Rating: 
Summary: Rocket scientists couldn't calculate...
Review: how PUERILE, CLICHED and PREDICTABLE this movie was. We just got it Thursday, watched it Saturday and resolved to dispose of it--one way or another...soon thereafter. Despite Mel Brooks and a promising cast with an interesting premise, quite literally, we kept waiting for the funny parts.
Hellooooooooooooooooo?
Funny?
We're still waaaaiiiting!
Yeah sure, there were a few chuckles, but for God's sake(!) how many(!) pratfalls does it take to get it through some thick skulls that once is only remotely funny perhaps 10 years ago(!), twice is just barely humorous and after that it's all just annoying.
This movie instead should have been titled "Humor for the Easily Amused."
Or "Humor for People with Short-Term Memory Deficit."
In the case of the latter, then perhaps with such a pathology the incessant pratfalls would never fail to be funny.
Or perhaps one has to be smoking "weed," or intoxicated, to actually find this "comedy" funny. But consider then that such mood altering substances would equally render all episodes of "Who's the Boss" and "Charles in Charge" funny as well--no small feat indeed. Although this movie doesn't sink to quite THAT level, it's quite sufficient for my tastes.
Now for those of us who prefer REAL horror comedy instead try "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," "Young Frankenstein," "House Part 1" and similar. Blatant stupidity may be funny to some, but for me it's just plain annoying. Frankly I feel as though Mel should have payed ME to watch it, and after his wonderful "Space Balls" and "Young Frankenstein" he has no excuse for such a "stinker" as this one.
Rating:
Summary: What a STINKER
Review: If you are expecting the level of humor and parody ala YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, forget it! What a stinker. A total waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: "Give 'im an enema. It gives 'im a sense of accomplishment."
Review: While not nearly as clever, parodic, or satirical as his cinematic masterpiece YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974), Mel Brooks' 1995 entry DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT is nonetheless a humorous spoof of the classic Dracula films that horror fans will likely regard as a worthy companion piece to the comedy director's magnum opus.
The structure of the tight, well-written script for DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT primarily borrows from that of the classic Universal flick of 1931 that made Bela Lugosi a star, but it also takes lots of playful jabs at Francis Ford Coppola's grandiose 1992 interpretation of Bram Stoker's classic novel and manages a poke or two at the Hammer Studios flicks, starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous count, that were popular in the 1960s and early 1970s. Fans of the horror genre or vampire sub-genre are likely to enjoy this film more than a general audience, as it requires that esoteric inside knowledge to "get" many of the film's funniest jokes.
The casting of deadpan comedic actor Leslie Nielsen as Dracula is a master-stroke, as Nielson's interpretation of a clueless count generates numerous laughs totally independent of the script's laugh lines, yet his performance also greatly enhances the scripted jokes. Also delightfully wonderful is Peter MacNichol's portrayal of the insect-ingesting Renfield. MacNichol does a seemingly dead-on (excuse the pun) impersonation of Dwight Frye's manic performance in the classic 1931 film, yet he also manages to adeptly parody Frye at the same time. It's a performance that has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Director Brooks himself delivers a few good belly laughs in the role of vampire hunter Van Helsing, Steven Weber (of TV's WINGS) is stupendously stoic in the role of Jonathan Harker, and Amy Yasbeck and Lysette Anthony round out the talented cast with their own combination of humor and sexiness.
Overall, the laughs in DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT are more sophomoric and visceral-based than YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. But even if Brooks' more cerebrally satirical sense of humor is missing here, there are still lots of laughs and the director's genuine affection for the classic horror flicks still shows.
The DVD from Warner Home Video offers a mostly pristine anamorphic widescreen transfer of the flick, and the cool extras include the original theatrical trailer and a feature commentary with Brooks, actors Weber and Yasbeck, and the writers who helped Brooks script the film. (Actually, this commentary is much more informative and entertaining than the dull, stoic commentary that Brooks recorded solo for Fox's DVD treatment of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.)
Note: This is a four-star flick for hardcore genre fans, but a general audience probably won't understand the basis for all of the jokes and puns. Thus, the three-star rating given by this reviewer takes the general public into consideration.
Rating: 
Summary: maaaassster!
Review: Doesn't it bug you when people think the older stuff is better than the new, even when the new is clearly better? Classic doesn't always mean "best," and this is the case with Mel Brooks. "Dracula: Dead And Loving It" is easily the best Mel Brooks movie ever made, and second place is "Robin Hood: Men In Tights." Yes, "Young Frankenstein" is pretty funny, but it doesn't compare to the hilarity and fun of the previous two I mentioned. But why aren't they mentioned as much? I think it's because YF is older and the style of humor was newer then. It's just like when people say "Saturday Night Live" was best in the 70's - no it wasn't, it was awful and unfunny most of the time, just look at some of the old clips. But at the time, it was fresh and new. It's bound to make for nostalgia. But I stick to my guns here on "Dracula: Dead And Loving It" - it's Brooks' best, it has a HUGE rewatchabality factor to it, and it looks so good that it has the flavor of a high budget historical movie. It really does look that good. Attention to detail and cinematography is phenomenal. I can watch this movie any time, but I think it would be best around Halloween. Horror and humor are best when hand in hand!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have for any Halloween Fan
Review: Let me say at the start that it's the perfect (and required) companion-piece to Mel's own classic, "Young Frankenstein."
