Horror of Dracula


Horror of Dracula

Overview:

After Jonathan Harker attacks Dracula at his castle (apparently somewhere in Germany), the vampire travels to a nearby city, where he preys on the family of Harker's fiancée. The only one who may be able to protect them is Dr. van Helsing, Harker's friend and fellow-student of vampires, who is determined to destroy Dracula, whatever the cost.

Votes 120 (7.2/10)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Release Date 1958-05-08

Budget: $226,188.00

Tagline: Who will his bride be tonight?

Production company:

  • Hammer Film Productions

Production country:

  • United Kingdom

Genres:

  • Horror

Trailer

Further Information

Doctor Van Helsing
Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Count Dracula
Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Arthur Holmwood
Michael Gough
Michael Gough
Mina Holmwood
Melissa Stribling
Melissa Stribling
Lucy Holmwood
Carol Marsh
Carol Marsh
Gerda
Olga Dickie
Olga Dickie
Jonathan Harker
John Van Eyssen
John Van Eyssen
Vampire Woman
Valerie Gaunt
Valerie Gaunt
Tania
Janina Faye
Janina Faye
Inga
Barbara Archer
Barbara Archer
Doctor Seward
Charles Lloyd Pack
Charles Lloyd Pack
Policeman
George Merritt
George Merritt
Landlord
George Woodbridge
George Woodbridge
Official
George Benson
George Benson
Marx - Undertaker
Miles Malleson
Miles Malleson
Porter
Geoffrey Bayldon
Geoffrey Bayldon
Lad
Paul Cole
Paul Cole
Coach Passenger
Stedwell Fulcher
Stedwell Fulcher
Fat Merchant
Humphrey Kent
Humphrey Kent
Inn Customer
John Maxim
John Maxim
Coach Driver
Guy Mills
Guy Mills
Coach Driver's Companion
Richard Morgan
Richard Morgan
Hearse Driver
John Mossman
John Mossman
Coach Passenger
Judith Nelmes
Judith Nelmes
Priest
William Sherwood
William Sherwood
Director
Terence Fisher
Terence Fisher
Novel
Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Screenplay
Jimmy Sangster
Jimmy Sangster
Executive Producer
Michael Carreras
Michael Carreras
Producer
Anthony Hinds
Anthony Hinds
Original Music Composer
James Bernard
James Bernard
Director of Photography
Jack Asher
Jack Asher
Editor
Bill Lenny
Bill Lenny
Editor
James Needs
James Needs
Associate Producer
Anthony Nelson Keys
Anthony Nelson Keys
Production Design
Bernard Robinson
Bernard Robinson
Art Direction
Bernard Robinson
Bernard Robinson
Special Effects
Sydney Pearson
Sydney Pearson
Special Effects
Les Bowie
Les Bowie
Stunts
Peter Diamond
Peter Diamond
Stunts
Nosher Powell
Nosher Powell

John Chard

Sleep well, Mr. Harker. The Curse of Frankenstein was coining it in at the box office, so Hammer Films were quick to negotiate a deal to reinvent Dracula on the big screen. Certain agreements were made as per distribution rights for Universal, who owned the rights via a deal that was struck decades earlier with the Bram Stoker estate. Once all the dots were dotted and the t's were crossed, Dracula hit the screens in a whirl of sensual Technicolor bliss, where the trajectory of horror film history was shunted upwards to the point that the legacy still lives on today. Directed by Terence Fisher and adapted to screenplay by Jimmy Sangster, Dracula (AKA: Horror of Dracula) is a compact piece of horror. The Hammer team condense Stoker's novel down to an 80 minute film, quickly placing Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) at Castle Dracula and establishing the vampire legend courtesy of the slick and sexy Count Dracula himself (Christopher Lee). There's no changing into bats or scaling of walls here, in fact Dracula's dialogue is very minimalist, instead he permeates the film with sexual menace, horrific suggestion and an obvious disregard for humanity, with Lee in the role simply terrific. Then it's time for Doctor Van Helsing to bring his cunning whiles to the party, which is the signal for Peter Cushing to enter the fray, who adds class and elegance to a classic role. James Bernard provides a dual score of erotic swirls and thunderous scares, while the cast play out the story in front of some impressively constructed Gothic sets, courtesy of Bernard Robinson, who like the rest of the team were working with a budget under six figures! Some nifty effects work cement the pic's status, other little touches - such as Dracula having no audible footsteps - also ensure that Hammer's Dracula remains a key vampire movie of note. A number of interesting tid-bids sit in the film's back history. How it fell into the public domain, complaints about blood transfusion advertisements in theatre foyers during its first run! Censorship and the "X" Certification afforded it in the UK, and that some of the first wave of critic reviews were positively barbed and indignant. In truth Hammer would produce far better horror films post Dracula's release, in fact this is not even the best of the Hammer Dracula movies. Yet in the pantheon of Hammer film, and horror film in general, it's a 10/10 movie. Terence Fisher deserves the final word, he would say that the shoot and production for Dracula just clicked, it all worked and everyone was in sync. 8/10

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