Classics of the Horror world

I have this love/hate relationship with the horror genre. In one instant, I'm enthralled with the imagination and creativity of it, in the other I'm scared witless (I'm not afraid to admit it) and disgusted by it. This can be seen in my weekly viewings of the Scifi channel's Ghost Hunters series (which I watch religiously) and the following bedtime fiascoes. I am what some might call a 'baby' when it comes to such things and yet I still dance around it like a moth drawn to a flame. Oddly enough, movies bother me much more than their literary counterparts so I spend a good deal of time reading stories by Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft.

I've also begun a slow plodding process of reading through all of the horror classics. So far I have read Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This has made me a little cynical about what we've made these mythos into. What I grew up knowing as these characters is not at all what I read in the stories. Here's a few little things I noticed that we've evolved these myths into that weren't original to the text.

Dracula: Ah Dracula, the most famous of all Vampires who has now become a trendy goth kids best friend and stemmed atrocities such as Underworld and Twilight. The story of Dracula and the vampires goes back much farther than Bram Stoker, he was simply the genius who compiled legends and lures he had learned and turned it into a fairly entertaining story (I must admit it was very wordy and at times tedious). Getting back to the book, Dracula could actually walk around during the day...in the sun...without special vampire sunscreen (can't find a link but this is a reference to the movie Blade). He just couldn't use his powers until night. Another thing is that people didn't become vampires until they died. Therefore you were just a sick human after you were bit. It wasn't until you croaked that you came back...hence why vampires live in coffins.

Frankenstein: I'd first like to point out that Frankenstein is the name of the man who creates the monster, the monster is actually just called "Frankenstein's Monster." Frankenstein is frightened by his creation not excited when it begins breathing. There is no "IT'S ALIVE!" scene when it begins growling and there is no electricity...at all. In fact the creation sequence is very anti-climatic, he just starts breathing; then Frankenstein pees himself and runs away (well, kind of like that). Frankenstein is not a doctor either, he is a student at a university and makes this creation in his dorm room, not a castle laboratory. And lastly, Frankenstein is from Geneva...which makes him Swiss.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: This was a short story so there wasn't much to change however I notice that many of today's interpretations have Mr. Hyde being this huge monster of a man. In the story, Mr. Hyde was an evil looking midget or small man that only killed maybe two people (by today's standards that's nothing). And in the end, he kills himself so he does not escape to France like many renditions have (at least the ones I grew up with).

I'm still working my way through some others. I have The Invisible Man awaiting my eager mind and I'm looking for a good Werewolf classic. There doesn't seem to be one from my research but I shall continue to try. If you know of one, please let me know.