In these particularly gruesome cases, it could take hours or even days for the victim to finally die — often on public display for everyone to watch. In one case, he impaled the Saxon merchants in Kronstadt who were once allied with the boyars — his family’s killers.
Vlad the Impaler used this torturous method to punish and kill anyone who displeased or threatened him, though it wasn’t the only way he dispensed his cruelty. At one point, he had the turbans of Ottoman diplomats nailed onto their skulls after they declined to remove them for religious reasons.
Wikimedia Commons Romania’s Bran Castle is widely associated with Bram Stoker’s book and Vlad III, though neither of these links have been confirmed by historians.
“How can we despoil of his estates a man who is not afraid to defend it by such means as these?,” Mehmed said, deciding that anyone willing to go to such lengths to save his kingdom deserved to keep it. The Ottoman forces retreated the next day.
Stories like this abound and, in total, contemporaneous accounts claimed that Vlad the Impaler killed 80,000 people during his reign — impaling more than 23,000 of them — but it’s difficult to know for sure how many people he truly slaughtered.
His bloody reign ended in 1462 when Hungarian forces took him prisoner. The Ottomans had launched a campaign to replace Vlad with his milder brother Radu. In turn, Vlad went to the Hungarians, thinking that they’d help solidify his hold on the throne. But, not wanting to risk war with the Ottomans, the Hungarians had Vlad imprisoned.
Almost nothing is known about Vlad’s imprisonment, but in 1476, he was released and married Jusztina Szilágyi, a relative of the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus, who made an arrangement with Vlad to restore him to his throne after Radu had been removed. However, Vlad died in battle alongside the Hungarians, who were now at war with the Ottomans, later that same year.
According to legend, he suffered the same ill fate as his old rival Vladislav II. As the story goes, Vlad the Impaler was beheaded in battle and his head was paraded back to Constantinople and placed in the hands of his enemy, Sultan Mehmed II, to be displayed over the city’s gates. His remains have never been found.
The Origins Of Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Wikimedia Commons While he’s widely known as the real Dracula, scholars disagree about just how much Vlad the Impaler inspired Bram Stoker’s classic novel.
Though Vlad the Impaler’s atrocities are undoubtedly terrifying, how exactly might the “real Dracula” have helped inspire Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire?
The answer might lie with the gory tales of the bloodthirsty monarch’s exploits. According to one legend, Vlad Dracula enjoyed dipping his bread in the blood of his victims, but the authenticity of that account has never been confirmed.
In 1820, a book by the British consul to Wallachia, William Wilkinson, titled An Account Of The Principalities Of Wallachia And Moldavia: With Various Political Observations Relating To Them, also helped popularize the story of the real Dracula across Europe. Stoker read Wilkinson’s book, which is likely where he first saw the name Dracula.
Regardless of how much he was inspired by Wilkinson, Stoker’s Dracula took on a life of its own and continues to be one of the most adapted horror stories to this day. The first known motion picture to bring the vampire to the screen was the 1921 Hungarian production, Dracula’s Death. Ten years later, the American production starring Bela Lugosi became one of the most popular adaptations to date.
Dozens upon dozens of movies, television shows, books, and the like have followed since, with Netflix’s 2020 series Dracula, even transporting the centuries-old creature into the social media age at one point.
Wikimedia Commons Bela Lugosi in his iconic role as Count Dracula in the 1931 film adaptation.
Although Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler share a few similarities — they shared a name and both lived in a towering castle in Eastern Europe and had a taste for blood — there are significant differences between them.
Stoker’s Dracula resides in Transylvania while Vlad the Impaler never lived there. He was born in and ruled over the region of Wallachia, which was one of three principalities that made up Romania at the time, including Transylvania and Moldova.
And, as terrifying as Vlad the Impaler was, there’s no hard evidence to suggest that he actually drank blood. However, 15th-century pamphlets with titles like The Frightening and Truly Extraordinary Story of a Wicked Blood-drinking Tyrant Called Prince Dracula certainly helped enforce that belief.
Clearly, tales of Vlad the Impaler have been soaked in blood for some 500 years. And while it may be difficult to distinguish fact from fiction about the real Dracula at this point, there’s enough evidence to know that Vlad committed some of the most chilling atrocities of his era.
After this look at Vlad the Impaler, the real Dracula, take a look inside Dracula’s castle. Then, find out the odds of human survival in a vampire apocalypse using this vampire calculator made by a real scientist.