The Brides of Dracula are fictional characters in

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...

's 1897 novel ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

''. They are three seductive

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

"sisters" who reside with

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been i ...

in his castle in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, where they entice men with their beauty and charm, and then proceed to feed upon them. Dracula provides them with victims to devour, mainly implied to be infants. Like Dracula, they are the

living dead ''Living Dead'', also informally known as ''Of the Dead'' is a blanket term for the loosely connected horror franchise that originated from the 1968 film ''Night of the Living Dead''. The film, written by George A. Romero and John A. Russo, ...

, repulsed by sunlight, garlic and religious objects. In chapter three of the novel, two are described as having dark hair and red eyes, like Dracula, while the other as being fair, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Novel

Sometime near the beginning of the novel, after

Jonathan Harker Jonathan Harker is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. An English solicitor, his journey to Transylvania and encounter with the vampire Count Dracula and his Brides at Ca ...

arrives in Dracula's castle, Dracula warns Harker that, if he leaves his room, to never sleep in any other room in the castle, but does not tell him why, clearly aware that the sisters will kill him. Late one night, Jonathan explores the castle. He sits at a table writing in his journal and, as he begins to fall asleep, sees three women standing in the moonlight who cast no shadows. The women proceed to seduce him and, as one of them begins to kiss his neck, he feels her sharp teeth barely scrape against his flesh. Dracula then grabs her neck and hurls her away, chastising the brides for trying to feed on Harker when he was not done with him. He promises to give Harker to them after his business deal is concluded and gives them a "wiggling bag" (presumed by Harker to be a human child) to appease them. Harker soon fears for his life, at one point thinking he sees the brides dancing in the sky outside his bedroom, which strengthens his resolve to escape. Dracula makes good on his word and leaves Harker to the sisters when he heads for England. Though Harker manages to escape the castle shortly after, he is badly traumatized by the encounter and is diagnosed with

brain fever Brain fever (or cerebral fever) is an outdated medical term that was used as a synonym for phrensy, beginning in early 19th century medical literature. Supposedly the brain becomes inflamed and causes a variety of symptoms, most notably mental co ...

. Though they lose their victim, the brides continue to haunt the castle and terrorize the nearby village. The sisters are seen again near the end of the novel as the protagonists pursue Count Dracula to Transylvania. The sisters suddenly appear at a camp consisting of

Abraham Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing () is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'' written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the ...

and Jonathan's wife Mina. Sensing that Mina is cursed with

vampirism A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

, they beckon her to join them, referring to her as their "sister" and promising not to harm her. However, Van Helsing had previously crushed a sacred wafer and scattered it in a circle around the campsite. Due to this protective barrier, both Mina and the sisters are unable to cross its border. Although the vampires keep away from the camp, they remain in the darkness until sunrise, upon which they flee back to the castle. At the coming of daylight, Van Helsing finds that their horses are dead, possibly having been drained of blood by the brides. After Van Helsing binds Mina in another ring of sacramental bread, he subsequently goes to Dracula's castle alone to destroy the vampires and sterilize Dracula's tomb, keeping him from ever being able to enter it again. After locating the vampires' graves, he finds them asleep 'open-eyed'. He attempts to kill the first but almost fails as he sees her beauty. Caught in an enchantment, he becomes entranced and lost in a state of uncertainty. Becoming overwhelmed with emotions, he feels compelled to protect her instead and even contemplates love for her. He suddenly hears a 'Soul Wail' from Mina which breaks the enchantment, allowing him to finish his work. First using a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

hammer, he strikes a stake into her, then proceeds to operate on her, detaching the head from the body and filling the mouth with garlic. He repeats this process with the other two, taking him an entire day to complete. It is unknown whether or not Dracula feels any grief for their deaths.

Characters

In the novel, the three vampire women are not individually named. Collectively, they are known as the "sisters", and are at one point described as the "

weird sisters The Three Witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, Weyward Sisters or Wayward Sisters, are characters in William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' (c. 1603–1607). The witches eventually lead Macbeth to his demise, and they hold a striking res ...

". Although the three vampire women in ''Dracula'' are generally referred to as the "Brides of Dracula" in popular culture and media, they are never referred to as such in the novel. Whether they are married to Dracula is not mentioned in the novel, nor are they described as having any other relation to him. The origin and identity of the Sisters, as well as the true nature of their relationship with Count Dracula, is never revealed. One of the three may have been identified in the short story "

Dracula's Guest "Dracula's Guest" is a short story by Bram Stoker, first published in the short story collection '' Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories'' (1914). Scholars are divided on whether the story is the excised first chapter of the novel ''Dracula'' ...

