Horror of Dracula

For the longest time I thought I had seen this movie, but I hadn't, so I watched:

Horror of Dracula (1958).

This is Hammer Horror's first Dracula movie and yes it stars Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. The reason I thought I'd seen this is due to the somewhat confusing movie titles. I had seen Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) and Count Dracula (1970). Since they all pretend to be in the 1800's and because Stoker's book has been retold in film as much or more than Batman's origins, I got confused.

Now that we're on track, lets look at Horror of Dracula, or Dracula as it was originally called. They changed the name to avoid confusion with Dracula (1941) starring Bela Lugosi. (See what I mean with the titles?) In this version we get most of the familiar names, but a lot has been changed. Jonathan Harker arrives at Castle Dracula to be the librarian instead of as an estate agent. He is also there to straight up kill Dracula whom he already knows is a vampire. There are other such changes as well. Dr. Seward is only a doctor and doesn't hunt vampires. Lord Arthur Holmwood loses his title and is married to Mina, while Lucy is his sister and is engaged to Harker. Also, Dracula doesn't go to England. These changes were done for financial reasons as Horror of Dracula had a fairly small budget. At first I was a bit surprised and confused at the changes, but they work. The script writer Jimmy Sangster did a very good job shrinking the story without losing the important and impactful parts.

The score is a somewhat typical 50's bombastic affair that works well to heighten the scenes. Not something I'd sit down and listen to, but not unpleasant by any means. Visually Horror of Dracula is a feast. Stylish, elegant and well shot, I have no complaints whatsoever. The cinematography isn't amazing but solid. It does what it is supposed to do.

It is the actors who really shine here. Lee is great in his first outing out of the ten times he played Dracula. Elegant and charming when he needs to but wildly feral when angry. The rest of the time he's a dark towering menace that commands the room effortlessly. Cushing is likewise superb. He brings together the steel of the vampire hunter with a gentle sympathy for those afflicted by Dracula. Michael Gough plays Arthur Holmwood who accompanies Van Helsing for a lot of the movie, and serves as a bit of audience surrogate at first as he needs things explained and then, once he is convinced, joins in to end Dracula.

Horror of Dracula is also as far as I can tell, the first movie where the victims really show his seductive powers. They wait for him with both fear and excitement. Tame by today's standards but I have to assume that in '58 it was pretty scandalous to show a lady make herself ready to receive Dracula in her bedroom. There is no burglary here, no hypnotism to hide behind, they want him, in fact they act almost like addicts desperate for a fix. Today we're used to vampires being sexy but back then it was another story.

So, do I recommend this movie? Absolutely. Hammer made a lot of movies back in the day, and while some are not terribly good, Horror of Dracula is great. Watch it without expectations and just enjoy the spectacle. If you only want to watch one film where Lee plays the count, make it this one.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!