The Future Young Dracula Files

Behold the secrets of the Dracula Clan.

We are vampires.

As told by four vampires and one hideously drooling drudge.

Each with their own side of the story to tell.

Vladimir Dracula.

-Urgh!

-WHOOSH

Also known as Vladdy...

Yes!

..Vlad and The Chosen One.

The spiritual leader of the world's vampire clans.

What an honour when I,

Bertrand De Fortunesa, was entrusted

with guiding Vlad in fulfilling this destiny.

A momentous responsibility...

..and one I wish to share with future vampire generations.

So I will set down here in this journal

-Ya!

-WHOOSH

an account of the events that shaped Vlad's rise to glory.

VLAD SCREAMS

And how under my tutelage, it was an unprecedented success.

In keeping with most vampire clans, the Members of the Dracula Family

possess the most abhorrent qualities.

Back-stabbing treachery...

You devious, conniving witch.

Unscrupulous craving for power...

INGRID LAUGHS MANIACALLY

Oof!

And a taste for random acts of cruelty.

Agh!

In these uncertain times, nothing is clear cut.

Especially for young Vladimir growing up.

The future is a blank page that no one can predict.

Each year brings new challenges. New problems.

New twists in the tale for the Dracula Dynasty.

Now, more than ever before, it is crucial

that Vlad embraces his true destiny

and leads the vampires into the future.

Whatever that might hold.

Not that he tells me how he feels.

But I have certain ways of finding out.

Like...

his less-secret-than-he-imagines secret notebook.

"However much I might have hated the idea..."

However much I might have hated the idea when I was younger,

you can't get away from the fact

that nothing stays the same for ever.

But that didn't stop me looking for ways

to get out of my vampiric destiny.

"The Staff of Carpathia,

"a new attraction at Stokely Museum.

"Legend has it that one blow from the staff

"will cure the curse of vampirism!"

I thought this might be the answer.

A way of getting out of the vampire fang coming-of-age thing.

The problem was that before I could receive the blow from the staff

and change my life for ever, it had been stolen by Renfield...

dressed as a French lady aristocrat.

It's too complicated to explain why.

The staff! It's gone! Call the police...!

But you've got the staff. Guard it with your life.

A touch of hypnotism helped buy me a little time.

But Renfield getting his grubby mitts on the staff

was a complication I could have done without.

Plus, Dad had left his own body

and occupied Van Helsing's...

LAUGHS MANIACALLY

Grr! Why aren't you burning?!

..and that wasn't making things any easier.

Oh and yeah, there was an added problem.

Because Jonno the teenage slayer

was about to stake Dad's empty body.

No!

Jonno!

It was a tricky situation.

This vampire fiend won't leave my body!

Potentially disastrous.

You'll have to stake me.

No.

Dad, get back in your own body right now!

COUNT SPEAKS THROUGH VAN HELSING: Never! I'm alive, lad.

For the first time in hundreds of years,

I can feel the blood pumping through my veins!

It's fantastic!

VAN HELSING: Do it, Jonno.

Finish us both off while you can!

Mon maitre! D'oh!

At which point, enter Renfield with the staff,

still in his French lady aristocrat dress.

There's still no time to explain why.

ELECTRICAL BUZZING

Phew! Dad was back in his own body.

But what did actually happen there?

And what part did the staff play in it all?

It was the staff that drove you

out of Van Helsing's body, wasn't it? It does cure vampirism!

Don't be ridiculous.

It was the shock of that useless lump hitting me.

So, why did you go to the museum to steal it?

I didn't steal it, breather. It's mine.

It's my favourite back scratcher.

I lost it 400 years ago

and I've never been able to replace it.

Oh! Heaven!

Want to try?

I don't know where these false legends start.

As if a stick could cure you. Ridiculous.

Poor Vladdy.

He'll never know he held his dream in his hand.

A lucky escape.

One blow from the staff

and the power of the Chosen One could have been lost for ever.

That's how unpredictable and fragile the future can be.

Although some things are easier to predict.

Like the way that with each passing year, Ingrid Dracula becomes

more wicked, more wily and much, much more dangerous.

And how she loves to tell everyone about it in her video vlog.

