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Speaker 1: Now here's a highlight from Coast to Coast AM on iHeartRadio.

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Speaker 2: We've been talking with Maria Schmid about her work. Now

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Speaker 2: we're going to introduce you to Dayker Stoker, the great

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Speaker 2: grand nephew of Bram Stoker, who was the one who

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Speaker 2: created the story of Dracula back in the late eighteen hundreds. Now,

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Speaker 2: Dayker solidified his role as a leading historian a vampire

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Speaker 2: lore by co editing the lost journal of Bram Stoker

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Speaker 2: the Dublin Years, offering unprecedented insights into his ancestors' early life.

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Speaker 2: He's also the author of the book at rockcoul which

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Speaker 2: he wrote seven years ago. So let's bring in Dayker Deaker.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the program.

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Speaker 3: Hey George, good to hear your voice, my friend.

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Speaker 2: I'm looking forward to this. Gosh, what's it like to

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Speaker 2: feel like you're so close to Dracula.

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Speaker 3: It's big shoes to phil, but it's wonderful to be

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Speaker 3: a family member Bram Stoker's great grand nephew legacy. But

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Speaker 3: you know, nowadays so many people no Dracula, but not

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Speaker 3: so many people know the origins of it, the writing

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Speaker 3: and the story. So I'm here to fill that gap and.

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Speaker 2: What point in your life did your family begin to

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Speaker 2: tell you who you were related to.

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Speaker 3: Well, it's funny, it wasn't until I was about twelve

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Speaker 3: years old. And kids would come to the house when

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Speaker 3: I was growing up in Montreal, Canada doing trick or

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Speaker 3: treating and they go ooh, the Stoker house. You know,

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Speaker 3: you guys are spooky. You're going to take our blood

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Speaker 3: or give us candy. And I finally asked my dad, like,

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Speaker 3: what's going on, and he brought me to the family

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Speaker 3: archives and started telling me the story of how we're

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Speaker 3: related to Brahm's youngest brother George, who you know invented

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Speaker 3: ozone therapy, was a pretty interesting guy himself, but that

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Speaker 3: really started the you know, started the journey to understand

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Speaker 3: the family and Bram Stoker, and that's, you know, that's

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Speaker 3: when we got to know it all.

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Speaker 2: It's fascinating. He must have been quite a guy. Would

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Speaker 2: you have loved to have met him?

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Speaker 3: Oh, that would have been so cool. He is a

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Speaker 3: very interesting guy. As you said at the top of

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Speaker 3: the show, I've done all this research, I found his journal.

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Speaker 3: I really feel I've got to know him through not

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Speaker 3: too many things left behind, Like he didn't write an autobiography,

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Speaker 3: but through his writings, through his notes on Dracula, the

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Speaker 3: actual typescript, seeing all the things that were taken out

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Speaker 3: of it, I think he would have been a great

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Speaker 3: guy to sit down and have dinner with.

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Speaker 2: Was Dracula based on the Vladdy Impaler.

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Speaker 3: Partly George Party. You know, Brad was really big on

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Speaker 3: research and authenticating things. So he found the name of

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Speaker 3: Dracula in two different books, one by William Wilkinson the

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Speaker 3: other by James Samuelson. All his history about impalement, all

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Speaker 3: these kind of you know, really dark history that he had.

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Speaker 3: But he wanted to make him relevant and sort of approachable,

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Speaker 3: so he based him on his boss, Henry Irving, who

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Speaker 3: played the role of Mephistopheles, the assistant to the Devil.

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Speaker 3: So he created a devil incarnate using vlad Dracula's name

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Speaker 3: and his country and his backstory.

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Speaker 2: On the How did Transylvania Daker, How did that pop up? Well?

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Speaker 3: Funnily enough, it wasn't Brahm's first choice for the country

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Speaker 3: to set the story. It was Austria, and we've learned

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Speaker 3: this through analyzing his notes, But he did actually read

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Speaker 3: this story about Dracula coming from Valachia. And then he

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Speaker 3: read another book by a lady called Emily Gerard, who

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Speaker 3: did all this really cool research into the history, the

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Speaker 3: folklore the superstitions of Transylvania, and he found that's my target,

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Speaker 3: rich environment for superstitions in folklore, and he simply moved

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Speaker 3: Vladi Impaler from Valachia next door to Transylvania, and hence

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Speaker 3: we get the first three chapters of the novel. The

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Speaker 3: ending of the novel of the deep dark histories associated

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Speaker 3: with and folklore with present day Transylvania.

