Horror of Dracula

Original title: Dracula

1958
Approved
1h 22m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

29K

YOUR RATING

Christopher Lee in Horror of Dracula (1958)

Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video

Play trailer2:16

1 Video

99+ Photos

Vampire Horror Drama Horror

When Jonathan Harker rouses the ire of Count Dracula for accepting a job at the vampire's castle under false pretenses, his friend Dr. Van Helsing pursues the predatory villain.When Jonathan Harker rouses the ire of Count Dracula for accepting a job at the vampire's castle under false pretenses, his friend Dr. Van Helsing pursues the predatory villain.When Jonathan Harker rouses the ire of Count Dracula for accepting a job at the vampire's castle under false pretenses, his friend Dr. Van Helsing pursues the predatory villain.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

29K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations

Trivia
Sir Christopher Lee (Dracula) has only sixteen lines in the entire film, all dispensed by the 10 minute mark.

Goofs
The coffin Dracula uses in the undertaker's cellar has a large cross on the lid. Dracula could not touch that lid to get into the coffin.

Quotes
Doctor Van Helsing: What are you afraid of?
Landlord: I don't understand you.
Doctor Van Helsing: Why all these garlic flowers? And over the window? And up here? They're not for decoration, are they?

Alternate versions
The film was cut for its original cinema release by the BBFC in 1958 to remove shots of blood during Lucy's staking and to reduce the final disintegration of Dracula. For later UK video and DVD releases the U.S print (titled "Horror Of Dracula") was used as this restored the staking scene in full, although the climactic disintegration remained edited (and may no longer survive). In May 2007 a new BFI 'restored' print was premiered in Cannes which includes the staking and restores the original title of "Dracula" to the opening titles.

Connections
Edited into Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

User reviews273

Review

Featured review

8/10

Hammer sink their teeth into Dracula.

Jimmy Sangster's script for Horror of Dracula (the first of Hammer's popular vampire series) plays it fast and loose with Stoker's classic novel in almost every department, changing the nature of Jonathan Harker's visit to Castle Dracula, omitting the bloodsucker's overseas excursion to Whitby entirely, and even doing away with my favourite character from the book, bug-eating loon Renfield.

Despite this radical reworking of the source material, the film is still a highly enjoyable slice of Gothic horror, one that I found a far more satisfying movie overall than Tod Browning's 1931 version, which I felt suffered from stagy direction and a somewhat hammy central performance from Lugosi.

With director Terence Fisher's understanding of the medium of film and his cast's greater experience in front of a camera, Horror of Dracula flows much more smoothly and delivers sumptuous sets, rich colour photography, and bags of creepy atmosphere into the bargain. The film is also notable for pushing the boundaries for what was acceptable in terms of sexuality and bloodletting in UK horror, establishing the winning formula for much of Hammer's output in decades to come.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.