Did you know Dracula had his own TV show in 1990? This is the Halloween season, so let’s watch it!

In Dracula the Series episode eleven, “Mind Over Matter,” we’ve got psychics, gloomy crypts, a rabbit, and a TV-show-within-the-TV-show.

Cemetery plot: Uncle Gustav is appearing on a local TV show in an attempt to expose a fraudulent psychic named Lana. Meanwhile, the kids, Chris, Max, and Sophie, discover Dracula’s coffin while exploring some nearby ruins. Turns out the coffin is not inhabited by Dracula, but by the psychic’s husband, now a vampire. Lana uses real psychic powers to call on Gustav for help, and he saves the day.

Reality TV.

King of the vampires: The whole “Dracula’s coffin” thing was a ruse, as it turns out Dracula littered the city with fake coffins, to keep vampire hunters off his trail.

Blood brothers: The kids plan to stake Dracula in his sleep. Max wants to be the one who kills Dracula, hoping he’ll become the world’s most famous vampire hunter. When the big moment comes, though, he hands the stake over to big brother Chris.

Vampire hunters at rest.

The new Mina: The boys educate Sophie about American television, telling her all about tractor pulls and roller derby. (Chris must be talking about 1989’s Rock and Rollergames, correct?)

Stake master: Continuity! This episode mentions Gustav’s ex, Anna, and his son-turned-vampire, Klaus. The episode ends with Gustav writing a letter to Anna, perhaps wanting to reconnect.

Young Indiana Jones.

Slayer’s handbook: This episode doesn’t quite state that vampires sleep in coffins, but certainly suggests it. The writers do draw a distinction between “resting place” in this episode and “original resting place” from episode seven. When the husband tries to turn into a bat, he instead becomes a rabbit, because his powers aren’t fully developed. This is also why he casts a reflection. Finally, Dracula fires lightning out of his fingertips, so I guess this is something all vampires can do on this show.

Bunnicula, no!

Killer quotes: Max: “She’s obviously a vampire.” Lana: “Vampire? Don’t be silly. This is the real world. I’m a psychic.”

Behind the screams: I tried to find out where in Luxembourg they filmed the ruins in this episode, and it looks like me like it’s Larochette Castle, but it’s hard to tell. Also, Luxembourg and the surrounding area is apparently overflowing with crumbling old ruins, so the producers no doubt had their pick of where to film.

“I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 100…”

Bite me: This episode is very jokey, concerned mostly with sitcom-style bickering between the psychic and her husband. Even the final battle is more concerned with slapstick than with awesome vampire action. For fans, though, this is the “live action Scooby Doo” stuff that this show is most well known for.

Next: None more black.

****

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