", as the vampire named

Countess Dolingen ''Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories'' is a collection of short stories by Bram Stoker, first published in 1914, two years after Stoker's death, at the behest of his widow Florence Balcombe.Gratz. The protagonist of the story, who is never identified, but presumed to be

, encounters her at her tomb in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Just as she is about to bite him, a great wolf who is presumed to be Dracula intervenes and destroys her. The wolf keeps the protagonist warm from the cold and yelps for nearby soldiers to come to their location. In the novel, Harker writes about one of the female vampires in the moment he is with them, stating, "I seemed somehow to know her face and to know it in connection with some dreamy fear, but I could not recollect at the moment how or where." The two dark-haired vampire women are described as facially resembling the Count, in that the three have aquiline noses. Literary scholar Jan B. Gordon suggests this that it may have been Stoker's intent that these two are Dracula's daughters, extending the

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

metaphor of

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

. When the brides first discover Harker, the blonde vampire is encouraged to feed on him first, with one of the others stating, "Yours is the right to begin", signifying that she has some status over the others. This could imply that the blonde vampire is Dracula's wife or consort, and the mother of the two dark-haired women if they are indeed his daughters. When Van Helsing discovers the sisters' tombs, the blonde is far more opulent than the others', as if for a loved one or one of high status. Harker describes the women as "ladies by their dress and manner", indicating that the vampires are of high lineage, further suggesting the idea that they are Dracula's family. The blonde vampire is shown to act in a mildly rebellious manner toward Dracula when he scolds her for attempting to feed on Harker; Dracula's reaction upon discovering the sisters with Harker is both that of a jealous husband and an angry father. The vampire women claim that Dracula does not love them, nor has he ever loved them, but Dracula insists he does love them and shows he cares for them by providing them with victims to feed upon. However, it is not explained why he left them behind in

rather than taking them to London with him. Even though it is never specified, it is possible that the term "sister" was not meant in the literal sense and is, instead, more comparable to the relationship of the women and not as they are to Dracula. They are also depicted in the novel calling

Mina Harker Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. In the novel She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engaged t ...

their sister after she is forced to drink Dracula's blood, afflicting her with vampirism. Mina and her best friend (and Dracula's future victim)

Lucy Westenra Lucy Westenra is a fictional character in the 1897 novel ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker. She is the 19-year-old daughter of a wealthy family and is Mina Harker, Mina Murray's best friend. Early in the story, Lucy gets proposed to by three suitors, A ...

also call each other sisters in the novel despite not having any blood relation. The vampire women may be his wives throughout his lifetime, descendants of his whom he turned into vampires or simply nonspecific women he killed and turned into vampires to create more of his kind. As vampires, the sisters are powerful in their own right; their beauty and seductive charm belie lethal, predatory interiors. Their beauty and flirtatious manner appear to be their greatest power when it comes to bewitching their victims into a trance-like state. Harker and Van Helsing are both attracted to and yet repulsed by them. They can seemingly appear out of nowhere and are inhumanly strong, as shown when they kill Van Helsing's horses. They also have the power of flight, as seen when they fly in the air with their dresses trailing behind them. The vampires serve as foreshadowing for the threat of vampirism in the story which, as seen with Lucy, later on, includes Dracula's power of corruption over his victims once he has drained their blood and transformed them into vampires.

Screen adaptations

Commonly all three brides appear in film adaptations of the novel, though some film adaptations depict them as a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. They are typically depicted as enchantingly beautiful young women, coquettish and seductive in manner, often appearing like

succubi A succubus () is a female demon who is described in various folklore as appearing in the dreams of male humans in order to seduce them. Repeated interactions between a succubus and a man will lead to sexual activity, a bond forming between them, ...

in the night, dressed in flowing silk nightgowns, and behaving in a wild and sexually aggressive manner. * The three brides made silent appearances in the 1931 film ''

'' and the

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

version of '' Drácula''. (The latter film, shot simultaneously on the same sets at night with a separate cast and crew, depicts the brides as more obviously sexual than in the more chaste

English-language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

version.) In the English-language film, they are played by Geraldine Dvorak, Cornelia Thaw, and

Dorothy Tree Dorothy Tree (born Dorothy Estelle Triebitz, May 21, 1906 – February 13, 1992) was an American actress, voice teacher and writer. She appeared in a wide range of character roles in at least 49 films between 1927 and 1951. Her roles inclu ...

