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When pursuing a woman, don’t follow Dracula’s example and suck the blood from her loved ones.

Pullman Civic Theatre (PCT) presents “Dracula,” a play based on the Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker. While the playwright of this version changed some of the characters, the story itself remains intact.

“Dracula” tells the story of Count Dracula encountering a young woman named Lucy, who resembles a woman he once fell in love with. Lucy becomes the object of Dracula’s affection and obsession, to the demise of those around her, director Travis Gray said.

“The play is very familiar to those who have read the novel and who know the Dracula story in general,” Gray said.

Bram Stoker’s original version of this story is much darker than this play version, which bounces between darkness and comedic fun, Gray said. This play tries to appeal to a broader audience, geared towards not just adults but to a younger audience as well.

“I don’t think Bram Stoker had a vision for comedy,” Gray said.

Gray said he ranked this play at a PG-13 rating, without a lot of gore happening onstage. Most of the horror comes from the suspense. Gray said the gore was kept at a minimum, providing a version of “Dracula” that the people on the Palouse will enjoy.

“If your kid can watch ‘Harry Potter’ and not be scared, then they won’t be disturbed by our play,” Gray said.

When working with this play, Gray said they tried to stay as true to Stoker’s vision as possible within the confines of the script. The play is set in Victorian London, but starts at Dracula’s castle in Transylvania.

The set is beautifully creepy, Gray said. It is also set up in such a way that there are few scene changes to keep the story moving. Audience imagination, sound effects and characters establish the scene settings, he said.

“This makes it atmospheric,” Gray said, “and it’s the perfect story to kick off the Halloween season.”

Overall, the play does the story honor by following the book as closely as possible, creating a generally creepy atmosphere mixed with Victorian finery, Gray said. Curtains are tattered and ratty, while the actors are in costumes of the era. All of this is emphasized by the lighting and sound.

“I wanted Dracula’s presence to be felt throughout the entire play,” Gray said, “feel his influence bleeding in.”

This production features several PCT veterans, including Tracie Brelsford who plays Martha Westenra and Dean Bourland who plays Charles, the butler. There are also several new faces, who hopefully will participate in future productions, Gray said.

Gray’s advice to his actors was to rely on what was inside them. Rather than mimic clichés or things seen on TV, the actors had to make the characters their own. Gray believes it is human nature to be intrigued by the part of oneself that can be scary.

To effectively perform the show, the cast and crew had to take the script and make it their own, walking the balance between comedy and horror while hopefully executing it well, Gray said.

“Ever since I was a kid, I went trick-or-treating as Dracula. He’s so iconic,” Gray said. “To get an opportunity to do the actual play is so exciting.”

“Dracula” runs from Oct. 7 to 9 and 13 to 16. Evening shows are on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Sunday shows are matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for the evening shows and $10 for the matinees.