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Speaker 2: Do you think it's possible that Dracula was a real person.

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Speaker 3: Well, I mean he was a real person in Vladdim Paler.

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Speaker 3: But what people really believed at the time and they

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Speaker 3: still do to this day, that hist of the myth

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Speaker 3: of the vampire, that you know, after death, there's certain

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Speaker 3: things that do happen, and we just don't understand a

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Speaker 3: whole lot about the occult and spiritualism. And you know,

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Speaker 3: people would still love to to get to know Dracula,

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Speaker 3: either Vlad or the Count, if he could be brought

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Speaker 3: back by some ways.

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Speaker 2: Do you ever have an urge to bite anybody?

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Speaker 3: No, But it's funny you say that. I get asked

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Speaker 3: often at conventions and on tours like, oh, I'd love

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Speaker 3: a little shot of that Stoker blood. It must be supercharged.

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Speaker 3: You want to did you give up a little bit?

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Speaker 2: What do you think it was that got Bram, your

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Speaker 2: great uncle, to come up with that concept of Dracula.

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Speaker 3: Well, you know, you got to put things in perspective.

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Speaker 3: He wrote the story eighteen ninety seven, and in those

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Speaker 3: days there was actually belief circulating around Europe, and Bram

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Speaker 3: mentioned in one interview he gave he found fifteen countries

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Speaker 3: where they had very real belief in that, And funnily enough,

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Speaker 3: even in America he found a newspaper article in the

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Speaker 3: New York World about the vampire scare of New England,

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Speaker 3: which really was chocked up to be wonderful, deep romantic,

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Speaker 3: but also scientific exploration into the vampire myth which was

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Speaker 3: actually tuberculosis in the New England States. So yeah, he

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Speaker 3: was taking real beliefs, real mysteries and making them relevant

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Speaker 3: into a story that made Dracula seem very real.

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Speaker 2: Now, once he wrote the first Dracula in eighteen ninety seven,

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Speaker 2: did he continue to write a few more?

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Speaker 3: Well? No, Unfortunately he died in nineteen twelve. Funnily enough,

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Speaker 3: for George, he actually wrote a story that lives on

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Speaker 3: in this sort of the mystique of Dracula, called Dracula's Guest,

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Speaker 3: that was edited out of the novel. So that story

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Speaker 3: wasn't published till nineteen fourteen, two years after he died.

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Speaker 3: And these are some of the really cool stories that

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Speaker 3: I tell them, the tours with Maria, mysterious adventure tours,

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Speaker 3: not only what we know that was in Dracula, but

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Speaker 3: all the cool stuff that was edited out of it,

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Speaker 3: these little nuggets as we go along on these trips,

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Speaker 3: you know, what people need to know, because he set

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Speaker 3: the story in these real places. We go to them

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Speaker 3: and stand there and read excerpts from the novels, what

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Speaker 3: was in the novel, and also these little nuggets that

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Speaker 3: were left out of the novel.

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Speaker 2: Let's bring Maria in with us. Maria, welcome back.

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Speaker 4: Hi. Love to hear all that Daker said, because exactly

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Speaker 4: what it represents our tours, you know, and him and

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Speaker 4: I are a phenomenal pair together. Thank you Dacre for

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Speaker 4: joining our tour in Romania.

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Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, it's my pleasure. You know, I've done tours.

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Speaker 3: I've been in Romania, but this is the first one, Maria,

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Speaker 3: We've talked about it for years that we finally do together.

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Speaker 3: So everything's kind of coming together nicely for us. So

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Speaker 3: I'm really looking forward to it.

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Speaker 2: Those on the tour, Maria, what kind of questions do

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Speaker 2: they ask about Dracula.

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Speaker 4: Well, they want to know whether there is such thing

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Speaker 4: as Dracula, and I think you know, Daker just said it.

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Speaker 4: You know, they think it's a mythology. Truly, he's a

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Speaker 4: historical figure. In fact, the children revere Vlavian Paler, who

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Speaker 4: is Dracula, right, that's part of his name. The children

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Speaker 4: vier him. They see him as a hero. So we

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Speaker 4: come in as Americans and this is something that we

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Speaker 4: always have to sort of help coach people and to say,

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Speaker 4: forget about what you know back in America, look and

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Speaker 4: listen to the culture of this country. And that's what

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Speaker 4: makes Romania more exciting because they come and thinking, oh

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Speaker 4: my god, you know, the vampires are not true. You

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Speaker 4: know what we don't know Historically there's a lot of histories,

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Speaker 4: you know, a lot of stories about the the vampires

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Speaker 4: and witches and etcetera. Exactly. It's I mean, it's part

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Speaker 4: of their culture is part of the history brom Stoker

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Speaker 4: put it to life in his in his epic stories.

