Dracula

film by Browning [1931]

Written by Lee Pfeiffer

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Article History

Dracula, American horror film, released in 1931, that is considered one of the early classics of the genre. Bela Lugosi’s performance as the vampire Count Dracula is widely acknowledged as the definitive portrayal of the character, who first appeared in Bram Stoker’s novel of the same name.

The film is based on a 1920s stage adaptation of Stoker’s novel. As it begins, English solicitor R.M. Renfield (played by Dwight Frye) undertakes a harrowing journey by stagecoach through the Carpathian Mountains to reach the Transylvanian castle of Count Dracula (Lugosi), for whom he is arranging the lease of an abbey in London. At the castle, Dracula, whom Renfield does not know is a vampire, drugs his guest and then feeds on his blood. By the time the two arrive by sea in London, the weakened Renfield has become a raving lunatic, and the ship’s entire crew is dead. While Renfield is committed to an asylum, Dracula roams London in search of young female victims. After meeting Mina Seward (Helen Chandler) and her friend Lucy (Frances Dade) at a theatre, he attacks both in their sleep, killing the latter. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), a doctor who has examined Renfield, soon determines that Dracula is a vampire. Dracula eventually manages to transform Mina into a vampire as well and conveys her to the abbey, but Van Helsing pursues him there and, protected by a crucifix, impales him with a wooden stake. As Dracula is killed, Mina returns to her normal state and is reunited with her fiancé, John Harker (David Manners).

The centerpiece of the film is Lugosi’s interpretation of Count Dracula, which he had originated on Broadway in 1927. His halting speech, in his own thick Hungarian accent, contributes to the frightening appeal of the film, along with its eerie atmosphere, long tension-raising pauses, and lack of music. The original theatrical release featured an epilogue in which Van Sloan warned audiences that vampires do indeed exist. Afraid of offending religious groups, the studio later cut this ending, in accordance with Hollywood’s Production Code, for a 1936 rerelease of the film; the original ending was subsequently lost. The commercial success of Dracula helped establish Universal Pictures as the premier studio for horror pictures, with Frankenstein following soon thereafter. In 1998 composer Philip Glass was commissioned to write a musical score for Dracula, and the newly scored version was made available on home video.