Dracula (1931) Review

 

        I’m back, and let’s continue with my exploration into horror movies. This film is the most important in pop culture. Based on the book by Bram Stoker of the same name, well let me rephrase that. Many people aren’t aware that the film adaptation was actually based on the stage adaptation on Broadway. I picked this film due to the fact that it has sound, and how it was the beginning of an interconnected cinematic universe of monster films from Universal Studios. And most importantly, tell you guys how I feel about it. 

1. Bela Lugosi

        He steals the show as Count Dracula. Lugosi actually started as a stage actor and coincidentally played the Count on stage. He advocated hard to play the character on film, eventually landing the role and taking a pay cut. Since the film starts in Hungary, Lugosi retains his Hungarian accent. He only did it since his wife at the time liked it. It’s one of his defining features that has been imitated to various extents. Blehh. 

        So the film is mostly about him attempting to get a location in London. He hypnotizes a real estate agent, Renfield to become his minion. They sail to London and the Count kills the men on the ship. What follows is Dracula finding victims to retain his presence. Since the film is fairly tame due to the film code at the time by not allowing any signs of blood or kills on screen to be presented. The film is mostly straight forward and just has a very creepy approach. One last tidbit is that the film doesn’t have music. It was believed because sound was brand new to audiences, the idea of hearing music wouldn’t be believable.  

        One takeaway is that makes Dracula scary is him not blinking. In fact, how he hypnotizes anyone is shown when the camera is at him and his eyes are lit up, while the surrounding frame including his face is darkened. It’s the only kind of aesthetic that is being presented that I could find. Another thing is just how the character can just blend into the environment. He can be unassuming and go for the kill when no one is expecting. We do see that when he bites a young woman. 

        Obviously when you’re dealing with Dracula, you need a Van Helsing. He is the expert into the supernatural and a doctor in the asylum. When he sees one of Dracula’s minions in the hospital, he suspects that Dracula is around. Even though the encounter between Van Helsing and the Count is brief, you can see just how different he is. With the expert being old and the Vampire being young, albeit stealing his victim’s blood.

        It’s unfortunate that Lugosi only played Dracula twice. He had a chance to be Frankenstein in Universal’s next installment, but was passed on. The actor had financial troubles, so much so that after Dracula came out, he declared bankruptcy. Lugosi ultimately had a second chance in acting, although in real cheesy sci-fi films where he was type casted in mad scientist roles. When he died, he was buried with the Dracula cape that he wore. 

2. Proto- MCU

        As I mentioned before, Dracula was the first entry into Universal’s monster series. It practically made the studio into a horror juggernaut. Such as when they released more monster films like Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Wolfman. Only rarely would some of the creatures interact among each other. Mostly in the forms of fights for some. The series lasted for twenty years. 

        It wasn’t until Universal remade The Mummy in 1999 that prompted them to gradually remake their classic monster films in the 2000s. Unfortunately, the Tom Cruise version of The Mummy was supposed to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe by calling the universe it’s set the Dark Universe. The movie wasn’t good and all plans were scrapped. That is until Blumhouse and Universal made a unique take on The Invisible Man last year. 

3. The Spanish Version

        Little do people know that there exists a Spanish cinematic version of Dracula. It’s one of the rare instances where the two productions were being filmed in the same time and being released simultaneously. I’ve even read that it’s actually superior to the Bela Lugosi one. Having seen tidbits, it’s more cinematic and it doesn’t hold back on the level of violence. So there you go, a second recommendation if you’re interested. 

4. Overall 

        To say that the film is important is underselling it. Every spoof or reference can be traced back to this film. We wouldn’t even have the Count Chocula’s cereal that only comes out every October. Bela Lugosi’s Dracula is an absolute classic for cinema and for horror.