More ‘disease’ than ‘Dracula’ – how the vampire myth was born

Modern vampires like Dracula may be dashing, but they certainly weren't in the original vampire myths. Archive Photos/ Moviepix via Getty ImagesThe vampire is a common image in today’s pop culture, and one that takes many forms: from Alucard, the dashing spawn of Dracula in the PlayStation game “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night”; to Edward, the romantic, idealistic lover in the “Twilight” series. In many respects, the vampire of today is far removed from its roots in Eastern European folklore.