Eva Seward

Eva Seward is based upon the character of Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) as first depicted in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula. The character has gone through many permutations, but is present in nearly all film adaptations of Stoker's work. The role has been played by several different actresses including Greta Schröder, Helen Chandler, Isabelle Adjani, Winona Ryder, Peta Wilson, Amy Yasbeck and Zoe Tapper. This version of the character is based on the role played by Lupita Tovar in the 1931 Universal Pictures Spanish film version of Drácula .

Biography
Eva Seward was a young woman who lived in London, England in the early 1930s. She was the daughter of Doctor Seward and the fiancée of Juan Harker. Her closest friend was a young woman named Lucia Weston. She lived at her father's sanitarium near Carfax Abbey.

In 1931, Eva and her father and friends attended the symphony where she met the Transylvanian nobleman, Conde Drácula. Eva was not nearly as impressed with the mysterious count as her friend Lucia was, and teased Lucia by mocking the count's thick Transylvanian accent.

That evening, Eva spent the night at Lucia Weston's place. It would be the last time she would ever see her friend alive. Drácula was not only a Transylvanian nobleman, but also a vampire, hungry for human blood. He fed from Lucy and killed her while Eva slept. A few nights later, Drácula entered Eva's room at the sanitarium and fed from her as well. He didn't take enough blood to kill her, but she awakened in a weakened state.

The following morning, Doctor Seward and Juan Harker examined her. Also in attendance was Doctor Seward's colleague, the occult scholar Professor Van Helsing. Wearing a scarf to conceal the bite wounds around her neck, Eva recounted a nightmare she had wherein she heard dogs howling and a thick mist filling the room. She also described a white face with piercing red eyes through the fog. Upon closer inspection, Professor Van Helsing discovered two small puncture wounds on the side of her neck. At this time, Drácula paid a visit to the Sewards and showed an interest in Eva's condition. It was then that Professor Van Helsing learned that Drácula was a vampire, though he was unable to take action against him directly.

Eva went out into the hospital gardens where she met Dracula. Enveloping her in his cape, Drácula bit Eva a second time. Moments later, a nurse discovered her and told the others that Eva was dead. They raced outside to attend her, but fortunately the nurse was mistaken and Eva was still alive.

The following evening, Eva had a chance encounter with Lucia Weston, who was now a vampire. Lucia visited her at Eva's bedroom window and was described as having a hungry look about her "like a wild animal". She then turned and fled back into the darkness. Eva recounted the story to Professor Van Helsing.

Eva began to realize what was happening to her. She told Juan that although she loved him, they could never be together again. She begged him not to touch her. Juan wanted to take Eva away from the sanitarium, but Seward and Van Helsing insisted that she must remain in the hospital until they can put an end to the threat of the vampire once and for all.

Van Helsing instructed Nurse Briggs to make sure that Eva wore a wreathe of wolfsbane while she slept. This tactic proved fruitless however as Drácula hypnotized Briggs and had her remove the wolfsbane. He then encountered Van Helsing a second time and warned him that his blood now flowed through Eva's veins and before the sunrise, she would be his forever.

Drácula took Eva from the terrace outside her room and brought her back to his crypt at Carfax Abbey. His lunatic servant Renfield accidentally led Professor Van Helsing and Juan Harker back to the crypt and they now knew where Drácula kept his coffin. As the sun was beginning to rise, he was forced to return to his coffin. While Professor Van Helsing drove a stake into the vampire's heart, John looked after Eva. With the death of Drácula, Eva was no longer under his thrall. John walked her up the stairs of the abbey into the sunlight.

Notes & Trivia



 * Eva being the daughter of Doctor Seward is a detail that is unique to the Dracula film and stage production(s). In the original novel, she had no family connections to anyone other than Jonathan Harker. The Eva/Seward relationship is revisited in the 1995 comedy film Dracula: Dead and Loving It.


 * Eva's American counterpart in Dracula is named Mina and is played by Helen Chandler.