Even if you haven't read the book, you know the story, written by Bram Stoker at the end of the 19th century,

Dracula tells the tale of an ancient vampire

who leaves his homeland to terrorize Victorian London.

But that's not the whole story.

The roots of this legendary horror novel stretch far into the distant past and deep into the human

psyche.

Available exclusively on Wundery Plus, the new podcast The Real History of Dracula,

reveals how author Bram Stoker rated ancient folklore, exploited Victorian fears around

sex, science, and religion, and how even today we remain enthrall to his strange

creatures of the night.

You're about to hear a clip from the first episode of The Real History of Dracula.

You can binge the entire series, add free exclusively on One Replus. Jonathan Harker wakes with a start. For a terrifying moment he thinks he's in a hearse bound for the grave.

Then he remembers he's in the Carpathian Mountains on a business trip.

It's May, but the night is a cold one. Sitting in the back of an

open carriage Jonathan is wrapped up with a rug across his lap. And in the seat in

front of him, the driver urges four black horses on with his whip.

They bump and rattle up a steep drive and pass beneath the high stone walls of a castle.

The carriage comes to an abrupt halt in a broad courtyard. Jonathan

peers up at the vast ruined fortress looming above him. Its broken

battlements cut a jagged line across a moonlit sky. No ray of light comes

from any of the tall black windows. Is your master at home? But the driver doesn't answer. Instead he gets down from the carriage and

places Jonathan's luggage on the ground. Jonathan looks around. The courtyard is

...