Director Chris Schwab opens up about inspiration for Dracula adaptation

Dracula: The Night Around Us director Chris Schwab has opened up about his inspiration for the modern adaptation of Bram Stoker’s world-famous book.

The director helmed the new version of the movie, which stars Eric Toms as Dr. John Seward, the often neglected character Chris focused his film on.

And speaking to Eye for Film, Chris explained how he used a different part of the book as the basis for his take.

“More of my inspiration was the second half of the book and how he's really just a fiend, running around in the shadows and preying upon Lucy and Mina,” he said.

“And so I always wanted him to be very monstrous, very disgusting, in a way, and I wanted him to remain mostly in the shadows and to be something super mysterious for the audience.

“More of a deep, demonic sort of look is what I was going for.”

Chris added that his decision to base the film in modern times was due to a “budgetary limitation”.

He explained: “Obviously a modern day adaptation was about a budgetary limitation I had. I wasn't going to be able to film it in a late 1800s style.

“But one of the things I thought of was these giant overpasses that we have. I live, and the giant sprawling concrete and everything. From the base of it could look like an imposing castle.

“So that was sort of the visual language I was going for, to try to tie it back to some of the other elements of the novel.”

As for the character of Renfield - Count Dracula’s assistant - Chris said he didn’t want him to be a “stark raving lunatic”.

He said: “I wanted him to be creepy and unsettling as a character, and those were conversations I had from the very beginning when I cast Spencer Weitzel to play him. I think he did a fantastic job.

“And yeah, obviously it’s the same thing you were saying about with Dracula being a side of Seward that he doesn't want to be. So is Renfield.”