Lucy Westenra - in Dracula

In Dracula

Lucy Westenra is a vivacious young woman who is much praised for her beauty, purity and sweet nature. These qualities earn her three suitors, all of whom propose to her on the same day: Arthur Holmwood, wealthy son of Lord Godalming; Quincey Morris, an American cowboy; and Doctor John Seward, an asylum psychiatrist.

Lucy accepts Arthur's proposal, but soon begins suffering from severe anemia. She has in fact become the victim of Count Dracula, who is slowly draining her of blood. Despite the best efforts of Dr. Seward and Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, Lucy's condition rapidly deteriorates. Dr. Van Helsing correctly identifies the true cause of her illness, and puts up garlic around her sickbed to repel Dracula. Even after four blood transfusions (from Holmwood, Seward, Van Helsing, and Morris, respectively) and although the doctors try to keep a constant vigil over her condition their efforts prove futile. Lucy and her mother die together when a wolf controlled by Dracula (or in some cases, is Dracula) comes crashing through the window while the two women were left unattended. The mother dies from a heart attack, while Dracula drains Lucy to the point of near death.

The men find her the next morning barely alive, they try a transfusion. But by this point it's much too late, as the bite marks on her throat have vanished and her teeth now sport longer canines. For a moment, when Arthur is near her, she requests a kiss. Helsing pulls Arthur away, knowing that it is the monster talking and not Lucy. Lucy, also realizing she's becoming inhuman, requests to Helsing that he protect Arthur. Helsing swears to do that for Lucy's sake just as she passes away. The men think it's over, but Helsing knows that with Lucy's death, her transformation into the undead is just beginning. More than likely what they witnessed was the last of her humanity fading away.

Sure enough, after her death, reports of children being attacked at night are heard, with each child claiming it was the "Bloofer Lady" (child speak for "Beautiful Lady") doing it. The children also have bite marks on their throats though none of their blood has been seriously drained. Dr. Van Helsing realizes that Lucy has now risen as a vampire, and asks Dr. Seward, Arthur, and Quincey to help him destroy the undead creature. When they doubt him, Helsing leads Seward with him at first to show him firsthand, first by showing that Lucy's coffin is empty, then waiting when she comes with another child to feed on. She once again only takes a little blood before leaving the child and heading back to her crypt. Helsing and Seward make sure the child is alright and go into the crypt where the coffin is now filled with Lucy's body, though, as Helsing points out, it hasn't decayed a day since Lucy's death as the undead never age.

That next night, Helsing gathers the rest of the men and puts a holy plaster over Lucy's crypt while she's out feeding. The men wait for her to come back where they see the monstrous form she's now become. They confront her, stopping her from biting her current victim. Upon seeing Arthur, Lucy changes her tone and stance as if she was alive, beckoning him to come to her so they can be undead together. Her hypnotic spell almost works until Helsing flashes a cross at Lucy, repelling her. She flees to her crypt, unable to enter until Helsing removes some of the plaster. Even with the small space, the men are astonished as Lucy uses her powers to slip inside as if it was nothing. The men soon follow and find Lucy in her coffin, resting. Helsing explains to the others that the Lucy they know is indeed dead and the figure they see now is a monster in her form, the result of vampirism if a victim is fully drained. He warns unless she is stopped, she will continue her nightly feedings to the point she will fully drain her victims, who likewise will become undead and continue the cycle, building up Dracula's army.

Van Helsing feels it best that the men who loved Lucy in life play a role in freeing her soul. On his instructions they stake Lucy, destroying the vampire part of her and Lucy is finally able to rest in peace, though to be sure Dracula can't reclaim her, Helsing has to cut off her head and stuff her mouth full of garlic as a precaution.