. They are not seen after Dracula cast them aside and attacks Renfield. In the Spanish film, they themselves attack Renfield, but are not seen again after the fade out. *In both '' Drakula İstanbul'da'' (1953) and '' Horror of Dracula'' (1958) only a single bride appears. In the latter film, the unnamed bride is played by Valerie Gaunt, who tricks and attacks Jonathan Harker and later is staked by him, transforming from a beautiful young woman into an old hag as she dies. *The three brides make silent appearances in the 1968 television adaptation ''

''. Although they have no dialogue, the Brides are considerably feral in their behavior, snarling, screeching, and clawing at their victim, Jonathan Harker. They are also depicted as being somewhat disheveled instead of beautiful, with ragged clothing and filthy, matted hair. Notably, one of the brides is a black woman (played by

Nina Baden-Semper Nina Baden-Semper (born 1945) is a Trinidad and Tobago-born British actress best known for her role as Barbie Reynolds in the 1970s sitcom ''Love Thy Neighbour'', produced by Thames Television. Career Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Baden-Semper w ...

) which appears to be unique amongst

adaptations. The other two brides were portrayed by

Margaret Nolan Margaret Ann Nolan (29 October 1943 – 5 October 2020) was an English actress, visual artist and glamour model. She appeared in '' Goldfinger'', '' A Hard Day's Night'' and six '' Carry On'' films, and also regularly appeared on screen from t ...

and Valerie Muller. * The three brides appear and have lines in the 1970 film ''

''. * The three brides appear and have lines in the Czechoslovakian TV film '' Hrabe Drakula'' (1971). The brides in this version wear elaborate gowns befitting their status as noblewomen and have personal titles: Madame, Marquise, and Countess, respectively. They are portrayed by Olga Jirouskova, Marie Joanovicova, and Vera Kresadlova. *The three brides are present but silent in the 1973 television adaptation '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'' (starring

Jack Palance Walter Jack Palance ( ; born Volodymyr Palahniuk, , ''Volodymyr Ivanovych Palahniuk''; February 18, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was an American screen and stage actor, known to film audiences for playing tough guys and villains. He was nominat ...

). They are played by Sarah Douglas,

Virginia Wetherell Virginia Wetherell (born 9 May 1943), also known as Virginia Bates, is an English actress and vintage clothing expert. As an actress she is known for her roles in Hammer horror films. She has acted in films and television programmes from the 19 ...

, and Barbara Lindley. In this version, they succeed in feeding on and killing Jonathan Harker and turn him into a vampire. * All three appear and have lines in the 1977

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

production entitled ''

''. They are played by Susie Hickford, Sue Vanner, and Belinda Meuldijk. One of the brides in this adaptation is a French woman. * The 1973 television series '' Purple Playhouse'' adaptation of Dracula features only two brides rather than three. They first materialize in the library, and attempt to feed upon a sleeping Harker. Dracula prevents them from killing him and orders them to leave. They later appear to Harker shortly after Dracula has left for England, stating that now that Dracula has left them, they are "his brides", and proceed to feed upon him. They are not seen after this. * In

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

's 1992 film '' Bram Stoker's Dracula'', the brides were played by

Monica Bellucci Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model who began her career as a fashion model before working in Italian, American, and French films. She has an eclectic filmography in a range of genres and langua ...

, Michaela Bercu, and Florina Kendrick. Bellucci, Bercu, and Kendrick's dialogue was in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

, and Kendrick reportedly helped her co-stars to speak her native tongue correctly. In this adaptation the vampire portrayed by Kendrick is clearly modeled on

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...

the

Gorgon The Gorgons ( ; ), in Greek mythology, are three monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, said to be the daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They lived near their sisters the Graeae, and were able to turn anyone who looked at them to sto ...

, and has living snakes coiled through her hair; another (played by Bellucci) appears to be based upon an

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

princess due to her attire. It is the brunette vampire (portrayed by Kendrick) that is the leader, rather than the blonde (portrayed by Bercu). All three brides have speaking lines – the one played by Bellucci is the bride who calls Jonathan into their chamber (in English), the bride played by Bercu is the one who tells Dracula he has never loved, and the bride played by Kendrick taunts Van Helsing. * In the 1995 spoof '' Dracula: Dead and Loving It'', only two brides appear. They are depicted as heavily sexualized when they first arrive in the room where

Renfield R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''.

is staying as they attempt to seduce him. Dracula saves him from the brides and sends them away before convincing the simple-minded Renfield he had simply had a strange dream. The brides are neither named nor have any spoken dialogue in this film and their fate at the end of the film is unknown. * Three brides appear in the 2002 Italian TV mini-series ''

'' (known as ''Dracula's Curse'' in foreign markets). As in the 1992 version, they speak in their native tongue and play up their supernatural nature by being able to fly and phase through objects. * While the Brides usually remain nameless, they are named Verona, Aleera and Marishka in the 2004 film ''

Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing () is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'' written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the P ...

