Horror of Dracula

Horror of Dracula (1958)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Terence Fisher

Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling

From: Hammer

Here’s the classic horror movie I mentioned at the end of my last post. It’s from the great British film studio Hammer, which became famous starting in the 50’s for their horror movies, doing stuff in color, being sexually charged and not being afraid of showing blood, which was quite different from the usual horror flick back in the time period. Wikipedia has a nice article about the history of the film studio, which had laid dormant for many years but recently returned, basically in name only but still…

I managed to pick this movie basically at random and thankfully, a random Chinese streaming video website (of all things) had it up in 2 parts so I watched it that way. I know, not the most ethical thing to do, but it’s not like I’m the only one who does things like this!

I’ve never read the Bram Stoker novel so I can’t really compare the book to the movie, but I know that a lot of things were changed… not that it means a whole lot to me. The story-set in Germany-revolves around vampire hunters trying to track down the famed Dracula (Lee, who was totally awesome in this role). One guy, a Mr. Harker, tries to do so but only stakes the “bride”; it is up to Dr. Van Helsing (Cushing, also awesome in his role) to do so, while having to deal with the bloodsucker now getting his revenge against the Harker family.

This movie is a great yarn and it moves very quickly. It’s not that long but a lot of stuff is packed into it. Besides the great performances by the two leads, the movie is moody and atmospheric (another Hammer trademark) and the sets all look very well-done. The German setting-yes, not Transylvania-provides some nice scenery. They aren’t afraid to show blood or the effects of someone getting staked in the heart (hint, a lot of blood will come out). Van Helsing can be nice to someone like a little kid but he otherwise is very serious and can be rather blunt and direct when it comes to eradicating the famed vampire. Meanwhile, Dracula is of course menacing and yet can be suave and charming too. What is important to note is that he is NOT a Edward Cullen wussy sparkling vampire sort of crap; when he gets his revenge on the Harker family, he does so ruthlessly, not messing around at all. He’s a real bastard, in other words. I much prefer this sort of vampire to the type that come in nonsense like Twilight or The Vampire Diaries!

By the way, here is a page from another Blogpost site which shows some random stills from the movie; you can see how nice the sets are, for example.

It all comes together to create a fun package and if you enjoy horror movies and want to see something different from the usual stuff in the genre that is dominant in recent years, this is something worth seeing. Like I said, it’s not difficult to find online. If you search for “Dracula 1958” (its original title; the new title was for the U.S. so that people wouldn’t confuse it with the Bela Lugosi classic) on Google Video, you’ll find it in 2 parts.

I’ll be back Halloween night, and I have no idea what film in the genre I’ll review, but I’ll try to make it a good one.