Sisters. Every day is a fight in our struggle for recognition.

No exceptions. Take birthdays.

Special days when the daughter of the family gets cosseted and spoilt?

Dream on. Birthdays for us are even worse than every other day.

Morning, Ingrid. Happy birthday.

I'm a Dracula. I'm far too evil for birthdays.

So, you won't want this card from your mother, then.

Dad!

Happy birthday, Sis.

'There are the rubbish presents to deal with.'

"Peace, Love and Transylvania.

"How to be a happy, blood-free vampire."

You haven't read it already, have you?

Don't worry, I kept the receipt.

And there's usually a nasty surprise or two that rears its ugly head.

Oh, Ingrid, darling! Happy birthday!

Wow! What, really? This is all for me?

And you thought we'd forgotten.

Renfield's been out shopping all week.

Oh, Dad! It's perfect.

This is the best birthday ever.

I can't believe it!

All right, what's going on?

Nothing's going on, my precious.

We want you to look your best for your...husband.

-I don't have a husband.

-You do now.

Renfield, introduce Adrianus.

Unfortunately, Adrianus could not be with us today.

So he recorded this special message.

Hello, Ingrid. Let me introduce you to my goats.

And now this is the coffin we will one day share.

Along with the rest of my family, of course.

Yes, life is hard here in Trans-Siberia,

but we know good fortune has finally come our way

now that the beautiful daughter of Count Dracula

has agreed to be my wife.

Presents!

And that's if people even remember...

Oh the un-mortification! Vladdy.

I've forgotten your birthday.

MY birthday. My 16th birthday.

Oh, nonsense! If it was, the castle bell

would be tolling to summon you for your vampire transformation.

BELLS CHIME

I can't hear anything at all, can you?

All right, so it's Ingrid's special day!

Here. Have a vintage fang brush.

But even Count "Do I Really Have a Daughter?"

couldn't deprive me of my blood right,

to visit to the blood mirror once I was 16.

Not that I knew what was in store for me.

-Ingrid, wait.

-What?

I just wanted to say...goodbye.

I'm only going to be two minutes.

Yeah, I know, but when Boris changed

he became selfish and evil.

Well, I'm already selfish and evil.

Only now I'll come with added fangs.

As it turns out, meeting the evillest part of yourself

can be a bit...challenging.

Oh, I look so evil!

Together, we will bring darkness where there is light.

And death where there is life. Bring it on.

The breathers aren't going to know what's bit them!

'Hello, Ingrid. What a nice surprise.'

THEY SCREAM

-Cool.

-Wait. There's more.

Will.

Hi, Ingrid.

HE SCREAMS

But that's my boyfriend.

He's a breather, Ingrid.

Surely you wouldn't stoop so low.

Back off, sister!

I decide who I go out with.

Call yourself a vampire?

Don't you know the more powerful of the two of us will rule supreme?

So I'll be making the decisions from now on,

and I say Will dies!

Over my dead body.

My thoughts exactly.

RUMBLING AND SHATTERING

Time for the old Ingrid to die!

You never imagine there's evil and then there's evil!

Meeting myself in the blood mirror was a bit of an eye-opener.

And when she got out of the mirror,

that's when things got really interesting.

Boo.

THEY SCREAM

Looks like this is the end of the line for you.

The other Ingrid had big plans,

starting with her merging with me and taking control.

Stop!

SHE SNARLS AND SCREAMS

SHE SNARLS AND HISSES

I said leave her alone!

A-argh!

What a time for your voice to break!

Way to go, Vlad!

There have to be some advantages to having the Chosen One as a brother.

Not that we knew what he was at the time.

Meanwhile, the blood mirror Ingrid wasn't done yet.

Don't do it, he's not worth it, bro.

How about you teach him a lesson he won't forget?

Second thoughts...

..let's teach him a lesson he won't forget.

Is this some sort of joke?!

And poor Will looked like he was about to meet a shivery end.

Nice work, boys. Now let's go party!

WILL SHIVERS

And it's at times like these, sisters,

that there's nothing else for it but to take matters into your own hands.

What have you done with my boyfriend?

Be a good little girl and surrender your body and you'll find out.

This little girl doesn't surrender to anyone.

