“I never drink….wine.”
It’s the Universal horror film that started it all. It’s the one that made Bela Lugosi a star and established him as the definitive vampire. It’s 1931’s Dracula.
In the film, Dracula (Lugosi) makes his way to London in order to lease property in the city. Hypnotizing and turning real estate agent Renfield (Dwight Frye) into his slave, Dracula travels aboard the Vesta to London. He murders everyone onboard the ship and when police find Renfield alive but apparently insane, they place him in an asylum where he eats bugs and begs for his master to release him.
Dracula begins socializing with the locals and soon befriends Mina (Helen Chandler), her father, Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston), John Harker (David Manners), and Lucy Weston (Frances Dade). Lucy eventually passes away and Mina begins acting bizarre. As the nights continue to pass, the number of victims begins to climb. Soon enough, Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) begins to think that a vampire is loose in London and he starts investigating potential suspects. Assisting him is John Harker, who is worried for Mina, his fiancee.
Van Helsing’s investigation leads him to believe that Count Dracula is a vampire. He uses a number of techniques to determine if Dracula truly is the cause of all of the recent death in the area. Eventually Van Helsing and Harker hunt down Count Dracula and a face-off ensues. Will John and Professor Van Helsing be able to eliminate the count before Mina permanently joins the world of the undead? I’m not telling. Watch Dracula for yourself and find out!
The film has become a favorite of mine over the years. I watch it at least four times a year and always around Halloween. Bela Lugosi made the vampire an attractive, seductive creature, something that would influence just about every vampire film, novel, television series, and comic book to follow. His eyes struck fear into audiences and his slow line delivery made him sound undead according to audiences of the time. He was also considered a sex symbol by many according to the documentary Lugosi: The Dark Prince. He did so well in the role that he was typecast from that point on in his career. Despite being typecast, Lugosi eventually embraced the role and used it to support his family when roles in film and on stage began to thin out.
Other than Lugosi, the cast featured a number of strong performances. Of special note is Dwight Frye as Renfield. His psychotic breakdown throughout the film was simply amazing to watch. He would appear in a total of seven Universal Horror films and in multiple other supporting roles as well. Both Edward Van Sloan and David Manners would appear in other Universal horror films as well.
Universal’s horror legacy rests firmly on the shoulders of Dracula. Sure, other films would come along that would prove more popular and others would be considered better all around, but Dracula was a perfect start to what would essentially become the Universal Horror Shared Universe.
Dracula is a must-see film for film fanatics. I highly recommend it, especially in the month of October. Thanks for reading my post and get ready for another one tomorrow!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 