'', respectively portrayed by

Silvia Colloca Silvia Colloca (born 23 July 1977) is an Italian-Australian actress, opera singer, cookbook author, and television cookery show personality. She has published six cookbooks. Life and career Colloca was born in Milan to Loredana and Mario Colloc ...

Elena Anaya Elena Anaya Gutiérrez (born 17 July 1975) is a Spanish actress. She garnered public recognition in Spain for her performance in ''Sex and Lucia'' (2001), which also earned her a nomination to the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress. She st ...

, and Josie Maran. Verona is the oldest of the brides and Dracula's consort, whereas Aleera and Marishka are his concubines. Aleera, the youngest of the trio, is portrayed as the most vicious. Their roles are greatly expanded into those of secondary antagonists, motivated by a need to find a way for their offspring to live, as their vampire children are born dead. They are also given the ability to transform into

harpy In Greek and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; ) is a half-human and half-bird mythical creature, often believed to be a personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions Harpies were generally depict ...

-like creatures and fly. * At the beginning of the 2012 film ''

Dracula 3D ''Dracula 3D'' (also known as ''Argento's Dracula'') is a 2012 vampire horror film directed by Dario Argento from a screenplay he wrote with Enrique Cerezo, Stefano Piani, and Stefano Piani. It stars Thomas Kretschmann as Count Dracula, along ...

'', Dracula attacks a young woman named Tania (portrayed by

Miriam Giovanelli Miriam Giovanelli (born 28 April 1989) is an Italian-Spanish actress and model. Biography Miriam Giovanelli was born in Rome, Italy to an Italian father and Spanish mother. Personal life On 23 September 2017, she married the Spanish archit ...

) after she secretly meets a lover, making her a vampire and his minion. He later passes her off as his niece to Harker, whom she tries to seduce. Tania is eventually dispatched by Van Helsing. * In 2020 ''Dracula TV series'', Lujza Richter plays one of the vampire brides, named Elena. In this version Dracula keeps all his brides locked up in big boxes, conducting experiments on them and not permitting them to move freely around the castle. He also seems to refer to anyone that he turns into a full vampire as a "bride" (as he also uses the term to refer to Jonathan Harker, who is killed and turned into the undead in this version). As vampires in this series take on the characteristics of whom they feed on, Elena is depicted as child-like due to mostly being fed babies.

TV series

In 2015,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

began to develop a TV series about the Brides of Dracula characters titled ''Brides'', written by

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (born 1973) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the television series ''Glee'' (2011–2014), ''Big Love'' (2009–2011), '' Riverdale'' (2017– ...

and produced by

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...

and Sarah Schechter. The series was built on the premise "What if Van Helsing did NOT kill the three brides of Dracula? What if they survived for centuries and are now living in New York City?", with the series being described as a sexy reimagining of Dracula as a family drama with a trio of strong, diverse female leads, a show about empowered women and their attempts to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy, and their non-traditional family. In October 2019, the series was still being developed with the intention to sell it to a

streaming service Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

. On January 8, 2020, it was announced that

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

handed out a pilot order to the series. Aguirre-Sacasa will pen the script and exec produce alongside Berlanti and Schechter. Maggie Kiley will direct the pilot. ''The Brides'' will be a co-production between ABC Studios and

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio o ...

. In March 2020, ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' reported the cast:

Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. Her starring roles include Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in the legal dr ...

as Cleo Phillips, the leader of this vampire trio and now a maven of New York City real estate; Katherine Reis as Lily Stevens, the youngest sister and now a striving singer; Chris Mason as Roland Grant, a stylish real estate mogul who arrives in town to challenge Cleo for professional supremacy and who has secret ties to Dracula; Sophia Tatum as Justine Strang, an aspiring model;

Goran Višnjić Goran Višnjić ( ; born 9 September 1972) is a Croatian actor. He is best known for his roles as Dr. Luka Kovač in '' ER'' and Garcia Flynn in '' Timeless'', both NBC television series. For ''ER'', he and the cast were nominated for two Scre ...

as Dracula, the powerful, ageless, and iconic King of Night who “turned” each of his three brides and was left for dead at his destroyed castle in the Carpathian mountains;

Erin Richards Erin Richards (born 12 December 1983) is a Welsh actress, director and writer, best known for playing Molly Hughes in the television series '' Breaking In'' and Barbara Kean in the television series '' Gotham''. Life and career Richards was ...

as Renée Pélagie, the sister who is now the head of a top modeling agency in New York City, known for her torrid affairs with her beautiful female models; and Charlie McElveen as Arthur Seward, an ambitious young news reporter working the graveyard shift at his paper covering news of the bizarre, and the love interest to Lily. On June 29, 2020, ABC decided to drop the series from the 2020–2021 lineup in the wake of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, but the series is being pitched to other networks.

