Stories Reimagined: Dimension 20’s Coffin Run Breathes New Life into Dracula
Beloved stories have a way of transcending time and boundaries, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula is no exception. The iconic tale of vampires has been adapted and reimagined in numerous forms, but the lasting character of the elegant and verbose Count Dracula remains a dominant thread throughout.
Coffin Run, a Dungeons & Dragons actual-play series, emerged in the summer of 2022 as a delightful iteration of the classic story. Helmed by storyteller and game master Jasmine Bhullar, the six-episode run featured a star-studded cast and paid homage to Stoker’s novel and the vampire himself.
A Love Letter to Dracula
Coffin Run is a love letter to Dracula, honoring the novel’s epistolary form from the start. Letters play a central role in guiding the narrative, creating a delivery system for the story and perpetuating a sense of unease as Dracula’s true intentions are revealed.
The series brings the Gothic lushness of Dracula to life, with actual letters passed among players at the table and divine special effects paying tribute to black-and-white film adaptations. The eerily familiar yet uniquely new world created by the crew and cast perfectly captures the essence of the source material while infusing it with comedic influences.
Preserving Dracula’s Legacy
At its core, Coffin Run expertly preserves the larger-than-life presence of Dracula and his story. The cast and crew breathe new life into the character arcs while honoring the enigmatic allure of the vampire count.
With Dracula in the public domain and vampires experiencing a resurgence in pop culture, Coffin Run stands out as a fresh and compelling reimagining of the classic tale. It takes familiar ingredients and crafts something wonderfully new, making it a worthy addition to the ever-expanding Dracula legacy.