A Count is a title relating to noble bearing in European culture. It denotes a rank of authoritative virtue and is often a hereditary title. The feminine equivalent to a Count is a Countess. Counts are often portrayed as wealthy landowners whose rank amongst the nobility is an intermediate one between the highest, a King, and that of lower titles such as a Lord.
Fictionalized versions of the infamous vampire character Dracula have erroneously portrayed him as a Count. Count was not a title used in Southeast Europe at the time, and the historical Dracula was actually addressed by the title of Voivode. One of the more well-known actors to play Dracula in film is Christopher Lee, who played the role in seven films produced by Hammer Film Productions between 1958 and 1973.
Coincidentally, Christopher Lee would go on to play another evil Count years later. He played Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyrannus in the George Lucas prequel series of Star Wars films. He appeared in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as well as the various "Clone Wars" spin-off media.
Of somewhat lesser renown on the vampiric sides of being a count, there is Count Yorga, or Iorga, who was the titular antagonist of the 1970 film Count Yorga, Vampire and its 1971 sequel, The Return of Count Yorga. Count Yorga, played by actor Robert Quarry, was a Bulgarian mystic who caused all sorts of trouble after participating in a séance with a bunch of hippies.
A Hungarian count by the name of Istvan came into possession of a 15th century castle in Budapest. He invited nine travelers from Europe and the United States to spend the weekend in the castle. None of them but Istvan knew of the castle's dark history and that it was haunted by a curse dating back centuries. They soon learned to their horror however, that one of them was a werewolf who began systematically slaughtering each of the count's guests. [1]
Characters[]
| Character | Film/Series |
|---|---|
| Dracula | Dracula film series |
| Istvan | Howling V: The Rebirth |
| Yorga | Count Yorga, Vampire |
References[]
- ↑ Howling V: The Rebirth; May, 1989; Directed by Neal Sundstrom.
 This template will categorize articles that include it in into the Dracula miscellaneous category. |
 |