Horror of Dracula

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Summary: This movie doesn't suck
Review: This is one of the best, if not the best, Hammer film. It's tasteful, intelligent, erotic and fun. Kinda like me.
If only the others had kept this high quality, tightly directed format.

Get it.

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Summary: "Dracula"(1958): greatest film ever made!
Review: This is the greatest film ever made!

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Summary: A PRETTY DECENT PORTRAYAL
Review: HORROR OF DRACULA is a pretty good version of the vampire legend. To be honest, I have only seen three versions of Dracula. They are the original 1931 version, the 1992 version, the novel by Bram Stoker, and HORROR OF DRACULA. Of these four versions, the latter is definately the best. It was told in an interesting and graphic style (unlike the novel) it showed most of the action on stage and wasn't afraid to show some blood and sex (wish the 1931 version had this insight) and still kept Dracula as a villain (the main flaw of the 1992 version.) However, HORROR OF DRACULA is not without its problems. For one thing, it's a little too short, not allowing enough time for suspense to build. Second, Christopher Lee isn't given enough dialouge, the King Vampire should be more than just a monster. Third, there is no deception on Dracula's part. Harker goes to the castle knowing Dracula is a vampire, but Dracula doesn't. When Van Helsing reveals a vampire is behind the strange events, he can already pinpoint who the vampire is. Dracula, in this movie, has lost his power to deceive and manipulate, resorting to elusiveness instead. It's still a good movie, there are plenty of heart stopping scenes, like when Dracula finishes drinking Lucy's blood, when Harker becomes a vampire, and the clash of the titans when Van Helsing combats Dracula. So, while this is a good Dracula movie, I feel better could be done if I had my way.

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Summary: Christopher Lee's First And Best Dracula Movie
Review: I rented this movie because I have recently become a fan of British horror film actor Christopher Lee. Terence Fisher's "The Horror Of Dracula" is a must-see for all horror fans.

Vampire hunter Jonathan Harker attempts to destroy Count Dracula(Christopher Lee) but fails and becomes a vampire himself. Dracula then sets his sights on Harker's fiancee and her family. Harker's friend and fellow vampire hunter, Doctor Van Helsing(Peter Cushing), sets out to stop Dracula without failure.

Christopher Lee played Dracula in more than half-a-dozen films but "The Horror of Dracula" features his first and best outing as this character. The movie is very suspenseful and exciting. Jimmy Sangster's screenplay for this picture is perhaps the best of all the Christopher Lee-Dracula movies; "The Horror Of Dracula" has none of the logic and continuity problems that would plague many of the later movies. Peter Cushing is a great Van Helsing. The special effects at the end of the movie are awesome, particularly considering that this movie was made long before the era of computer-generated special effects.

If you only see one Christopher Lee-Dracula movie, make it Terence Fisher's "The Horror Of Dracula."

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Summary: Chilling!!! With Great Music Score To Boot......
Review: This is the grand-daddy of all Dracula motion pictures! Christopher Lee was born to play the Prince of Darkness! Excellent on every level.....Acting, music (which is awesome in its intensity), lighting, atmosphere, the works! This 1958 horror outing was Mr. Lee's first (of eight) times that he portrayed the undead bloodsucker....and I think the best of the lot. Although, he is good in all other seven films as well, including 6 sequels in this Hammer series.

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Summary: Lee and Cushing. The best nemesises ever
Review: My last name is VanHelsing, no I kid you not it is as you see it. I have watched many versions of Dracula in my life, but none can compare with the Hammer version of Horror of dracula! Though the story isn't close to the book, it does have the terror and suspence that Bram stoker had writen down in his book over a century ago. Christopher Lee for me is the ultimate Dracula, his proformance as the evil and hipnotic Dracula is something to be admired. he is a comanding presence that can't be ignored. You can see in the Horror of Dracula that from the moment we see the Count until the mamoth battle at the end that Lee comamnds the film and actors(even though he doesn't speak much or isn't on film). Peter cushing is excellent as Lees nemisis Professor VanHelsing, he comes across as a man who knows exactly what he is doing. As the Professor he is more well writen into the role, even more so than other actors who portraid the strong and un-nerving figure(Such as Olivier, Hopkins , van Sloan and Plummer). The setting for the movie is quite good, from the opening credits with the statue of the eagle to the ending with the ring and dust. My absolute favorite scene (as I am sure with other fans of the Movie) is the battle scene towards the end between Dracula and VanHelsing. It is well executed. I dont think that there will ever be a vampire movie that there will ever be another movie like it, and if Cushing and Lee played the roles of Dracula and VanHelsing today it would indeed be a spectacular film to see.

