‘Dracula’s Guest’ by Bram Stoker is a short story that serves as a prequel to ‘Dracula’. It has been speculated that this short was actually the omitted true first chapter of said novel.

If you like Dracula, gothic and spooky themes, vampires and the such; then you’ll love this brief tale.

It follows a young Englishman, believed to be Jonathan Harker as he travels through Munich, before making his way to Transylvania. It is Walpurgis night, and the coachman transporting the young man refuses to take him down a road towards an ‘unholy’ village. Against the coachman’s protest, the man unboards the carriage and sets towards the village.

After walking for hours he finds himself in the middle of a storm, and seeks shelter within a structure in a dark cemetery. Within it he finds a tomb, with a large stake through it. Obviously he felt uneasy, but had no choice but to stay there or tough out a storm of hail, snow, and lightning.

Accidentally, he pushes open the tomb revealing a beautiful woman with blood red lips. She should have been bones and dust if the date of death carved to the tomb was anything to go by.

I’m not going to give more away, since the story is quite short, and it’s best if you read it yourself. But I will say that this short was fantastic! The suspense, the dark atmosphere, the panic, and the feeling of pure terror was impeccable. Definitely recommend this to everyone interested in this genre.