Horror of Dracula (1958) Review

“I am Dracula, and I welcome you to my house”

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

We say many stories are so timeless that they can be told over and over again. A prime example has to be Bram Stoker's Dracula because after Bela Lugosi's tenure in the original Dark Universe era, we got a do over in 1958.


PLOT


Horror of Dracula takes place in 1885 and follows Jonathan Harker go to Klausenberg and become a personal librarian for Count Dracula. His diary however confirms him to be a vampire hunter intending to flush out the Count. That doesn't go as planned when a woman begs for his help, only to lure him as bait as she bites his neck. That puts him to rest for a whole other day and when he wakes up, he hides his diary outside the castle before killing the same woman with a stake. He tries to kill the Count as well, but it only leads to being trapped by him. With multiple days passing, Doctor Van Helsing arrives to look for Harker and he quickly gains the diary thanks to an inkeeper that found it. When going to the castle, he finds the place mostly deserted and discovers a portrait of him & his fiance Lucy gone before going to the crypt to stake his friend. When returning home in Karlstadt, he ends up breaking the news to Lucy as well as her brother Arthur Holmwood and his wife Mina. However, Lucy has been fallen ill recently as a result of a vampire bite she hasn't told anyone about. When another night passes, she is bitten again by Dracula. When Mina asks Van Helsing to help Lucy, he would ask their maid Gerda (Olga Dickie) to remove garlic bouquets only for her to found dead the next day due to opening the window unintentionally allowing Dracula to attack. Three days after her funeral does Gerda's daughter Tania (Janina Faye) get lured by an undead Lucy, but Arthur would find her tomb empty. When he refuses to use her to lead him to Dracula, Van Helsing decides to stake her as well. Both men would then travel Ingolstadt in hopes to find the Count's original coffin, but during the journey does Arthur get a letter from Mina that the vampire is waiting for them at Karlstadt. By the next day do they find the coffin missing and when returning home, Arthur tries giving his wife a cross for protection. Once it's put on around her neck, she's revealed to have been turned by Dracula as well. Just when Arthur agrees with Van Helsing to do a blood transfusion do they find Dracula's coffin in the cellar, who then takes Mina away intending to make her his new bride. As they chase him into the castle, Van Helsing is able to defeat the Count by forming a cross with two candlesticks and driving him into the sun's rays. The film ends with Mina being free of the curse as the vampire turns to dust, but the only thing that remained of him is his ring and his clothes.


THOUGHTS


I think it was ambitious for Hammer Film Productions to give us their own franchise of Dracula after Universal gave us almost two decades worth of an icon they immortalized. Director Terrence Fisher knew this and was able to make the needed changes to establish a difference that was still captivating. The production design and cinematography really solidify a different form of tension even though it’s familiar territory you’re walking into. With Bela Lugosi being the one to define the role of Dracula best compared to Max Schreck, expectations are very high until Christopher Lee brought his own aura to his iteration. He’s the first one to actually have fangs since Lugosi did not, which instantly makes him furthermore intimidating when you’re not thinking about how dapper he was before going for the kill. The fangs are again a big deal because they embrace the idea of seduction as shown through the women he targets, where it feels like he summons a sexual awakening out of them. Both actresses Carol Marsh & Melissa Stribling are able to match the ideal innocence to expect out of the likes of Lucy & Mina, only for them to descend to madness the way Valerie Gaunt does with the first bride we see. All of these elements really bring things all together like before that beauty is a weapon more powerful than an ideal kind because it can be used for the worst as well. And as long as you notice how bad people do so, you’ll be smart enough to overcome evil incarnate. It’s definitely nailed across with the presence of Van Helsing because Peter Cushing is able to make the role his own due to being much quicker witted, knowing exactly what to do and doesn’t waste time when confronting the threat. He’s very straightforward on the greater good and is still able to maintain his morality in the greater good because he is patient enough to communicate with what else can be done before the main option goes through. Even John Van Eyssen made Harker likable as well because he too knew what he was up against for the most part, until the bride undermined him in the blink of an eye. I also though Michael Gough was solid as Arthur because you relate to him being nervous yet a devoted family man. He messes up sacrificing his sister when he knew he could’ve saved her, which is why he decides to redeem himself when it came to his wife. With enough motivation, he was able to get his happy ending. Dracula may have not been vanquished for good yet as this iteration ended up coming back six more times, it can be easy to say good and evil is a constant battle and we’re here for it. In short, Horror of Dracula is a memorable adaptation of an iconic monster for finding new ways to get under our skin. If you like the original vampire, see this version too.