Horror of Dracula (1958)
"Dracula" (original title)

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 ... See full summary »

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	...	Count Dracula
Michael Gough	...	Arthur
Melissa Stribling	...	Mina Holmwood
Carol Marsh	...	Lucy Holmwood
Olga Dickie	...	Gerda
John Van Eyssen	...	Jonathan Harker
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	...	Frontier Official
Miles Malleson	...	Undertaker - J. Marx

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:

dracula | count | vampire | castle | female vampire | 

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Taglines:

Who Will Be His Bride Tonight?

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Genres:

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 Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cape worn by Christopher Lee was discovered in 2007 in a London costume shop during its annual inventory-taking. It had been missing for 30 years, and is believed to be worth around $50,000 (US$). Lee was contacted to verify its authenticity.

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Goofs

In the finale, as Van Helsing moves to tears the drapes down, Dracula throws himself to the floor and reacts to the sunlight - before the sunlight actually hits him.

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Quotes

Arthur: [Chasing Dracula] even if he gets away.
Doctor Van Helsing: [shouts loudly] He would hide in the castle vaults for years we would lose him there
Arthur: And Mina.

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Connections

Spoofed in Lisztomania (1975)

User Reviews

Is This The Best Dracula Film? Maybe!

I'm not a big fan of horror films but I was very impressed with this one, titled "Horror Of Dracula." (For some reason, it's just called "Dracula" here on the IMDb site.

This is a solid re-telling of the Dracula story with some legitimate thrills provided to the viewer along with pretty photography and sets and a tasteful lack of blood.

I'm curious how this looks and sounds on DVD. Story-wise, they might have embellished some of the action scenes and made Dracula a little more powerful. (I can't see him feeling a regular human being which he did here in the end.) Other than that, it's a well-done movie with no exaggerated characters, nice colors, no problem understanding accents....one of the better Dracula films ever made, just maybe the best. It's that good!

It also features two of the best classic 'horror" actors of all-time: Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Highly recommended, particularly for people who might be hesitant to watch a "Dracula" film. I'll think you'll like this version.