-Now tell me what you've done with Will!

-Never.

Well, in that case, you leave me no choice.

Ingrid, what are you doing?

I'm taking control!

It's the only way I can win.

But I'm the powerful one.

We'll see about that.

WHOOSHING AND SCREAMING

-Ingrid?

-Is she dead?

Not quite.

Thanks. I thought I was going to freeze to death in there.

That's all right, you're safe now.

I'd rescued Will, he was safe and the future was looking blood tinted.

Or so I thought.

WHOOSHING AND SCREAMING

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Just goes to show, you can never let your guard down.

You don't know what's right around the corner.

In these troubled times, every day brings new challenges

and not always when they're expected.

The first 16 years of a young vampire's life prepare them

for their first bite, a momentous moment

when their dormant evil side comes to the fore.

Once the bite is completed,

they are well on their way to being fully fledged vampires.

For the Chosen One, however,

the path to control his extensive powers may last a lifetime,

and Vlad has yet to mine below the surface of his true capabilities.

I sincerely hope I will be there to share his journey.

But nothing is certain. Nothing can be taken for granted.

When the future is yet to be mapped out,

we must live by our wits and trust in our animal instincts,

and that's where some of Vlad's extra vampire powers can help.

Like the way he can unlock the mysteries of the future

with dreams and visions, and Vlad's big on both of those.

Ow!

What you see in dreams can tell you so much,

but confuse you too.

THUNDER ROARS

No!

And you can't totally trust what happens in them.

-No!

-I know you're a vampire,

and you know I'm a slayer.

It's like your worst memories ganging up on you

and you're powerless to do anything about it.

Prepare to die.

I slayed a vampire!

Every dread and worry vividly played out.

Little toothache, eh?

In your very own cinema inside your head.

We'll soon have that sorted.

Open wide.

Nightmare.

VLAD SCREAMS

Somebody help me!

Or sometimes with dreams, it can be like your brain

is trying to make sense of stuff

that's preying on your mind.

Vlad, you saved me.

Vlad!

What's put that smile on your face?

You shouldn't creep up on people like that.

But for me, it's not just the usual night-time dream stuff.

As my powers have got stronger, I now get visions too.

Take the time Ingrid was in trouble.

It was the usual routine.

Not that there's anything usual about it.

You're going about your business when everything stops.

And suddenly you're somewhere else.

RUNNING FOOTSTEPS

-Where is he? Where's your brother?

-All this time

I thought you were interested in me!

-Where's the Chosen One?

-I don't know.

Like I'd tell you if I did!

Time to finish the job!

Vlad?

Vlad?

If it hadn't been for the vision, I'd have never found her,

or known that she needed my help

to see off the slayers who were after her.

Leave my family alone!

FEROCIOUS SNARLING

Does take a bit of getting used to, though.

The falling asleep in the day thing.

Even though I'd grown up with Dad doing it all the time,

it's different when it's happening to you.

Vlad, wake up!

-Vlad, wake up.

-One minute you're getting on with your normal day...

-Vlad, wake up.

-The next...

They're coming.

..you're in Dreamworld.

Who's coming?

You must learn to master your vampire powers to survive.

Powers? What d'you mean "survive?"

Listen.

RUMBLING

-Slayers.

-They are fast.

But the wolf is faster.

Yeah, well, I'm not a wolf!

It sleeps within you.

I can't shape-shift. I'm not even a proper vampire yet!

-That's not what they think.

-What do I do?

The clever fish swims with the tide.

Run!

You? I thought I was being chased by slayers.

This is just a dream.

You're not going to hurt me.

Well, there goes that theory.

It's not that visions don't have their advantages.

You can find out stuff there about yourself

and even about the future

that you just don't get in normal life.

Or even in normal dreams.

VLAD SCREAMS

VLAD SNARLS AND GROWLS

WOLF BARKS

VLAD SNARLS AND BARKS

The downside though is that randomly falling asleep all the time

can get a bit...

Double freak!

..awkward.

What on earth's going on?

Come on, there's nothing to see here.

But getting laughed at at school is nothing compared with

drifting off into the Dreamworld.

Even worse is, if you die while in the Dreamworld, you die for real.

One false move and there is no future to dream about.

