Dracula (1958)

John Chard

8.0

May 23, 2015

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 F…

Wuchak

6.0

Mar 15, 2018

Hammer’s first vampire flick with Christopher Lee as the Count. RELEASED IN 1958 and directed by Terence Fisher, "Horror of Dracula" chronicles events when Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) goes to Dracula’s castle under the pretense of a librarian. Later, the Prince of Darkness travels to Karlstadt, Germany, to prey on Harker's fiancée, Lucy (Carol Marsh), and her relatives, Arthur & Mina (Michael Gough & Melissa Stribling). Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), a student of vampirism and a friend of Harker’s, shows up to try to put an end to the Count’s reign of terror. Hammer Studios did…

Dracula, or Horror of Dracula, is a pretty by-the-numbers Dracula film. This one, in particular, focuses on Dr. Van Helsing, giving the titular character very few scenes. Regardless, the acting is effective in most of the main characters, including Dracula himself. This film doesn't stretch the lore of Dracula much, rather just producing a solid film within the already-crafted confines, which works well enough. While it's not groundbreaking, it's not bad, either, which is a very good thing. Overall, it's a touch of a drag, but the solid score brings the viewer right back into the ac…