Horror of Dracula (1958)
Hammer’s first Dracula entry. Is it just as good as the Universal Dracula movies?
Brief Backstory
During the last third of the 1950s, Hammer films released the Curse of Frankenstein, quickly becoming a major hit among the horror universe and at a time when the horror genre was peppered with movies like War of the Worlds and When Worlds Collide, and of course the movies that took inspiration from those two afterwards.
Like Curse of Frankenstein, Cushing and Lee, both who played prominent roles in the Star Wars saga, ended up as bitter enemies on the screen, as was meant. And much like Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula quickly became well loved among viewers, and would lead to a gauntlet of sequels, most of which were (while not as highly rated as Horror of Dracula) regarded as great movies.
Story
Jonathan Harker has been murdered by Dracula, leaving his diary behind. In response, Dr. Van Helsing vows to avenge Harker’s murder while Dracula seeks for a replacement for the vampire that Harker killed prior to his death.
Random Facts
After the first 10-15 or so minutes of the movie, Dracula stops talking.
Unlike the monster in the Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula has more screen time, though after Harker is caught killing a vampire Dracula’s screen time is reduced considerably until the end; typical of older horror movies.
Recognize who portrayed Arthur Holmwood in this? That’s Michael Gough, who would later portray Alfred Pennyworth in the Tim Burton Batman movies (also that crappy Batman and Robin movie in 1997). He was also in Sleepy Hollow from what I read up on.
The title is actually only Dracula, but because there already existed the Bela Legosi one, the title was changed to Horror of Dracula for the US to prevent confusion.
Random Opinions
I prefer this over the 1992/1993 Dracula. But in contrast to Universal’s Dracula, that’s a tough call; both are classics.
Pros
- Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Dracula is wonderous and deserves to be known as one of the best portrayals of the vampire.
- Great acting by Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
- The final confrontation of Dracula and Helsing.
- Adding to this – Dracula’s death isn’t from being killed with a hammered stake. Instead he’s exposed to light, and crumbles to dust. This seems more climatic than Dracula’s death in the Universal adaptation in 1931.
Cons
- I felt like the screen shouldn’t have been covered up while Lucy was being bitten. Maybe it was to keep the movie from being rated R but that doesn’t seem right.
Rating: 9/10 – Amazing
Of the three Dracula adaptations I’ve seen, this one is tied with Universal’s 1931 adaptation. Like many of the Hammer horror movies, an instant classic.
Leave a Reply