Dracula — book video sample

About the book

Solicitor Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to help a nobleman buy property in England, and slowly realises he is a prisoner in Count Dracula's castle. Told through diaries, letters and newspaper clippings, the novel follows the Count to England and the small group who set out to stop him.

Public domain: Published in 1897, it is in the public domain. Copyright rules differ by country — check your own. Source text: Project Gutenberg #345.

Why it works as a short video

The diary format is perfect for short video: each entry is dated, first-person and ends on a cliffhanger. Castles, wolves and candlelit journals give you a strong gothic look.

5 hook lines you could use

1. He went to sell a house. He became a prisoner.
2. The whole novel is diary entries — and it reads like found footage.
3. The locals crossed themselves when he said where he was going.
4. Don't look in the mirror. He isn't there.
5. The original vampire was not romantic.

Open with one of these on screen in the first second, then cut straight to the story. More on hooks in How to make a book trailer.

3 video ideas for this classic

• 'Dear diary' series: one dated journal entry per clip, posted in real time on the matching dates.
• Found-footage style trailer with typed journal text and a single narrator.
• 'Signs you're in a gothic novel' list video, ending on the book cover.

Make your own version

1. Find the text in our public-domain library or upload your own book.
2. Pick the number of episodes and let the AI plan the series.
3. Watch the free 1-episode preview, then download or share.

Writing your own book in a similar genre? See Horror book trailers, Gothic Fiction book trailers, Paranormal Romance book trailers, or BookTok video ideas by genre.

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