St Mary's Church, Whitby arch is a Jacobean pew. There is a monument to Sir Richard Cholmley who died in 1631. Two significant land slips due to broken drainage and torrential rain, the first occurring in November 2012, have placed the churchyard, and properties below the cliff, in significant jeopardy. Whitby town councillor Steve Smith stated the church was in no danger, having been built on solid rock. Human remains have fallen onto the street below, and pathways on the cliff-side of the church have been closed. Bram Stoker used St Mary's Church graveyard as the setting for a scene in his novel, "Dracula":
Anno Dracula series delayed, until its eventual release in September 2013. Francis Ford Coppola is making the film for which he will always be remembered—an adaptation of "Dracula" starring Marlon Brando as Dracula and Martin Sheen as Jonathan Harker. (It is a variation of "Apocalypse Now", complete with all the famous quotes and mishaps during filming, albeit in Romania instead of the Philippines.) The film crew is befriended by a young-looking vampire, who leaves with them when they return to America. "Coppola's Dracula" won the International Horror Guild Award for Best Long Fiction, and was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best