On stage

*They appear in ''

Dracula, the Musical ''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla ...

'' by

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde (musical), Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for ...

and have their own song "Forever Young". *In the Czech musical ''

'', the brides are called "nymphs". They are the victims of Dracula, slightly resentful but still devoted to him. They are jealous and mischievous, and enjoy troubles and gossiping. They serve as a comical relief, but at the same time, they represent Dracula's dark, vampiric side. *They also appear in the French Canadian musical ''

Dracula – Entre l'amour et la mort ''Dracula – Entre l'amour et la mort'' ('Dracula: Between Love and Death') is a French-speaking Quebecer, Québécois Musical theatre, musical created by Canadian songwriter, actor, and recording artist Bruno Pelletier. Lyrics are written by Rog ...

''. *They appear in the

Northern Ballet Northern Ballet, formerly Northern Ballet Theatre, is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions where the emphasis is on story telling as well as classical ballet. The compa ...

's ''Dracula'' by David Nixon and are portrayed by Rachael Gillespie, Minju Kang, and Sarah Chun in the 2019 production of the ballet, which was recorded and showed in UK cinemas on Halloween and then broadcast on

BBC4 BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

in 2020.

Characters based on the original Brides

*In the 1960 Hammer film ''

The Brides of Dracula ''The Brides of Dracula'' is a 1960 British supernatural gothic horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Terence Fisher, the film stars Peter Cushing, David Peel, Freda Jackson, Yvonne Monlaur, Andrée Melly, and Mart ...

'', the Baron Meinster (David Peel) is a vampire who attacks an unnamed local village girl (played by

Marie Devereux Marie Devereux (27 November 194030 December 2019) was a British model and film actress. She was born Patricia Sutcliffe on 27 November 1940 in Edmonton, London. Devereux became a regular and popular nude model in magazines during the 1950s, an ...

) and the heroine Marianne's friend Gina (

Andrée Melly Andrée Melly (15 September 1932 – 31 January 2020) was an English actress. Early life Melly was born on 15 December 1932 in Liverpool, Lancashire to Edith and Francis Melly. She made her stage début aged nine at the Little Theatre, Southpo ...

), turning them into vampires and his "brides". Although he actually proposes to Marianne (

Yvonne Monlaur Yvonne Monlaur (born Yvonne-Thérèse-Marie-Camille Bédat de Monlaur; 15 December 1939 – 18 April 2017) was a French film actress of the late 1950s and 1960s best known for her roles in the Hammer horror films. Early years Monlaur was born ...

), his plan to turn her is thwarted by Professor Van Helsing (

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...

), who kills the Baron while the two vampire brides seemingly escape. Despite the film's title, Dracula never appears in it. * In ''

Count Yorga, Vampire ''Count Yorga, Vampire'' (also known as ''The Loves of Count Yorga, Vampire'') is a 1970 American vampire horror film written and directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry and Michael Murphy. It was followed by a sequel, ' ...

'' (1970), which is a modern-day re-telling of Dracula, Yorga likewise has his own set of Brides, first starting out with two: a red-haired Bride and a blonde (who is later revealed to be Donna's deceased mother), then later adding the protagonist's brunette friend, Erica to the ranks. The sequel, ''

The Return of Count Yorga ''The Return of Count Yorga'' (originally titled ''Yorga Returns'') is a 1971 American vampire horror film directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George Macready in his final film role before his death in ...

'' increases the number of Brides to a least a dozen, with the protagonist's sister, Ellen, and a friend, Mitzi, joining them. *The Brides of Dracula concept was also present in the 1987 horror-comedy ''

The Monster Squad ''The Monster Squad'' is a 1987 American horror comedy film directed by Fred Dekker, and written by Dekker and Shane Black. Peter Hyams and Rob Cohen served as executive producers. It was released by Tri-Star Pictures on August 14, 1987. T ...

'', in which Dracula abducts three young women and turns them into his vampire brides. *In ''

Dracula 2000 ''Dracula 2000'' (also known as ''Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000'' and internationally as ''Dracula 2001'') is a 2000 American horror film co-written and directed by Patrick Lussier and produced by Joel Soisson. Starring Gerard Butler in th ...

'', the brides are turned at different times throughout the movie.

