It was inevitable that sooner or later, Buffy would confront Count Dracula. In what that has been dismissed by many as an insignificant episode, “Buffy vs Dracula” is a manifestation of the power of what literary scholars have termed the “anxiety of influence.” It pays homage to the Count while it clearly (and self-consciously) re-establishes its own parameters. In doing so, “Buffy vs Dracula” draws on not only Bram Stoker’s original narrative but also its interpretation and redefinition during decades of popular culture and scholarly analysis.