Count Dracula is THE most well-known spooky Halloween monster. But where did the story come from? What do crab nightmares have to do with it? And did Dracula really have a moustache? Find out about all these things and more with this blood-curdling list of Dracula facts!

Are you looking for more Halloween facts? Take a look at these Frankenstein facts, these ghost facts, or even these Halloween history facts! Because there's a lot more to Halloween than just pumpkins and dressing up, you know!

Ok well if you've survive that intro... read on to learn more about Dracula!

1. It was written by Bram Stoker

Dracula was originally a novel written by Abraham (Bram) Stoker in 1897. Bram was an Irishman living in London, who worked as the manager of the Lyceum Theatre. He was a theatrical kind of guy, who took influences from lots of different things like folk tales, history, even dreams - but we'll see more of that in a minute!

2. It's classic Victorian horror

Victorians loved spooky stuff! In fact, lots of Halloween stories we enjoy today came from this period. Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, and Dracula are all Victorian characters. Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Bronte and Oscar Wilde all wrote things you could call spooky (or Gothic, to use a more proper word). Victorians had lots of pent up emotions that they couldn't talk about because of strict social rules - so some of that probably came out in scary stories.

3. The original title was "The Dead Un-Dead"

We think Dracula works better! But the story was always about an evil vampire Count who battles with the vampire-hunter, Abraham Van Helsing. Notice anything? The hero of the story is also called Abraham! It's almost as if Bram named him after himself! We see what you did there, Bram!

4. Transylvania is a real place

Transylvania is the setting for the story, and it's a real place! It's a region of Romania that's famous for lush forests and beautiful scenery. We're sure that Dracula has helped out the local tourist industry - but we wonder what the locals think about being famous for a made-up blood-sucking monster!

5. Count Dracula has another meaning

In Romanian, Dracul translates to "dragon" or "demon". So Dracula means "son of a dragon". Which is a fitting name for someone so evil! It also hints at Dracula being related to a famously evil person in Romanian history....

6. Vlad the Impaler!

One of the biggest influences on Stoker's story is Vlad the Impaler, who was the ruler of this part of Europe in the 1400s. Records from the time (and legends written since his death) often claim he was a brutal leader, who did all sorts of gory and horrible things to his enemies. He was definitely part of what Dracula was based on, but there are other influences too!

7. The Sidhe

Another possible inspiration for Stoker came from his native Ireland, where he grew up. In Irish folklore there are evil blood-sucking fairies called Sidhe, who live inside hills and carry away people's souls. They were probably also on Stoker's mind when he came to write the book!

8. Stoker's work mate

There's another theory that Dracula was based on someone that worked with Stoker at the theatre, Henry Irving. Henry is said to have stayed up very late every night, and whilst he didn't suck blood or kill people, he may have been what Dracula's body language and mannerisms were based on. Dracula is very theatrical after all!

9. Crab nightmares?!

One of the best theories about where Stoker got his ideas from comes from a nightmare he had after eating loads of crabs covered in mayonnaise for dinner. He wrote in his diary that he ate a plate of crabs before bed, and then had wild nightmares. He then apparently woke up and sketched out the story of Dracula! He was probably influenced by all these things - but we like this story the best!

10. Nosferatu!

Nosferatu was a very scary film made in Germany in 1922. It was made after Bram Stoker had died, and was a bit of a rip-off of his work. Stoker's family sued the producers of the movie, who were ordered to destroy every copy. But one was hidden - and years later it resurfaced. It's now much loved as a classic horror movie, and has inspired countless scary movies since it was rediscovered!

11. There are at least 217 Draculas

Nosferatu wasn't the only new version of Dracula - it's so popular that film nerds have worked out there have been at least 217 different roles for Dracula in different movies. And there are probably more still being made!

13. Dracula had a moustache?

In all these newer versions, Dracula is used shown in a very different way to how Stoker saw him in the original book. In the novel, Dracula is described as having a big, heavy moustache! At some point he must have lost it, as we all know Dracula to be very smart and clean-shaven.

12. Is Christopher Lee the real Dracula?

Even with all those different roles for Dracula, one actor in particular stands out as maybe the best Dracula. Christopher Lee has been cast as Dracula 11 TIMES! Clearly his spookiness and theatrical, booming voice made him perfect for the role!

14. Dracula 1: Sherlock Holmes: 0

Dracula is the number one most featured character in movies... beating number 2, Sherlock Holmes! There have been a LOT of Dracula movies, and a lot of Sherlock Holmes ones too. Sherlock Holmes is also a Victorian novel, so it's clear how good the Victorians were at writing stories!

15. Not all Draculas are scary!

The original dracula has inspired lots of new versions - some of which are a lot more fun! There's the maths obsessed Count from Sesame Street, and versions have appeared in Batman comics, TV shows, music videos and even anime. Just look at Digimon's Dracmon! So, over a hundred years after he wrote the story, Bram Stoker's Dracula is still not dead!