Bela 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.
Dracula (1931)
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... 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 into vampires young Lucy Weston (Frances Dade) and her friend Mina Seward (Helen Chandler). After he succeeds in turning Lucy, and Mina's health suddenly deteriorates, Mina's father (Herbert Bunston), calls in a specialist, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan). Van Helsing quickly recognizes Dracula's vampirism, and sets about saving Mina (and in the process, becomes Dracula's archenemy). The film, arguably the most influential of the legend's film versions, launched Lugosi's career in horror movies and forever invited vampires across Hollywood's threshold. [More]
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, Herbert Bunston, Frances Dade
Director: Tod Browning
Director: Tod Browning
Story: Bram Stoker
Screenwriter: Garrett Fort
Reviews for Dracula
When Bela Lugosi died he was buried wearing one of his original silk capes. Forever cloaked, he casts his shadow still.
Not by any means the masterpiece of fond memory or reputation, although the first twenty minutes are astonishingly fluid and brilliantly shot by Karl Freund.
The brilliant opening act is overwhelmingly creepy and full of subtle perversity.
A perfect example of the worst traits of Hollywood films in the early sound era.
The 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.
Certainly it is Lugosi's performance, and the cinematography of Karl Freund, that make Tod Browning's film such an influential Hollywood picture.
The film's superbly weird acting and cinematography haven't changed, but Universal's new video edition features a freshly written score by Philip Glass, the world-famous minimalist composer.
É uma pena que o vampiro absoluto das telas, Bela Lugosi, não tenha estrelado um filme perene como a lenda em que ele se tornou.
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.
Bela Lugosi is inspired in the role of the vampire. One can no longer label it a good performance or a bad performance. Lugosi embodies the role.
...a motion picture for people who love motion pictures, their history, and their evolution. It is a self-recommending classic.
Once you get into the rhythms of the film, you’ll discover a masterpiece.
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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