Monsters from the movies can be a great inspiration for Halloween costumes, especially Dracula. Who doesn’t love the cape, the fangs, the drama?

There are quite a few Dracula movies, but there’s nothing quite like the old school character from 1931, played by the original Count Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi. He not only played the role on Broadway prior to being in the film, he was also buried in his cape when he passed.

Over the years, the character Dracula has become darker and more sinister than the signature look he was once known for - slicked back hair, prominent widow's peak, pale complexion, black cape and dramatic hand gesture. Many of the newer films are so intense my 15-year-old son really didn’t know much about the classic character I remembered as a child.

When searching for Dracula images, I wasn’t able to settle on any one source for inspiration. Although I liked the Lugosi version best, I felt it could use a modern touch without going completely dark and gory. He never wore fangs. As far as I’m concerned, Dracula needs fangs!

I found an image of Christopher Lee’s version of Dracula from the 1958 movie Horror of Dracula (Mr. Lee has had quite an extensive career since!), and felt inspired by the red eyes and fangs. I combined that with Lugosi to create a dramatic look perfect for a tween or teen.

Step 1. Make sure your child’s face is clean and moisturized. The face should be as smooth as possible before applying white face paint.

Step 2. Gently apply your white face paint with a makeup applicator leaving the eye sockets bare. Keep the paint transparent, as you’re creating the illusion of pale skin. Too much coverage will give it a clown appearance. I used Kryolan Color Wheel. I find that stage makeup is a lot more wearable and comfortable than the products you find at Halloween stores.

Step 3. Using the same Kryolan Color Wheel, dabbed red around the eyes with a makeup applicator. Gently blend the edges into the white. Be careful. You don’t want your edges to turn pink. A few light dabs will do.

Step 4. Outline an arch over the eyebrows in black and color them in. I used one of powdered eye liners but you can use a black eye pencil or gel. Draw in your widow’s peak and use some of the left black to chisel the cheekbones. My son has dark hair so I didn’t add any color to make it darker. If you want a more dramatic look, visit your local Halloween store for a wig or temporary hair color that is safe for kids.

Step 5. Slick the hair back with gel, mousse or hair spray.

Step 6. Add a bit of white face paint to the lips and blend in red lipstick for the illusion of blood. As you can see, we went very light on the blood. In fact, I bought a tube of fake blood but my son felt that it was a lot cooler and mysterious to not have it all. Once your lips are ready, it’s time the fangs.

Step 7. The costume is pretty simple. If your child has a button down shirt, that will work just fine. If you have a bow tie, even better. We happened to have these items right in our closet. The only article of clothing I purchased was the cape.

If you have little ones who don’t know much about Dracula, make sure to pencil in a movie night to see Hotel Transylvania. In theatres now.

I hope you find this tutorial to be a fun and doable one. If you try it out, let us know!