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10/18/08
Dracula (1931)
93
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:39
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: Bela Lugosi's timeless portrayal of Dracula in this creepy and atmospheric 1931 film has set the standard for major vampiric roles since.
Runtime: 75 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: This is the first screen version of Bram Stoker's famous tale based on the smash hit stage production. Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) arrives in London and immediately works to enrapture and transform... [More]
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye
Director: Tod Browning
Reviews for Dracula
Top CriticBela Lugosi gives the performance of his life in a role that might have been written just for him. Highly atmospheric throughout, this remains a milestone in horror movie history.
09/25/07
Top CriticNot by any means the masterpiece of fond memory or reputation, although the first twenty minutes are astonishingly fluid and brilliantly shot by Karl Freund.
01/26/06
Top CriticWhen Bela Lugosi died he was buried wearing one of his original silk capes. Forever cloaked, he casts his shadow still.
09/26/02
Top CriticA perfect example of the worst traits of Hollywood films in the early sound era.
10/06/09
Stark, cold, and deeply sensual, "Dracula's" atmosphere and intention is rooted in a fear of unknown lust and desire from which there can be no escape. To view "Dracula" is to be bitten by the vampire's desperate attack.
05/08/09
A classic despite numerous flaws.
11/24/08
An exciting melodrama, not as good as it ought to be but a cut above the ordinary trapdoor-and-winding-sheet type of mystery film.
10/15/08
Top CriticA sublimated ghost story related with all surface seriousness and above all with a remarkably effective background of creepy atmosphere.
10/07/08
Top CriticAll time horror classic starring Lugosi; still creepy as blazes.
03/22/08
The atmospheric opening is the best part -- moody and full of sinister potential. After that, it's stilted drawing-room talk, variably acted, except for the cultish over-the-top dementia of Dwight Frye.
09/25/07
Top CriticThe opening scenes, set in Dracula's castle, are magnificent -- grave, stately, and severe. But the film becomes unbearably static once the action moves to England.
09/25/07
Once you get into the rhythms of the film, you’ll discover a masterpiece.
10/08/05
No review available.
09/21/05
No review available.
06/19/05
there is a reason why Bela ended up in Ed Wood movies
05/12/05
The evidence of [Glass'] considerable genius being the decisions to (a) use only a string quartet (b) engage the services of Kronos Quartet ...
02/26/05
It haunted no one as much as dear Bela...
01/07/05
After Lugosi, all vampire performances are doomed to be compared against him as either homage or departure.
06/02/04
No review available.
03/22/04
Latest News for Dracula
October 27, 2009:
Sink Your Teeth Into RT's Best Vampires Movies List!
How do you explain our collective fascination with vampires? Well, in spite of the terrible curse that they must endure, these undead bloodsuckers have some attributes to which... More...
May 16, 2007:
Ernest Dickerson to Direct "Dracula" Sequel
An "officially sanctioned" sequel to Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is about to hit the bookshelves ... and the movie screens. More...
July 11, 2006:
Universal Plans "Dracula" Origin Story
Newcomer screenwriters Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless have sold a Dracula-oriented screenplay to Universal, but this one seems to promise something new: The bloodsucker's full... More...
May 03, 2006:
A Sequel to the Original "Dracula"?
Filmmaker Jan de Bont plans to produce the first "officially sanctioned" sequel to Bram Stoker's original "Dracula" story, one that will catch up with all of... More...
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