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Summary: A movie best seen on Halloween.
Review: First and most shocking of the Hammer Dracula series with Christopher Lee as the Count who targets the wife of a man (Michael Gough) whose brother was also muredered by the count, and Peter Cushing playing Dr. Van Helsing who must destroy the count and prevenet any more humans from falling to the curse of the vampire. Gory and shocking, but also good acting, and the Gothic era setting makes for spooky viewing.

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Summary: I saw this movie when it was new, and.....
Review: now, 43 years later, it is still at the top of my list as one of the best Dracula movies of all time. True, it does deviate from Bram Stoker's novel quite a bit, but nothing is lost in the telling.

As a twelve year old boy, in 1958, I remember well sitting in the dark of my home town movie theater waiting for this movie to start. I watched as Jonathon Harker walks to the castle to start work for the Count as his librarian. Gradually, the movie progresses to Harker's looking around a seemingly deserted castle and finding his supper waiting for him on a table in the Great Room. Suddenly, as he is eating, he knocks some flatware off of the table and notices a woman behind the door. She begs him to help her escape from the evil castle. Next, she nuzzles up to the old boy, looks up at him. She then bares her teeth, and goes right for his old jugular vein.

At this time, I realized that this was unlike any other vampire movie I had ever seen. Next, a door flies open, and there is Chris Lee; eyes bloodshot, and baring the longest, bloodiest fangs I've ever seen. Let me tell you: I found out, at that moment, just what getting the [heck] scared out of you meant.

Still today, this is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. None of the sequels ever measured up to it, and I am deeply disappointed that the powers-that-be chose to come out with some of the lesser sequels, on DVD, and not this one. This is a crime, and I hope that it is corrected in the very near future.

BUY THIS [MOVIE]!! EVEN IN VHS FORM, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!

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Summary: The epic Hammer version of Van Helsing versus Dracula
Review: "The Horror of Dracula" is perhaps the finest film produced by the Hammer Studio. At the very least, it epitomized the Hammer style at its best. Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing gets a welcome respite from playing Victor Frankenstein while Christopher Lee quickly enter screen immortality as Count Dracula in one of the few Hammer films that allowed the vampire to have recognizable dialogue instead of inarticulate animalistic howls and the like. Jimmy Sangster's script streamlines Bram Stoker's novel, eliminating the Renfield character and subplot, and taking a more direct approach by having Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) come to Castle Dracula for the purpose of staking the Count. After Harker's initial attempt fails, Van Helsing has to save his friend's soul and then protect Jonathan's fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh), her brother Arthur (Michael Gough) and his wife Mina (Melissa Stribling), as Dracula's hit list grows. The names of the characters are the same as Stoker's novel, but the relationships have certainly changed. The strength of this film is Cushing's Van Helsing, a character as dynamic as the vampire he pursues. When Dracula is dispatched it is because the good doctor's brains are backup by some compelling physical action. Bernard Robinson's set designs for Castle Dracula belie the fact this film was produced for under $200,000 and the script's overt violence and subtle eroticism certainly plays to the strengths of director Terence Fisher. Of the eight Dracula films produced by Hammer, "The Horror of Dracula" is definitely the first and the best.

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Summary: Without A Doubt, Hammer's Finest Work!
Review: Several years ago, I got into a conversation with two friends. It was around Halloween and the subject turned to horror movies. The question was then asked, "What's your favorite vampire movie?" One friend said Salem's Lot, the other picked Bram Stoker's Dracula from 1992(Gary Oldman-Winona Ryder version). Without hesitation, I picked this film. From the moment, the opening credits come on the screen with James Bernard's chilling theme playing, you know you're watching classic horror at its finest. Christopher Lee provides the right combination of good looks, personal charm, eroticism, and at the same time animalistic terror in his portrayal of the Count. It is a performance clearly unmatched in the six sequels he later did. Peter Cushing is excellent as Professor Van Helsing, combining the perfect balance of kindness and compassion with a single minded purpose and devotion in destroying Dracula. Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, and Carol Marsh are terrific in supporting roles, especially Gough as Arthur Holmwood. It is an excellent retelling of the Stoker tale, although some of the elements and settings from the book are clearly omitted. The film's climax with Dracula and Van Helsing battling each other in the Count's library of the castle is the best ending to a horror film I've ever seen capping an outstaning directorial effort by Terence Fisher. I've been a huge fan of Hammer Horror most of my life and this is without a doubt their best film ever. A must see for any fan of the horror genre.