The "Castlevania" franchise heavily references the iconic horror movies produced by Universal Pictures and Hammer Film Productions. Creator of the series, Hitoshi Akamatsu, wanted players to feel like they were in a classic horror movie. Werewolves, zombies, Frankenstein's monster, and Count Dracula himself make recurring appearances. Alucard, first introduced in ', is also a reference to the character of the same name from the 1943 film, "Son of Dracula". The games also include folklore and mythological monsters such as Medusa, as well as direct references to literary horror. ' explicitly incorporates the events of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" into the series, and the recurring character Carmilla is based on the 1872 novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.