Stoker

Stoker is a term with several meanings. As a common noun, a stoker is a person who tends a furnace or boiler, shoveling coal or fuel to maintain a fire. The role was essential in steam locomotives, ships, and power plants, and the verb stoke refers to feeding or enlarging a fire.

Bram Stoker (1847–1912) was an Irish novelist best known for Dracula, published in 1897. Born in Clontarf near Dublin, he later became secretary to the actor Sir Henry Irving and served as manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London. Dracula, a Gothic horror novel that draws on vampire folklore, has had a lasting influence on vampire fiction and popular culture. Stoker also produced other works including The Jewel of Seven Stars and The Lady of the Shroud.

Stoker is also the title of a 2013 psychological thriller directed by Park Chan-wook. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, and Matthew Goode, and centers on a shy young woman whose life is disrupted by the arrival of her enigmatic uncle after the death of her father. It received attention for its mood, performances, and visual style, and is not directly connected to Bram Stoker or his Dracula.