HORROR OF DRACULA Review

Although Bela Lugosi defined the role in the original DRACULA in 1931, I give the edge to Hammer's color remake for several reasons: it's scarier, with more overt sexuality, and because of the presence of Christopher Lee, the ultimate screen Dracula, who played the part in nine more films. Also, Peter Cushing's Van Helsing is equally memorable. 

Known simply as DRACULA in the UK, released as HORROR OF DRACULA in the USA, the story moves fast, and delivers plenty of scares. Lee's Count is not the Eastern European-accented Drac as portrayed by Lugosi, or Gary Oldman, for that matter, but his mellifluous tones suit the character to a T.

Christopher Lee was born in London in 1922, broke into the movies in 1948, and has appeared in over 250 film and television roles since then. The six foot five inch Lee made his name starring in the Hammer horrors CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, and HORROR OF DRACULA. He would go on to play the Count in such films as DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, DRACULA 1972, and DRACULA IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN LONDON. in the mid-70s, tired of being typecast as a vampire, Lee hung up his cape and starred in THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE FOUR MUSKETEERS, and as Scaramanga, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.

He relocated to LA in the mid-'70s, taking whatever projects came his way, from Steven Spielberg's 1941 to GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH to MEAT CLEAVER MASSACRE. In the last several years, Christopher Lee has gained a whole new generation of fans with his roles as Count Dooku in STAR WARS EPISODES II and III, and especially as Saruman the White in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.

For some reason, the screenwriters eliminated the character of Renfield, a plum role that I can imagine any number of excellent Brit character actors playing. Come to think of it, the reason was more than likely budgetary.

Critics at the time objected to the sex and gore of the Hammer remakes, but by today's standards, it's all very tastefully done.

HORROR OF DRACULA is my favorite vampire movie. Christopher Lee parlayed this role into many, many paychecks, in the process establishing himself at the ultimate screen Dracula.

Available on DVD as part of Warner Home Video's HAMMER HORROR COLLECTION.