That said, I have to admit - this movie grew on me.
When it first came out in 1995 I was still in the military and, though a great fan of Mel's films, I didn't have time to go see it. Given it's evident lack of theatrical success, it was available on VHS shortly there after and I rented it from a local video store.
At first, it was amusing, but not much else.
However, my local renter gave me two weeks to review it and, as I watched with more attention to detail, I grew to appreciate it's comic genius.
Others have written that it's a salute to Universal's 1937 classic "Dracula." It's all of that, but much more. It mocks elements of Frank Langella's sexy 1979 "Dracula," but the most obvious parody is Francis Ford Coppola's much more pretentious "Bram Stoker's Dracula."
Much of the dialogue is lifted, verbatim, from Universal's "Dracula," but given a new twist. For example the theater scene where Leslie Nielsen, as Dracula, attempts to contact Dr. Seward (played by Harvey Korman) and, before entering their opera box, instructs the usherette (played by Leslie Sachs) to "remember nothing of what I have said" - she takes him at his word and throws open the curtains to only stare at Seward & company and wonder blankly why she's there!
Another bit of amusing trivia is the famous stake scene. Steven Weber, playing Jonathon Harker, drives a stake through Lucy Westenra's (portrayed by Lysette Anthony) heart. In the production, no one told Steven that gallons and gallons of fake blood would erupt - and it shows! You can actually see Steven struggle to remember his lines and go on with the show.
One other bit of trivia - if there any Cub Scout Leaders out there who've seen this movie, check me out on this. In the Ball Room scene where Mel Brooks (playing Dr. Van Helsing) is decked out in tuxedo, isn't the medal he's wearing on his lapel a "Tiger Cub Leader" scout medal?
See it - Buy it - Love it. It's very nearly the last of a genre of humor that can be enjoyed by every generation of your family. From the youngest to the oldest, all will find a reason to laugh.
Rating: 
Summary: A fairly decent Mel Brooks film
Review: I have to admit, this movie is not as funny as Mel Brooks' earlier films but I enjoyed anyway. Leslie Neilsen plays Dracula but like Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun series. Mel Brooks is Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. He was hilarious as always. My favorite line in the movie is when Van Helsing, Harker and Harvey Korman's character (I forget his name) are chasing down Peter Macnicol's character and he tries to lose them. "Gentlemen, we are in luck." "Why?" "Because this man is an imbecile." Such a funny movie.
Rating:
Summary: Dead And . . . Loving, Exactly, What?
Review: While adhering remarkably to Bram Stoker's classic novel, Mel Brooks has also carefully recreated the atmosphere of the classic Hammer horror films without sacrificing a bit of his offhand and thoroughly hilarious madness, managing to create a minor classic of his own. While Leslie Nielson is the nominal star of the film, and Brooks himself plays his nemesis Dr. Van Helsing, for my money it is Harvey Korman's scenes which win the film and the day (or, rather, night). The tea-time interview-and-spider-eating scene with Korman as the pompous Dr. Seward and Peter MacNicol as the wheedling Renfield ("It was a raspberry!"), to mention just one example, is not to be missed. There are lots of others. By the way, if you see this film before reading the novel, you just might think the novel is based on the film. Now that really is spooky.
Rating:
Summary: Would you believe... Mel Brooks Best?
Review: I admit it, when I was a teenager this was one of the first Mel Brooks films I had seen, and I just thought it was dumb. I grew up, and figured out that sometimes goofy is FUN. I have seen all of the Mel Brooks classics now and love them all. For fans of Space Balls, Blazing Saddles, Young Frakenstien, Men in Tights, and the Mel Brooks goofy mind set in general, this is a MUST HAVE. One of the very last VHS tapes I had, "Dracula - Dead and Loving It" IS FINALLY ON DVD after all this time (9 YEARS!), its almost too good to be true. Your master commands you, Buy it today, and before you decide to stake it through the heart, watch it at least 2 times.... It has many little hidden things that you can notice that just add to the reply value and fun, as you watch it over and over again. It is now my favorite Mel Brooks film, and one of my favorite top 10 movies of all time! A Comedy Masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Made me P!$$ my pants.
Review: Come on now, it's a Mel Brooks film so you know it's going to be funny. I'm a Dracula fan and love the original story so I was a little curious to see what Brooks would do to it. When I saw the film, my questions were answered and the laughter came in spades.You'll see alot of Brooks' regular actors returning for this one including Harvey Korman, Megan Cavanaugh, Amy Yasbeck, Peter MacNicol, and even Ann Bancroft in a cameo in the beginning of the film. Steven Weber was great as Jonathan Harker as was Brooks as Van Helsing. Leslie Nielson mixed his "Naked Gun" character with Dracula and the results are definately pleasing. But the standout actor in this film is Peter MacNicol as Renfield, Dracula's slave under his power. MacNicol's performance is hands down the best of the film. If you're looking for a good laugh, this film will deliver on every level possible. But this film comes second to Robin Hood: Men In Tights which is Brooks' best film of his career.
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