Jennifer Esposito Jennifer Esposito (born April 11, 1973) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the feature films ''Summer of Sam'' (1999), ''Don't Say a Word'' (2001), ''The Master of Disguise'' (2002), ''Welcome to Collinwood'' (2002), ''Crash (2 ...

Jeri Ryan Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress best known for her role as the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in '' Star Trek: Voyager'' (19972001) and '' Star Trek: Picard'' (20202023) for which she won two Satur ...

and Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick portray the brides, Solina, Valerie, and Lucy respectively. * The brides also appear in the television series ''

Buffy The Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'' in the season 5 premiere of " Buffy vs. Dracula" (2000). They are referred to as "The Three Sisters" and are credited as "Vampire Girls". They are portrayed by Marita Schaub, Lesli Jean Matta, and Jennifer Slimko. The novel ''Bloody Fool for Love'' names them Marita, Lesli and Jennifer after the actors who played them. *In ''

Hotel Transylvania ''Hotel Transylvania'' is an American media franchise created by Todd Durham and owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It consists of four animated feature films, three short films, an animated television series, and several video games. The ...

'' (2012), Dracula's wife Martha (voiced by

Jackie Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include an Independent Spirit Award, alongside nominations for three Grammy Awa ...

) is an homage to the Brides of Dracula. *In the

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

adventure module '' Curse of Strahd'', three brides of Strahd (named Ludmilla Vilisevic, Anastrasya Karelova, and Volenta Popofsky) appear as enemies in the catacombs of Castle Ravenloft. Also in the catacombs are tomb markers mentioning a wife (Sasha Ivliskova) and a bride (Patrinna Velikovna), both of which can return as undead and attack the players. A male companion of Strahd named Escher appears in the adventure as well, possibly based on Harker. *In '' Resident Evil: Village'', Alcina Dimitrescu's three adopted daughters, Bela, Cassandra and Daniela, are a homage to the Brides.

In literature

*In ''The Dracula Tape'' (1975) they are seen not long after Harker comes into the castle with Dracula warning them to leave him be. In this story, the brides are disrespectful to Dracula and try to undermine him where they can. Dracula later reveals that he has tired of them and does not even remember why he turned them in the first place. It is implied that unlike Dracula (who did not want to scare or harm anyone), the women let the power go to their heads once they became vampires and he had more or less planned to abandon them in the castle. But while Dracula was trying to make friends with Harker, their visit as depicted in the novel only makes the situation and misunderstanding worse. In this adaptation, they are named Melisse, the tall, dark-haired bride. Wanda, the second dark-haired one and described as full-breasted as well as mentioned to be Melisse's younger sister. And Anna, the blonde bride who is noted to be the senior of the three and the one who is most outspoken and rebellious against Dracula. Later in the story when Dracula returns to the castle, he finds that the three have terrorized the village Dracula was friends with and promptly confronts them. Anna attempts an assassination by controlling a partially turned farmhand to attack him, but Dracula easily thwarts the attempt, reprimands them, and sends them away. When they are killed by Van Helsing, Dracula does mention that, while he was glad that their deaths prevented jealously with Mina, that he did not wish that fate on them as well. * In the

alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

novel ''

Anno Dracula ''Anno Dracula'' is a 1992 horror novel by British writer Kim Newman, the first in the ''Anno Dracula'' series. It is an alternate history using 19th-century English historical settings and personalities, along with characters from popular fict ...

'' (1992), Dracula becomes dominant in Britain and eventually weds

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, becoming

Prince consort A prince consort is the husband of a monarch who is not a monarch in his own right. In recognition of his status, a prince consort may be given a formal title, such as ''prince''. Most monarchies do not allow the husband of a queen regnant to be ...

and

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...

. Despite being married to Victoria he keeps his retinue of Brides. It is mentioned that one of the Brides is

Barbara of Celje Barbara of Cilli or Barbara of Celje (Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Cillei Borbála'', German language, German: ''Barbara von Cilli,'' Slovene language, Slovenian and Croatian language, Croatian'': Barbara Celjska,'' 1392 – 11 July 1451), w ...

.
In the first sequel, ''

The Bloody Red Baron ''Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron'', or simply ''The Bloody Red Baron'', is a 1995 alternate history/Horror fiction, horror novel by British author Kim Newman. It is the second book in the Anno Dracula series, ''Anno Dracula'' series and take ...

'', the Brides of Dracula are mentioned as including

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (, ; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari ( , ; , ), was a Dutch Stripper, exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for German Empire, Germany during World War ...

