The 500th anniversary of Dracula's death was observed in 1976 with various celebrations, including a commemorative U.S. postage stamp.

Romania's former Communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, admired Dracula and portrayed him as a national hero, while downplaying his atrocities. Romanian anti-communists often depicted Ceausescu as a vampire with fangs. In 1989, when the Ceausescu regime was toppled and mobs in Bucharest attempted to storm the government, the dictator and his wife fled to their palace near Snagov, where Dracula was buried. From there they attempted to flee to Tirgoviste, Dracula's old capital. The Ceausescus were shot by a firing squad near Dracula's castle.