From the introduction:
Longtime fans of the Ravenloft campaign setting may wonder about the point of this document. There are no less than four (and a half!) editions of Dungeons and Dragons that have Ravenloft-compatible rules (plus Pathfinder), thanks to the work of companies like TSR and Wizards of the Coast as well as passionate fans like the Fraternity of Shadows.
However, many fans of the setting have long hoped for a version of the game that used a different set of rules entirely, feeling that the mechanical rigor of D&D or the d20 System does a disservice to the Gothic feel of the Land of Mists.
In that vein, this set of rules is intended to offer an alternative to that group of fans. The Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition rules offer a great many horror-oriented settings to sink one’s teeth into, so it seems like a natural match for the dark horror/action feel of Ravenloft.
At the same time, this document exists to offer a slightly different version of the setting. Where Ravenloft has always openly acknowledged its roots in the Gothic literature milieu, it has sometimes forgotten about its other inspirations: the Hammer horror films of the 1970s, the Universal monster movies of the 1930s, the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft and his contemporaries, and many others. This work has approached Ravenloft primarily as a setting for Gothic horror, but also looks to those other inspirations that have crept in over time.