From slate.com.

"When Bram Stoker wrote the novel Dracula in 1897, people were in a panic about crime. They had difficulty understanding why—in an era blessed with prosperous empires, flourishing arts and sciences, and a burgeoning consumer culture—crime rates were rising throughout Europe and the United States. For answers they turned to science, itself one of the glories of the Victorian age."

"The original Dracula was the embodiment of brute evil—much like his literary contemporary, Mr. Hyde."

Sorry to burst everyones bubble, but vampires are apparently not supposed to be good looking teenagers or fun loving kids as shown in the photo above but rather ragged old mentally deranged men.  

You know, like this guy: