The Powers of Darkness Podcast

Or Whatever Movies

There are thousands of Dracula adaptations… but this one was never meant to be found. In 2014, a literary scholar unearthed a bizarre discovery: a 1901 Icelandic edition of Dracula that wasn't a translation at all. It was a completely different novel—with new characters, altered plotlines, and darker, more overt political themes. He translated and published it under the title Powers of Darkness. But just weeks later, another twist: a second scholar revealed that the Icelandic version was based on an even older, more thrilling Swedish manuscript—lost to history for over a century. Two scholars. Two competing versions. One haunting mystery: Who really wrote Powers of Darkness—and why? Join host and documentarian Iris Ichishita as she digs into literary secrets, forgeries, and forgotten histories in this gripping limited series. For more info and suggested reading, visit: https://orwhatevermovies.com/limited-series

  1. Episode 6

    Dracula Goes to the Movies

    DRACULA GOES TO THE MOVIES Season Two concludes with Dracula's journey from page and stage to the silver screen, beginning with a mysterious Hungarian film that predates Nosferatu and has been lost for more than a century. Iris Ichishita and Dacre Stoker welcome filmmaker and film historian Dr. Gary D. Rhodes, author of Vampires in Silent Cinema and Tod Browning's Dracula, to investigate Drakula halála (Dracula's Death), a forgotten 1921 production that may hold the earliest cinematic portrayal of Bram Stoker's famous Count. From surviving photographs and newspaper archives to the surprising involvement of future Casablanca director Michael Curtiz, Gary pieces together a film that no known audience can watch today. The conversation explores how this early Dracula differed from Stoker's original, Florence Stoker's battle against Nosferatu, and the theatrical influences that helped transform the Count into a Hollywood icon. Along the way, they revisit Bela Lugosi's immortal performance, the competing English- and Spanish-language productions of Dracula (1931), and the question at the heart of two seasons of investigation: How much of the Dracula we recognize today belongs to Bram Stoker, and how much to the artists who reinvented him? EXPLORE MORE Powers of Darkness, Season One: Listen Here Dr. Gary D. Rhodes: Vampires in Silent Cinema | Tod Browning's Dracula Dacre Stoker: Official Website The Bram Stoker Estate: Official Website Or Whatever Movies: Official Website

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There are thousands of Dracula adaptations… but this one was never meant to be found. In 2014, a literary scholar unearthed a bizarre discovery: a 1901 Icelandic edition of Dracula that wasn't a translation at all. It was a completely different novel—with new characters, altered plotlines, and darker, more overt political themes. He translated and published it under the title Powers of Darkness. But just weeks later, another twist: a second scholar revealed that the Icelandic version was based on an even older, more thrilling Swedish manuscript—lost to history for over a century. Two scholars. Two competing versions. One haunting mystery: Who really wrote Powers of Darkness—and why? Join host and documentarian Iris Ichishita as she digs into literary secrets, forgeries, and forgotten histories in this gripping limited series. For more info and suggested reading, visit: https://orwhatevermovies.com/limited-series

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