, Lady Marikova (from the novel ''The House of Dracula'' by

Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes Ronald Henry Glynn Chetwynd-Hayes (30 May 1919 – 20 March 2001) was a British author, known best for his ghost and horror stories. Mike Ashley, ''Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction''. Elm Tree Books, . (p. 52-3)Chris Morgan, "Chetwynd-Hay ...

), Lola-Lola (from the film ''

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredite ...

''), Sadie Thompson, Lemora and Baron Meinster (from the film ''

'').
In the beginning of the second sequel, '' Dracula Cha Cha Cha'', a list of Dracula's official Brides is given. They are: Elisabeta of

(from '' Bram Stoker's Dracula''), 1448–1462; Ilona Szilagy (

Vlad III Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ) or Vlad Dracula (; ; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian hi ...

's real-life second wife), 1466–1476; Marguerite Chopin of Courtempierre (from ''

Vampyr ''Vampyr'' () is a 1932 Gothic horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 collection of supernatural stories '' In a Glass Darkly''. The ...

''), 1709–1711; Queen Victoria, 1886–1888; and Sari Gábor, 1948–1949. The plot surrounds Dracula's engagement to Princess Asa Vajda (from '' Black Sunday''). *

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (born September 15, 1942) is an American writer. She is known for her series of historical horror novels about the vampire Count Saint-Germain. Biography Yarbro was born in Berkeley, California. She attended Berkeley sch ...

has written a trilogy called '' Sisters of the Night'', with each book featuring the story of one of the Brides: ''The Angry Angel'' (1998) featuring Kelene, ''The Soul of an Angel'' (1999) featuring Fenice Zucchar and ''The Angel of Death'' (unpublished) featuring Zhameni. *In ''The Diaries of the Family Dracul'' by

Jeanne Kalogridis Jeanne Kalogridis (pronounced ''Jean Kal-o-GREED-us''), also known by the pseudonym J.M. Dillard (born 1954), is an American writer of historical, science and horror fiction. She was born in Florida and studied at the University of South Florida ...

, the Brides are imagined as Zsuzsanna Tsepesh, a descendant of

Vlad Dracul Vlad II (), also known as Vlad Dracul () or Vlad the Dragon (before 1395 – November 1447), was Voivode of Wallachia from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He is internationally known as the father of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula. Bo ...

(believed in the novels to be his niece); Dunya, a Transylvanian servant of Vlad's mortal descendants, and Elisabeth Bathory, the notorious Hungarian noblewoman who murdered hundreds of her servants and bathed in their blood. *In '' Fangland'' (2007), author John Marks re-imagines the Brides of Dracula as

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

brothers. *In ''Dracula's Diary'' by Michael Geare and Michael Corby, the Brides are named Trandafira, Vlastimila and Pavola. *In ''The Satanic Brides of Dracula'' by Lucas Thorn, the Brides are named Vasilja, Senka and Hailwic. *In the ''Daughters of Shadow and Blood'' trilogy by J. Matthew Saunders, the Brides are named Yasamin Ashrafi, Elena and Elizabeth James. *In the ''Vampire Bride Dark Rebirth'' series by Rhiannon Frater, the original three Brides are named Cneajna, Elina and Ariana. The protagonist Glynis Wright becomes Dracula's fourth bride. *In the ''Being Mrs. Dracula'' series by Faith Marlow, the three Brides are named Valeria, Ilona and Fleur. *In ''The Brides'' by Raven c.s. McCracken, the Brides are named Katrina, Anna and Silvia. *In ''The Fourth Bride'' by Carole Gill, the three Brides are named Verona, Aleera and Marishka (the same names given to them in the film ''

''). The main character Dia becomes Dracula's fourth bride. *In ''Dracula's Brides: A Paranormal Romance Anthology'', the three Brides are named Crina, Emilia and Isabella. *In ''The Deathless Girls'' by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, the two dark-haired brides are sisters Kisaiya and Lillai. The blonde bride is an unnamed countess. *In the graphic novel ''Dracula Motherf**ker'', the Brides are again called Verona, Aleera and Marishka. Aleera is depicted as a black woman. *In ''A Dowry of Blood'' by S.T. Gibson, the Brides are named Constanta, Magdalena and Alexi. Alexi is a male "bride", turned after the events of the ''Dracula'' novel. *In the novel ''The Mummy Kills the Brides'' by Erik Handy, the three Brides are named Camilla, Athyne and Eve. *In the anthology ''The Legend of Dracula: Into the Mouth of Death'' by Perry Lake, the three Brides are named Ulrica Dolingen, Anica Zelkovic and Mara Costachescu. Earlier versions of these stories were previously published in the ''Brides of Dracula'' and ''Dracula Arisen'' anthologies. *In the novel ''The Three Brides: Resurrection'' by Sal Caradonna, the Brides are named Alexandra, Mihaela and Ioana. *In the novel ''Brides of Dracula'' by J Palliser, two of the Brides are named Justina and Marcilla. *In the

Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...