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Speaker 4: So yes, they all want to know whether Dracula is

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Speaker 4: to or not. And the message is, you know what's

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Speaker 4: left in that history, you know, and that's what Baker

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Speaker 4: kind of puts it all together. And we're going to

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Speaker 4: create some really neat experiences, some surprises that normally are

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Speaker 4: not done out there in conjunction with these tours. So

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Speaker 4: we're really excited about that opportunity. And to be in

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Speaker 4: what what they call Draculus Castle on the night before

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Speaker 4: Halloween is an exceptional treat. I mean, we're the only

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Speaker 4: organization company in the world that we'll be offering a

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Speaker 4: private party inside Draculus Castle, hosted by my mc Daker Stoker.

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Speaker 4: So we're so excited to be able to dine in there,

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Speaker 4: explore the castle, and have a wicked wicket vampire ball

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Speaker 4: inside Draculu's Castle. And yes, do I think Bramstug was

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Speaker 4: going to be there? I know that's your next question, George,

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Speaker 4: and I'll answer it. I absolutely believe he's going.

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Speaker 3: To be there.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Taker, what do you think of the nineteen twenty

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Speaker 2: two original movie.

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Speaker 3: Well, you know, it's funny. I could go on for

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Speaker 3: hours about the two and a half year court case

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Speaker 3: that Brams Dooker's widow had against a Prana Films because

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Speaker 3: it wasn't you know, it wasn't official and they didn't

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Speaker 3: actually pay any royalties. But you know that aside, it's

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Speaker 3: a wonderful film. It lives on because it's been remade,

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Speaker 3: remastered many times. The most recent Robert Eager's version, I

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Speaker 3: think was fantastic. But even going back to the very original,

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Speaker 3: it was actually very similar to Bram's book. You know,

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Speaker 3: it was dark, it was eerie, the vampire wasn't super sexy.

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Speaker 3: It sort of followed the chronological story very well. So

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Speaker 3: you know, it came out even before Dracula pier on stage,

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Speaker 3: which was Florence Stoker's plans, and she helped make a

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Speaker 3: common stage in nineteen twenty four, and then nineteen thirty

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Speaker 3: one she officially recognized and sold dramatic rights to Universal Films.

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Speaker 3: So that's the one. George has started it all in film,

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Speaker 3: over six hundred film adaptations, and you know, for the

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Speaker 3: most part, they're all great, but it's you know, it's

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Speaker 3: artistic interpretation of an iconic story.

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Speaker 2: Prey dramatic stuff, isn't that take her?

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Speaker 3: Drama is what it's all about, you know, George, It's

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Speaker 3: great storytelling. And this is why, you know, another reason

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Speaker 3: why Maria brought me along is, you know, I've been

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Speaker 3: lucky enough to be blessed with a creative mind. I've

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Speaker 3: dug into all sorts of interesting elements of Bram's life.

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Speaker 3: I found things that he'd left out of stories. But

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Speaker 3: when we go on these tours, it's about storytelling, and

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Speaker 3: it's about bringing history alive and mixing it with the

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Speaker 3: folklore that's already in existence, and that folklore that sort

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Speaker 3: of pervades you know, people's attitudes and the culture. And

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Speaker 3: then it's telling the story. You know, we go to

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Speaker 3: places where brands set the story. We go to you know, Intercluge,

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Speaker 3: not only where there's this cool hoy about you forest

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Speaker 3: and paranormal in itself, but also one of the hotels,

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Speaker 3: you know, the location of there's a plaque where Harker

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Speaker 3: spent the night. Well we know he didn't really spend

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Speaker 3: the night there, but my gosh, it feels like he did.

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Speaker 3: And when we bring that to life and tell the

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Speaker 3: story in the terms of you know, historical perspective, relevant folklore.

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Speaker 3: It just makes the whole thing come alive and it

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Speaker 3: allows people's imaginations to just get to work. And that's

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Speaker 3: what great great tours are. Excuse me all about.

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Speaker 2: What do you think of people who go to dentists

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Speaker 2: and get their teeth like Dracula.

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Speaker 3: Well, hey, they're living they're living the story, aren't they.

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Speaker 3: You know, they want to get immersed into the vibe.