Robin, I am in big trouble.

-That was nothing to do with me.

-Your mum just tried to slay me.

And the Branagh family turning into slayers

wasn't the last surprise that I found through dreaming.

It is time for you to meet the Grand High Vampire.

On your feet!

I'd often wondered what the Grand High Vampire looked like.

Well, in my vision he looked very like Dad. With a new hairdo.

-My time is past.

-And a surprising message.

Our people are suffering.

We are being hunted down and destroyed.

We hide in the shadows,

waiting for the Chosen One.

-The Chosen One?

-A vampire with exceptional powers

who will lead us once again...

..to glory.

Vladimir Dracula...

..you are the Chosen One.

So, although I didn't realise at the time,

I was never going to escape my destiny.

There was no choice. I would become a vampire

and I would have to lead all vampire-kind into the future.

-Vladimir Dominus...

-Is that the time?

Vladimir Dominus Imperator electus.

Vladimir Dominus Imperator electus.

Vladimir Dominus Imperator electus.

You can't escape your destiny, Vlad.

What we must never forget is that whatever the difficulties,

it remains a great privilege to be a vampire

for the gift of immortality,

something we should never take for granted.

And so, Les Memoirs de Renfield are almost at an end.

But what does the future hold for our hero?

-In many ways...

-Left a bit.

-How could it be improved upon?

-Just right.

I have a master to die for.

-Master, I think you should know that I am in agonising pain.

-Perfect.

A wardrobe that is second to none.

Ha-iee-ya!

In short, mine is a life of infinite variety.

Lived to the full.

And yet, there is one aspect of my life that is incomplete.

And it could so easily be remedied by my master.

Just one little bite and immortality, here I come.

The problem is, he just won't do it.

Well done, Renfield!

He always denied my father.

Well, your illustriosity,

you and your father did always promise to make me immortal.

No, no, Renfield.

The Lord of the Dead can't hand out immortality like boiled sweets.

I was thinking more along the lines of an hour off,

spread over the year of course.

And up until now, he has denied me.

-Bite it, bite it.

-Oh, good garlic, no!

Never in a month of eternities!

-But Master, you promised me immortality.

-Did I?

-Yes!

Sometimes the darkness of my soul surprises even me!

But all that might change once Operation "Mysterious Letter

From An Anonymous Friend" kicks in.

COUNT DRACULA WHISTLES

Ah, morning Master, and what do you have there?

Well, you made it, slug-face. Badger black pudding.

I meant your other hand.

Oh, this? Nothing, just a mysterious letter from an anonymous friend.

Oh, how very interesting, and pray, what does it say?

"Dear Count Dracula. Forgive this mysterious letter.

-"I am an anonymous friend."

-Oh, he sounds nice.

"I am an anonymous friend with a suggestion."

Oh, a suggestion as well? How lovely.

"A suggestion of a reward for someone very close to you.

"A faithful servant, a resourceful retainer,

"a...a...farce of nutter when it comes to quizzing."

No, a force of nature when it comes to cuisine...

is what I think it says.

"There is one thing he desires above all else.

"A gift that would be easy for you to bestow

"but which would mean so much more to him."

"The precious gift of immortality."

-Ohhh, bite it, bite it.

-No.

So who knows what the future holds in store for the Dracula Family?

Will the Count finally regain the respect he merits

from the vampire world?

Will Ingrid finally gain the power she craves?

And at the centre of it all is Vlad, the one on whom

so many hopes are pinned.

The way that his destiny plays out will determine

the history of vampires for generations to come.

And will that baboon-breathed Renfield be granted

the immortality he craves?

Actually, I think I can predict the answer

to that particular bit of the future.

So you think the anonymous friend writing a mysterious letter

with a suggestion might have a point, then, Master?

No, Renfield, he doesn't. Or should I say, YOU don't?

-Oh, how d'you know it was me?!

-Where to start?!

The grubby fingerprints, the atrocious spelling,

the way the envelope smells of a mixture

of nervous flatulence and spot cream.

-I could go on!

-But don't you think I do have a point!

No, you most certainly do not have a point!

This toasting fork, however...

-That has a point.

-Ye-e-es.

RENFIELD SCREAMS

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd