in

Horror Fans Can Read Dracula in Real Time

Dracula isn’t dead. In fact, he’s just as hard to kill on the page as he is on film.

Thousands are discovering and rediscovering Bram Stoker’s epistolary novel, Dracula, via email courtesy of Dracula Daily. What’s the big deal about people re-reading some 19th-century gothic novel? Not only that, why now? Dracula Daily offers a unique experience. 

If you’ve never read Stoker’s novel, it’s told in the format of dated diary entries, letters, telegrams, etc. Dracula Daily is a Substack that emails subscribers the entry from the novel dated for that day. Subscribers get to read the novel in real-time. Stoker’s novel begins on May 3rd, but you can still subscribe and read previous entries. 

According to CBR, this is Dracula Daily’s second year. Matt Kirkland of Kirkland Studio thought up the concept of Dracula Daily. Kirkland recently told Slate that Dracula Daily has over 200,000 subscribers. Last year, they reached 160,000.A close up of handwriting on the pages of a journal.

Kirkland also told Slate that, at the time that he came up with the concept, he happened to be reading Dracula. He said that his daughter is always curious about what he’s reading and, as he started telling her about it, they realized that they were reading the novel close to the dates during which it takes place. So, they decided to slow down, catch up, and read the novel entry-by-entry in real-time. 

Kirkland told slate “I thought, ‘OK, really what you need is like an automated newsletter or something that can just drop you the right text at the right time.’ And then once I had that idea, I was going to do it sooner or later.

Kirkland also told Slate that he’s considering doing this with other novels but hasn’t decided on one yet. So, if you’re interested in re-visiting Dracula or perhaps always wanted to read it, you can still subscribe to Dracula Daily. There’s a link included to read previous entries that you’ve missed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Written by MD Bastek

Just a person who loves horror and writes about unusual things

Two young men browse in a book store.

Horror Writer’s Association Announces 2021 Bram Stoker Awards® Winners

A man covered in scratches and looking up

Men Continues Alex Garland’s Directorial Winning Streak