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Speaker 3: You know, they get they get the fangs made. They know,

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Speaker 3: in some cases, you know, they buy all these really

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Speaker 3: cool costumes. They go to to Whitby where Brand actually

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Speaker 3: set chapter six, seven and eight. They go to vampire

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Speaker 3: Balls in Transylvania, where the cool costumes have the fangs tattoos.

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Speaker 3: You know, that's what's about it. It's self expression and

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Speaker 3: they're they're they're they're living the dream.

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Speaker 2: What does the vampire ball look like?

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Speaker 3: Well, I got to tell you first of all the

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Speaker 3: fact that it's in Dracula's castle. Let me just make

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Speaker 3: a little connection here for people. Brand Castle not to

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Speaker 3: be confused with the Brahm Stoker, but Brand Castle in Romania,

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Speaker 3: just outside of brush Off, in the town of Brand

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Speaker 3: is this gorgeous, iconic castle, and it was Krean Maurice's castle.

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Speaker 2: Uh.

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Speaker 3: And it goes back to like you know, the year,

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Speaker 3: you know, five hundred, it's the Tectonic Knights and all this.

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Speaker 3: But Bram Stoker did actually see this castle in two

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Speaker 3: books that he used for his research. So for people say, oh,

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Speaker 3: it's no Dragon's castle, no, I'm telling you right now

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Speaker 3: in this show it really was. It was the castle

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Speaker 3: that Brand modeled the exterior of his fictional castle Dracula after.

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Speaker 3: Now mind you, he did model the inside another castle

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Speaker 3: from Scotland, Slain's Castle. So first of all, you've got

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Speaker 3: the place that Bran Stoker set the story and this

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Speaker 3: is just iconic. Now we're going to have only ninety tickets,

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Speaker 3: so it's a small intimate group within this gorgeous castle,

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Speaker 3: and we've got some interesting things plans beside a DJ

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Speaker 3: and some very wonderful dinner, We're going to have some

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Speaker 3: storytelling and I'm going to explain the connections. I'm going

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Speaker 3: to explain to the people about Vladvi and Paler Hell. Yes,

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Speaker 3: he was in the neighboring county, neighboring principality, and he

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Speaker 3: probably stopped in here doing his border control work and

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Speaker 3: trying to hold off the Ottoman Empire and paling people

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Speaker 3: for seven and a half years. So we bring the

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Speaker 3: story alive, We get all dressed up, we play interesting

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Speaker 3: immersive games. It's just a wonderful location. And as Maria said,

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Speaker 3: most of these parties are outside the castle in these

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Speaker 3: big tents. Ours is inside, so we get to wander around.

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Speaker 3: We get a tour and this game that we're gonna

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Speaker 3: be playing, this immersive game, takes place inside this whole castle.

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Speaker 4: And Daker, what happens at the stroke of midnight?

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Speaker 3: Oh, it turns Halloween. My god, So we're when the

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Speaker 3: veil is lifted. Folks, We are in the location that

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Speaker 3: the world focuses on around Halloween, and we're there at

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Speaker 3: ground zero. Really, isn't it, Maria?

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Speaker 4: It is.

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Speaker 2: You may get authentic to be sure, don't you.

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: I mean that's it. Be in the right place at

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Speaker 3: the right time on Halloween, be there with us. It's

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Speaker 3: gonna be cool.

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Speaker 2: What do the Romanians think of lad the Impaler?

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Speaker 3: Well, as Maria said earlier, you know, they have great

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Speaker 3: sense of reverence for their hero. He only reigned seven

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Speaker 3: and a half years, but well he did. He was

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Speaker 3: responsible for pulling the country together, for holding off the potential.

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Speaker 3: And that wasn't just potential. There was actually battles of

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Speaker 3: the Ottoman Empire coming into taking over Christian Europe. So

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Speaker 3: this was the battle ground. The Carpathian Mountains, the Borgo Pass, Targo, Vishta, Pulnari, Sigi, Schwara,

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Speaker 3: all these places with really cool castles, Hananduarra Castle, all

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Speaker 3: these things had a role to play and keeping Europe,

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Speaker 3: you know, free from the invading Ottoman Empire. And so

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Speaker 3: they feel he's their hero, and you know, many of

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Speaker 3: them think, oh, it's pretty darn cool that Bram Stoker

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Speaker 3: in Hollywood has turned him into a you know, one

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Speaker 3: of the most recognizable monsters of the world. But first

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Speaker 3: and foremost, he's a really you know, refred historical character,

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Speaker 3: and they're very proud of him.

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Speaker 1: Listen to more Coast to Coast AM every weeknight at

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Speaker 1: one a m. Eastern and go to Coast to coastam

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Speaker 1: dot com for more