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MOVIES DRACULA
Quick Rating: **** The most famous movie version of Bram Stoker's novel starred Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. He played this role for years in the live theater, but his performance in this motion picture made him a household name and a horror legend. Tod Browning's vision of Dracula was different than the previous movie adaptation - Nosferatu. No longer is Dracula a hideous fiend - now he is a charming villain. Foreign and mysterious, Lugosi does a tremendous job in the role. So does the supporting cast, especially Dwight Frye as Renfield and Van Sloan as Van Helsing. The story has an outsider visiting Transylvania. He is supposed to meet a carriage at midnight, but the locals try to frighten him away from this rendezvous with stories of bats and coffins. He is not scared, and continues on... to Castle Dracula! I love the Castle Dracula set. It is huge, ancient and dark. Scary, yes, but impressive. (Quick question - why are there armadillos running around the Castle?). The Count greets his visitor, Mr. Renfield, and they quickly discuss business - the Count is purchasing a building in Lonndon. The next day, the two set out on a ship to England. Renfield, however, is no longer himself. He has been coerced by Dracula's powerful persona to serve him on the voyage. And the ship arrives with the entire crew mysteriously deceased. Renfield has grown crazy, eating flies and spiders to stay alive. He is thrown into an asylum. Meanwhile, Dracula is taking in London's nightlife! He visits the symphony, where he meets Dr. Seward, Lucy, Mr. Harker and Mina. They will all soon be affected by this meeting with a vampire. Luckily, they do have the help of an undead expert - Dr. Van Helsing. The movie is great, even when watching today. Yes, it's slow in some parts, and silent in many scenes. But the acting is great, and it's not as hokey as many of the era's films are. Lugosi is not as visually frightening as say Max Schrek as Nosferatu, but he is more dangerous. His stares, along with Renfield's deranged laughter, are the highlights of this film. A classic horror movie! Quality: 8.0 Visuals:
6.0 Intensity: 6.0 reviewed
2005
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