, the three Brides in the original novel are identified as Nikolett Bodo, Bettina Kaposvar and Emese Kisfaludi. They have been Brides since at least 1691 as revealed in the story ''Suffer Not a Witch'' in the ''

Dracula Lives ''Dracula Lives!'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 13 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, and starred the Marvel version ...

'' series. In the two-part story called ''The Pit of Death'', set in 1809, the protagonist Lupescu is thrown into the titular pit while invading Dracula's castle. He is attacked by seven of Dracula's Brides, among them his blind wife, Velanna Lupescu. He manages to stake all seven and arranges their bodies into the shape of a cross so that Dracula would be unable to approach them to remove the stakes. *A number of Brides are seen in the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

series ''

The Tomb of Dracula ''The Tomb of Dracula'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare ...

'', ranging from victims long since turned from ancient times to recent ones of modern-day. In the story ''The Return to...Transylvania!'', Dracula seeks out his Bride Marissa Constanda to turn him into a vampire, after he had previously become human. She refuses, telling Dracula that she now serves a new master. In the story ''Into the Tomb'', Blade encountered two Brides named Beatrix Nanai and Catherine Kiskvnalas while looking for his mother Tara Cross, who had also been turned into a Bride. All three were killed by Blade. *The Brides are seen in the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

mini series, ''Victorian Undead II: Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula'' led by Lucy Westerna in trying to ambush the heroes when they come to investigate a possible hiding spot of Dracula's. Curiously despite the Brides being centuries older, Dracula gave Lucy command over them, likely because of her resistance to religious symbols due to being turned in a modern era. *Dracula and his brides make a cameo appearance in the ''

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (called ''Tales of the TMNT'' in its later Volume 2 incarnation) is an anthology comic book series that was published by Mirage Studios starting in May 1987. It acted as a companion book to the main ...

'' story "Night of the Living Gingerbread". *In the mini-series '' Grimm Fairy Tales present Helsing'', three of the Brides track down the protagonist and try to kill her. She kills two of them before the third retreats. Near the end of the story, when the heroes track Dracula to his mansion during a party, we see he has amassed a large group of women as his Brides though orders them to let the protagonist pass so she may confront him. They show up briefly in the first issue of the sequel mini-series "Helsing vs Dracula". *In the original English language manga ''Dracula Everlasting'', Dracula decides to start creating Brides again in the third volume to give him an edge against the protagonists. He starts with three: Vanessa, a classmate of the boy he was possessing and initially has a crush on who rejected him, the mother of the protagonist who studied wiccan magic when she was human whom he kills to stop her from stopping him, and a hooker brought to him by the Renfields to feed on. Dracula had especially hoped to use the mother's powers against her daughter. After he loses her, he creates six more Brides in preparation for the final battle, one of whom was a reporter seen in an earlier volume covering the mysterious murders, whom Dracula turns when she does a report outside his manor. *In the ''Alucard'' novel by Matthew Scott, Dracula has three vampire brides: Illyana, Camilla and Silvia. Each is described respectively as blonde, raven-haired and a redhead and are highly sexual vampires and enjoy inflicting chaos and bloodshed whenever the opportunity presents itself. There is also a fourth bride mentioned in the novel, Jana, but who is ultimately killed by her and Dracula's son Alucard shortly after her resurrection as a vampire. *In the anthology ''Brides of Dracula: The Legend of Dracula Book Two'', Dracula's many brides include Lady Katya, Elizabeth Bathory, Mircalla Karnstein, Lady Lenore, Ulrica Dolingen and others. *The Brides appear in Jonathan Green's ACE gamebook ''Dracula: Curse of the Vampire'', here named Lilith, Lamia and Melusina. They are described as three seeresses who seek refuge with Dracula and are turned into his vampiric consorts. At one point, if the player takes the role of Jonathan Harker, he can see the Brides transform into monstrous forms: The eldest Bride into a living corpse, the other two into a snakewoman and a werebat, respectively.''Dracula: Curse of the Vampire'', sections 228 and 440 (2021, Snowbooks, )

References

{{Dracula Dracula characters Female horror film villains Female literary villains Fictional henchmen Fictional polyamorous characters Fictional princesses Fictional Romanian people Fictional trios Fictional vampires Literary characters introduced in 1897