Horror Of Dracula

      "Horror Of Dracula", in 1958, was the first of Hammer's Dracula series. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee successfully re-invented the classic monsters from Universal, and although it makes several deviations from the original novel by Bram Stoker and the Bela Lugosi film version, there is something truly riveting about this re-telling.  It's a gorgeously eerie film- it looks sensational.

     Lee inherits the role from Bela Lugosi, and completely makes it his own.  "Horror of Dracula" is a lush, Technicolor take on Stoker's novel that became the first vampire movie to incorporate blood, red eyes, and fangs, actually.  There is an unsettling, eerie vibe in pretty much all of the Hammer productions, especially the Dracula series.  Take for instance Dracula's castle- it's nightmarish, creepy, and just plain weird looking.  It's like something hallucinated in a fever dream.  The sunlight also works well in these movies- it may seem ironic, but those sun-dappled woods for some reason really gets to me. I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is, but something about these movies creep me out.

      Director Terence Fisher got rid of the cobwebs, howling wolves, and other Gothic trappings of  Browning's "Dracula", and makes a memorable interpretation of the classic tale.  Obviously these movies struck a chord with audiences, or they wouldn't have made so many in the first place.  Christoper Lee makes a fantastic Dracula- with his bloodshot eyes and fangs dripping blood, he is truly startling and somewhat spooky.  I would have to say Christopher Lee's Dracula is probably the most frightening of them all- there is just something about Lee and that damn creepy castle that's chilling.

     Critics were shocked and outraged over the explicit bloodletting, but the movie is quite tame compared with movies of today.   "Horror of Dracula" is considered by many horror fans to be one of the greatest vampire films ever made- and it certainly is one of the most gorgeous to look at.  Lavish all around, considering the lack of a budget they had to work with.

     Anyway, like "The Curse Of Frankenstein", "Horror Of Dracula" is a great start to a memorably campy series of films that are strangely addictive.  Most definitely an acquired taste- some just cannot get into these movies, for whatever reasons.  Personally I cut my teeth on these movies growing up and they made a huge impact on my young, impressionable little head.  Honestly, I remember these being on TV more than the original Universal films.  To me they're a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon.  I could sit and watch these all day.