Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (1970)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Bram Stoker (novel) and
Dietmar Behnke (dialogue: German version)
(more)

Release Date:

1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Jess Franco's version of the Bram Stoker classic has Count Dracula as an old man who grows younger whenever he dines on the blood of young maidens.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Dracula | Vampire | Child Murder | Infanticide

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Count Dracula
Herbert Lom	...	Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Klaus Kinski	...	R.M Renfield
Soledad Miranda	...	Lucy Westenra
Maria Rohm	...	Mina Murray
Fred Williams	...	Jonathan Harker
Paul Muller	...	Dr. John Seward (as Paul Müller)
Jack Taylor	...	Quincey Morris
Jesús Puente	...	Minister of Interior
José Martínez Blanco	...	Traveller / Dr. Seward (voice: Spanish version) (as J. Martinez Blanco)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Franco Castellani	...	?
Emma Cohen	...	Vampire woman (uncredited)
Jesus Franco	...	Van Helsing's servant (uncredited)
Colette Giacobine	...	Greta, housekeeper (uncredited)
Teresa Gimpera	...	Crying mother (uncredited)
Jeannine Mestre	...	Vampire woman (uncredited)
Moisés Augusto Rocha	...	Servant behind Prof. Van Helsing in Wheelchair (uncredited)

Directed by
Jesus Franco		(as Jesús Franco)

Writing credits
Bram Stoker		(novel "Dracula")
Dietmar Behnke		dialogue: German version
Milo G. Cuccia		italian version
Carlo Fadda		italian version
Augusto Finocchi		writer
Jesus Franco		writer (as Jesús Franco)
Erich Kröhnke		German version
Harry Alan Towers		writer (as Peter Welbeck)

Produced by
Arturo Marcos	....	executive producer
Harry Alan Towers	....	producer

Original Music by
Bruno Nicolai

Cinematography by
Manuel Merino
Luciano Trasatti

Film Editing by
Bruno Mattei
Derek Parsons

Production Design by
Karl Schneider

Set Decoration by
Jack Taylor		(as George O'Brown)

Makeup Department
Adela del Pino	....	hair stylist
Gerry Fletcher	....	makeup artist
José Luis Vázquez	....	assistant makeup artist
Ricardo Vázquez	....	makeup artist

Production Management
José Climent	....	production manager

Art Department
Francisco Gutiérrez	....	property master
Fernando Quejido	....	property master

Sound Department
Joachim Flamme	....	sound

Special Effects by
Sergio Pagoni	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Máximo López	....	still photographer
Javier Pérez Zofio	....	camera operator (as Javier P. Zofio)
Alberto Proust	....	assistant camera

Other crew
Ana María Esteva	....	direction secretary

Production Companies

• Corona Filmproduktion
• Filmar Compagnia Cinematografica
• Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica
• Towers of London (associate)
• Etablissement Sargon
• Korona Film
• Towers Productions

Distributors

• Crystal Pictures Inc. (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• International Film Distributors (1974) (Canada) (theatrical)
• World Entertainment Corp. (1978) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Divisa Home Video (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Dark Sky Films (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Arce Films (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Itálica Films (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Cinefear (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Concorde Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Japan Cinema (????) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Perís Hermanos  wardrobe

Also Known As:

Count Dracula (UK) (USA)
Bram Stoker's Count Dracula
Dracula 71
El conde Drácula (Spain)
Il conte Dracula (Italy)
Il demone nero (Italy)
Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (West Germany)
The Nights of Dracula

Runtime:

98 min | UK:97 min | Sweden:91 min

Country:

Spain | West Germany | Italy | Liechtenstein

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Spain:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Company:

Corona Filmproduktion

Trivia:

This is the first film in which, like in the novel, Dracula begins as an old man and becomes younger as he feeds.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: "Renfield" is misspelled in the end credits as "Reinferd".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cuadecuc, vampir (1970)

Excellent version of Stoker's novel

Filmed in Spain and Germany, Jess Franco's version of the Bram Stoker classic has Count Dracula as an old man who grows younger whenever he dines on the blood of young maidens. This movie is quite faithful to the novel, unlike so many other Dracula films of the period. Starring screen legend Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, it also features Franco regulars Soledad Miranda, Fred Williams, Maria Rohm, Jack Taylor, Klaus Kinski, and Paul Müller. Franco appears in the film (as he does in many of his movies) as a servant to Professor Van Helsing. Franco contributes great direction and a perfectly eerie atmosphere to this low-budget film, which was one of Soledad's most prominent international roles. The talented cast and direction, as well as a fantastic score by Bruno Nicolai, make this one of the best filmed versions of the Dracula story and a great companion to Francis Ford Coppola's version made decades later.