A commemorative stamp has been launched in Whitby to mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the iconic horror film, Dracula.

The stamp will go on sale today and to mark the occasion Whitby ghost tour organiser Harry Collett went in search of Bram Stoker's creation at Whitby Abbey.

The six stamps also depict famous films from the Hammer and Carry On stables.

Classic Carry On and Hammer Films stamps take the public back to 1958, a year which saw the release of Dracula and Carry On Sergeant, films produced on shoestring budgets but which kick-started a series of follow-ups and a host of imitators.

The Dracula stamp features the original poster for the film and shows actor Christopher Lee as the count, leering over a female victim.

The strap line reads: "The terrifying lover who died – yet lived!"

It also warns that viewers must not see the film alone.

The film was a huge success upon its release and also starred actor Peter Cushing, who played Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing.

Cushing and Lee would go on to reprise their roles in the film's sequels.

Harry Collett, chairman of Whitby and District Tourism Association, speaking at the launch, said: "It's fangtastic that the stamps recognise these iconic films.

"Bram Stoker's acclaimed novel Dracula put Whitby firmly on the map and for it to become an iconic film and now the subject of a stamp is going to create more interest for visitors."

The Dracula stamp will have a value of 48p meaning it is classed as being at the worldwide basic rate.

Other titles in the range include The Mummy, Carry On Screaming, Carry On Cleo and The Curse of Frankenstein.

Ever since the release of Stoker's novel Whitby and Dracula have been irreversibly linked.

Stoker used places in the town for key scenes in his book and each year visitors flock to see the locations for themselves.

l Don't miss Tuesday's Whitby Gazette for your chance to win one of 10 special presentation packs featuring the new stamps courtesy of Royal Mail.