Question about the myth of Dracula (spoilerS)

Because ever since Bram Stoker invented the character in 1897 - and remember he IS only a fictional character, if inspired by Vlad the Impaler - he has appeared in dozens and dozens of films and in almost every one the character has been tweaked to suit the filmmaker's requirements. This is what fiction is all about - you just have to be careful not to tweak and change things so much that the market won't stand for it and people won't read your book or see your film.

As the character is fictional you can, in theory, do whatever you want with him, as you can with vampires generally because, as they don't really exist, there is no basis of reality that you must always adhere to. Thus, in the Hammer films, vampires can be held at bay with christian crosses whereas in Anne Rice's vampire world, religious iconography has no effect on them whatsoever.