10 Movie Mysteries That Should NEVER Have Been Answered

There have been more than 200 cinematic versions of Dracula, spanning nearly 100 years. The popularity of this character cannot be underestimated - that's an average of two movies a year for an entire century. The ironic legacy of Bram Stoker's creation is Dracula's immortality.

The book contains no origin story - the titular count has just always lived in the castle, but that hasn't stopped other writers from playing fast and loose with his history. When Transylvanian warlord and family man Vlad Drãculea (Luke Evans) finds an enemy scout's helmet in a nearby stream, he realises that war with the Ottoman Turks is imminent. He strikes a deal with a cave dwelling vampire, who grants Vlad vampiric powers for three days and nights. Only by drinking human blood will he transform entirely and live as an immortal.

Forced to choose between the safety of his family and a deal with devil, Vlad succumbs to the vampire's curse and a legend is born.

In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters - fear breeds preparedness. Stories of blood sucking revenants helped pre-industrial cultures explain death, the spread of disease and dissolution of the body. Giving Dracula a soul, a family and a morality effectively disarms the character and our desire to fight him so why do it? Dracula must remain enigmatic, soul-less and strictly our enemy - personifying an allegorical disease removes our ability to combat it.