Dracula, Wicked-style
Everyone is the hero of their own story
If you were a vampire, would you be good? Evil Or something in between? What would you do with that kind of power?
Vampires — and Dracula in particular — are almost exclusively cast as villains. But why? Aside from the obvious (humans tend to object to being eaten), there’s nothing inherently villainous about being a vampire. As with everything else, it comes down to the choices we make. Power doesn’t make you evil, but what you do with it might. Dracula, however, is almost always condemned for his nature, not his choices.
If you’ve read Bram Stoker’s novel, you know Dracula isn’t nearly as present you'd think. In fact, he’s barely there. The story centers on Jonathan Harker and his circle, and because we experience events through their accounts, the narrative is biased against the Count from the start.
It’s time we heard his side.
Inspired by Winnie Holzman’s adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (Wicked), I set out to retell the legend of Dracula in the same spirit — recasting the infamous vampire as the hero of his own story. To do that, I had to work backward and construct an origin that would eventually lead to his ill-fated meeting with the lawyer Jonathan Harker.
But before I could write a single scene, one question refused to leave me alone: What the hell happened between Dracula and the Christian Church?
In Stoker’s novel, Dracula recoils from the crucifix — the central symbol of Christianity. The novel never fully explains why. And somewhere along the way, adaptation layered upon adaptation until Dracula’s feud with the Church became synonymous with his identity.
Yes, vampires are feared across cultures, often seen as demons, devils, curses, or unholy abominations. But Dracula’s mythology has become specifically, unmistakably Christian. The objects that stop him are the crucifix and the sacred wafer. The water that burns him is holy water.
I haven’t seen an adaptation where Dracula bursts into flames at the sight of the Star of David, the Star and Crescent, prayer beads, or any other sacred symbol.
So the question is: why Christianity? And why does this feel so personal?
There’s an easy explanation. Most widely distributed vampire stories are produced in predominantly Christian cultures. Lore reflects the worldview of its creators. That’s real-world context. But inside the fictional world, that context becomes irrelevant. On the page and on screen, the hostility remains unexplained and unquestioned.
So I’ll ask it again: What the hell happened between Dracula and the Christian Church? For a reaction that extreme, something must have happened. Something personal. Something terrible enough to ignite a centuries-long blood feud.
That is where this story begins. Unholy Empire will take you from 12th-century France to 19th-century England. You’ll meet Dracula as he was known then: Dragomir. A vampire who just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. You’ll hear his story, you’ll see what he sees. By the time we reach Jonathan Harker, you may find that your loyalties have shifted.
© Copyright 2026 Rian C. Stone. All rights reserved.