Dracula, Bram Stoker’s iconic novel, pretty much invented the vampire genre and inspired some of Hollywood’s highest-grossing movies, including Twilight.

Its original big screen adaptation, starring Christopher Lee as the definitive count, was released in May 1958.

They say that true villains never really die, but is Dracula getting a bit long in the tooth?

No way, says Katja Brown, a British author of the thriller, The First Bride

To mark the 60th anniversary of the first Dracula movie, Katja gives five essential facts about vampires to get your teeth into.

1. Legends are based on a real-life sadistic cannibal

Dracula and almost all other modern vampire legends are probably based on the true story of Vlad of Walachia, better known as Vlad the Impaler.

In the 1400s, he developed a Game of Thrones-like penchant for skinning his enemies alive and nailing hats to their heads.

He would then impale them on upright stakes – hence the nickname – and drink their blood.

But the first mentions of vampire predate Vlad by centuries.

In 4,000BC, for example, the ancient Babylonians spoke of evil spirits called ‘ekimmu’ who sucked the life out of the living.

2. You become a vampire by sucking blood (and by having a third nipple)

Sucking someone’s blood is all but guaranteed to turn you into a vampire.

But there are numerous other ways of becoming a fang-toting demon, at least according to folklore.

These include not being breastfed after weaning, being born with a red birthmark and having an extra nipple.

Mothers who did not eat enough salt during pregnancy were also at risk of giving birth to a bouncing baby vampire.

3. Vampire hysteria led to mass beheadings in the 18th Century

(Image: Getty)

In the 1700s, the perceived threat of vampires became so widespread that there were mass hangings and beheadings of suspected vampires.

The corpses of numerous bodies were also dug-up and “killed” again to prevent the dead from feeding on the flesh of the living.

Many had rocks placed in their mouths to stop them from being able to bite.

Heavy stone tablets called dolmens were also lain over some graves to prevent the undead from pushing up through the soil and going on a bloodthirsty rampage.

4. Garlic

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There’s a reason why so many classic dishes contain garlic. Its distinctive scent and flavour make it a favourite seasoning in a wide range of recipes.

Luckily for foodies, the action of chopping or crushing garlic supposedly stimulates the production of allicin, the active ingredient and a known antibiotic.

But allicin wards off more than just germs and viruses.

In folklore, people believed garlic would protect them from vampire attack and it would be hung around necks and over front doors as a sort of smelly repellent.

No serious vampire hunter would be caught dead without at least a clove for protection.

5. How to become a vampire slayer

(Image: BBC)

Anyone who’s seen the 1987 movie The Lost Boys will know that killing a pack of bloodthirsty vampires isn’t easy. Here are six essential things you’ll need to slay one:

Fire, ideally using ‘holy flames’ blessed by a Priest Sunlight, preferably by shackling them outdoors until sunrise Silver bullets, swords and knives to sever the head or puncture the heart A sturdy wooden (or silver) stake rammed through the heart Holy water (by dunking, spraying or injecting) A cross or other religious artefact, preferably used as a stabbing weapon

The First Bride by Katja Brown (Austin Macauley) is out now, priced £6.99 in paperback. £11.70 in hardback and £3.50 as a Kindle eBook from Amazon UK .