When the lights dimmed, an eerie silence fell upon spectators. Then, individuals in white, antiquated garments shivered among the audience, bearing crosses as wolves howled and scoured the scene.

A tall, shadowy figure appeared above and gave a haunting, yet familiar greeting to the onlookers: “Welcome to my house. Enter freely and of your own will.”

The CSUN Theatre Department held its production of “Dracula: A Frankensteined Retelling.” It premiered Oct. 15, giving a unique and topical spin on the classic vampire tale. It was devised and directed by professors J’aime Morrison and Larry Biederman, along with their students.

A packed house experienced laughs, scares and even expressed confusion as the cast gave atmospheric performances. Evocative songs and interpretive dances often followed pivotal scenes in the play, adding a layer of symbolic meaning to the story.

The play retells Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula,” where the titular vampire lives in a Transylvanian castle and unleashes unexpected nightmares on humans. Considered a classic, the dark story has been adapted for television, movies, theater productions and more.

Characters in the production were routinely played by different actors and actresses in every other scene, allowing students to highlight their versatile skills in assuming other personas.

The play’s fragmented storytelling connects back to the original novel, where the audience becomes more aware of events as the tale progresses.

Although the play mainly focused on the tale of “Dracula,” there was a formative scene between Stoker and “Frankenstein’s” author, Mary Shelley, where they had an amusing and enlightening discussion about connecting themes between the two novels and what their books said about fear in those times.

Colors popped not only in the background of a scene but also in the characters’ clothing, as they matched the era of the novel. Sounds caught the attention of the audience; booming knocks and rumbles made sure everyone was immersed and felt what the characters were undergoing.

The set in Nordhoff Hall’s Little Theatre was utilized in remarkable ways. A projector hanging from the ceiling displayed characters’ emotions in crucial moments of the narrative. There were also original manuscript pages of “Dracula,” as well as “Frankenstein.” Shadows bounced off the walls, giving the sinister Dracula more of a chilling demeanor.

There were some scenes that had a meta commentary on artificial intelligence (AI), and its evident connection to the themes of the original book. Emphasized in the playbill and on stage, the mention of AI in the play was purely for analysis. There were even some clever nods to the possibility of some scenes being AI-generated.

“Rest assured that, but for one aspect of one scene in which the use of AI is the point, AI did not write our play,” the directors noted in the playbill.

The play was an overall success as students, faculty and parents gave a boisterous applause during the standing ovation. Although production had its run, their next play, “The Hunchback of Seville,” premieres Oct. 29, with tickets on sale now. For more information, visit the CSUN Theatre Department website.