Horror of Dracula (1958)

Jonathan Harker begets the ire of Count Dracula after he accepts a job at the vampire's castle under false pretenses.

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay), Bram Stoker (novel)

Stars:

Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Cushing	...	Doctor Van Helsing
Christopher Lee	...	Dracula / Count Dracula
Michael Gough	...	Arthur
Melissa Stribling	...	Mina
Carol Marsh	...	Lucy
Olga Dickie	...	Gerda
John Van Eyssen	...	Jonathan
Valerie Gaunt	...	Vampire Woman
Janina Faye	...	Tania (as Janine Faye)
Barbara Archer	...	Inga
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Doctor Seward
George Merritt	...	Policeman
George Woodbridge	...	Landlord
George Benson	...	Official
Miles Malleson	...	Undertaker

Storyline

After Jonathan Harker attacks Dracula at his castle (apparently somewhere in Germany), the vampire travels to a nearby city, where he preys on the family of Harker's fiancée. The only one who may be able to protect them is Dr. van Helsing, Harker's friend and fellow-student of vampires, who is determined to destroy Dracula, whatever the cost.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | dracula | castle | journal | librarian | 

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Taglines:

The terrifying lover who died - yet lived!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dracula 1958

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£81,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Colour by) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes numerous liberties with the story of Bram Stoker's novel, including (SPOILERS FOLLOW): In the novel Dracula can transform into a bat, a wolf, a horde of rats, and a mist, whilst in the film he does not have these abilities. * Dracula is an old man at the beginning of the story in the novel and becomes younger as he feeds on blood, whilst in the film he stays the same age throughout. * Dracula has only one bride in the film and is killed by Jonathan Harker, whilst in the novel Dracula has three brides and they are killed by Van Helsing. * In the film Mina is Arthur's wife and Lucy is Arthur's sister and Jonathan's fiancée, whilst in the novel Mina is Jonathan's fiancée and unrelated to Arthur, and Lucy is Arthur's fiancée. * Dr. Seward, a major character in the novel, appears only briefly in the film. * Dracula is killed in the film by Van Helsing, who exposes him to sunlight, whilst in the novel Dracula is killed by Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris (a character not included in the film), who cut his throat and impaled his heart simultaneously with knives. * Sunlight is lethal to vampires in the film, whilst in the novel it merely reduces their supernatural powers. * In the novel Jonathan Harker visits Dracula's castle to sell him real estate, unaware that he is a vampire, whilst in the film he visits Dracula's castle with the knowledge of his vampire nature and the intention to kill him, posing as a librarian. * In the novel Jonathan Harker survives the events of the story, whilst in the film he is turned into a vampire and killed by Van Helsing. * In the novel Dracula's castle is in Transylvania and Jonathan, Mina, Lucy, and Arthur live in England, whilst in the film Dracula's castle is in Klausenburg and only a short distance from the city in which Jonathan, Mina, Lucy, and Arthur live. * In the novel Dracula hides in England in Carfax Abbey, a property he purchased from Jonathan Harker, whilst in the film he hides in the cellar of Arthur's home. In the novel he transports a large number of crates of his native soil to England via ship, and in the film transports only a single coffin filled with his native soil to Arthur's home via carriage.

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Goofs

About a quarter of an hour into the film, immediately following the scene where Dracula attacks Harker and then carries the vampire woman out from the library, there is an establishing shot of the outside of Dracula's castle. It looks motionless, but on closer inspection, a dark figure can be seen rushing past the bushes around the entrance to the castle. The most probable explanation is that it is, in fact, the top of Dracula's carriage, and the shot was originally filmed for the scene a few minutes later when the carriage rushes past Van Helsing on his first trip to the castle. However, the carriage is so indistinguishable in long-shot, the editors obviously abandoned it and used it here instead.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jonathan Harker: [narrating his diary] The Diary of Jonathan Harker... Third of May, 1885. At last, my long journey is drawing to its close. What the eventual end will be, I cannot foresee. But whatever may happen, I can rest secure that I will have done all in my power to achieve success.

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Connections

Followed by Scars of Dracula (1970)

User Reviews

Hammer's Masterpiece

Hammer made several classic horror movies : The Curse Of Frankenstein, The Curse Of The Werewolf, Dracula - Prince Of Darkness, The Devil Rides Out, She, The Quatermass trilogy amongst others. However for me, their first Dracula movie is a true horror masterpiece.

Although based on the novel by Bram Stoker, the movie doesn't even try to adapt the book. Jimmy Sangster simply took the characters and events he needed, and went off and did his own movie, and it works brilliantly.

Jonathon Harker arrives at Castle Dracula under the guise of being Dracula's new librarian. Actually however, he's there to destroy the vampire. When he fails, Dracula wrecks vengeance on Harker's fiancé and family, while Van Helsing arrives in the hope of ending what Harker couldn't....

As I said, nothing like the novel but it doesn't matter. This is the best Dracula movie ever made.

To begin with, the set design by Bernard Robinson is superb. His design of the castle is fantastic. Jack Asher, the cinematographer does a stunning job lighting the movie, especially Dracula's first appearance. The music by James Bernard, taking it's cues from the title, Dracula, is wonderful, bringing excitement, dread, fear and everything you could ask for.

Terence Fisher, Hammer's most important director, keeps things going at a brisk pace, staging some brilliant set-pieces. Fisher made most of the early horror classics: The Curse Of Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Curse Of The Werewolf. He also made many more movies for Hammer, but this is his finest movie.

Where Hammer got lucky was Christopher Lee. His Dracula performance is gripping. He's charming when he needs to be - watch the brilliance of his first appearance. He appears at the stop of the stairs looking menacing, thanks to the lighting and music, then walks down the stairs and introduces himself! Brilliant.

But Lee is scary and terrifying as he needs to be, when stalking Mina and Lucy, but also almost passionate with them. And he proves a worthy adversary for Van Helsing....

...which brings me to Peter Cushing. Simply put the best Van Helsing on screen, played by the best actor ever in the horror genre. Cushing brings compassion to Van Helsing (watch the scene with the child in the graveyard) but also determination and obsession at ridding the world of evil. Even though he made a lot of horror movies in his career, and thus is somewhat under-rated as an actor, he never gave a bad performance and here like Lee he is at the top of his game. it's no wonder that they both became like a double-act in horror movies!! Although by todays standard, some of the acting may appear wooden, or 'ham(!)' and some of the effects, especially in the movie's stunning climax may have dated the movie as a whole has not.

It's still a battle between good v evil, which reaches a climax in a brilliant finale in the castle as Darcula and Van Helsing face each other. If you watch carefully, you'll see it's Van Helsing's knowledge that wins out, not strength.

When I saw this a child it scared the hell out of me. Time and repeated showings may have weakened the scare factor of this movie, but this is still,and will always be, my favorite horror movie.