: Uses a temporal subtitle to highlight its "groovy London" setting and modernize the gothic trope.
One of the most discussed recent uses of a subtitle is in director Luc Besson's adaptation, titled . This film marks a significant departure from standard horror, focusing on the 15th-century prince's grief and his centuries-long quest to be reunited with his lost love.
Filmmakers often use subtitles to distinguish their specific "version" of the Count from the hundreds of others:
: Fans and critics sometimes apply descriptors as subtitles to categorize versions, such as the "Bloody Legend" version for stylized, non-traditional retellings. Narrative and Technical Perspectives
Beyond film, subtitles are used to ground the fictional character in historical or biographical reality:
In the evolving legacy of Bram Stoker’s masterpiece, the word "subtitle" has emerged as a focal point for both literal translations and thematic reinventions of the vampire legend. While the 1897 novel famously carries no subtitle, modern adaptations and academic studies use them to signal specific tonal shifts—ranging from romantic tragedies to historical explorations.
: The name "Dracula" itself acts as a historical "subtitle" or epithet. Derived from the Latin Draco (dragon), it identifies Vlad III as the "Son of the Dragon" (Drăculea), linking the fictional vampire to the real-world Order of the Dragon. Evolution of Screen Subtitles