365 Days- Day 21

Dracula The Series- Episode 1 The Children of the Night


We open with a couple walking alone at night and are viewing them through what seems to be a fog. A cop comes up to them and tells them to move along, and we then follow her down the alley alone through the sudden strange fog.  She hears something turns and screams as a man in a black hat and coat comes up to her, attacking her, leaving two bite marks on her neck.

Then we see a car pull up to a old house, a mom and her two sons-Chris and Max- get out of the car and into the house. Their uncle Gustav welcomes them complaining about the sun. Max starts looking around the house finding a wooden stake, asking if it's for killing vampires. Gustav brushes him off making a joke and referring to a folklore about seeds and vampires, which Max had been eating.
We then are introduced to Sophie, who lives in the house which Chris falls for on sight.

They then go to a business dinner, and meet Alexander Lucard, head of the company.  We then see the two boys talking about how they think their uncle is a vampire.

The next morning, Max goes to see Alexander Lucard at work, and knocks over a bag of seeds which seems to make Lucard act odd. He then tells Max that their uncle is not what they think just before throwing himself onto the floor to eat the seeds.

Back at the house, Chris and Sophie  are watching movies and discover Max has sneaked out of the house to go to find Lucard at his castle, and run after him.  Max believes that they are in danger if they stay at their uncle's and that they are only safe at the castle.  Sofie pulls a cross and stuns Lucard for a few seconds letting the boys run away, but she is trapped by zombies.  While in the castle, Lucard starts to play music for Sophie, and she figures out that he is indeed Dracula.
The boys come back to the castle getting the attention of a female vampire and some of the zombies, tricking them into opening the door letting them in.
We then learn from a conversation between Sophie and Lucard that he's very aware that Gustav is a Van Helsing. The boys break in and try to fight him, with Max spraying holy water on him.  As they run out of the building, they meet back up with the female vampire again and stake her.
Lucard then appears blocking the door, trapping the kids.  But before he can bite any of them, Gustav shows up and they have a short battle before Lucard turns to a bat and flies away.

Back at the house, Gustav fills the kids in about the history of their family and how many times Dracula has tried to take over the world. And that now in the modern age he's using his corporation to do so.  Max makes a comment about how he was in the same room with the real Dracula and didn't get his autograph to which Gustav says there will be other chances.



I know this is a show geared for younger audiences but, I remember when it first came out back in 1990-1991.  There is something endearing about this show even though it was short lived with only one season. The campy dialogue and pure humour of it always puts me in mind of the best parts of Lost Boys and Monster Squad.  At the time, vampire tv shows were really making a dent in the mainstream programming. (Forever Knight, episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark, Kindred the Embraced,  all were done within a short time of this)