Count Dracula (1970) Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (original title)

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Bram Stoker (novel) and
Jesus Franco
(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 | Beautiful Woman | Gothic Horror | Child Murder

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
Jesus Franco		(as Jesús Franco)
Erich Kröhnke		German version
Harry Alan Towers		(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
Alberto Proust	....	assistant camera
Javier Pérez Zofio	....	camera operator (as Javier P. Zofio)

Other crew
Ana María Esteva	....	direction secretary

Production Companies

• Corona Filmproduktion
• Filmar Compagnia Cinematografica (co-production)
• Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica (co-production)
• Towers of London (associate)

Distributors

• Gloria Filmverleih AG (1970) (West Germany) (theatrical) (special edition)
• 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)
• National Telefilm Associates (NTA) (197?) (USA) (TV)
• Olive Films (2012) (Canada) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Olive Films (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Pack-In-Video (1984) (Japan) (VHS)
• Toppic (19??) (West Germany) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Perís Hermanos  wardrobe

Also Known As:

"Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht" - Spain (original title)
"Bram Stoker's Count Dracula" - USA (complete title)

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 | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Argentina:16 | 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:

Crew or equipment visible: The shadows of various crew members can be seen in several scenes throughout the movie, most noticeably in the first scene set in Renfield's cell.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Dracula vs. Frankenstein (#4.11)" (2010)

A True Classic!

Jess Franco's adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel is brilliant. It would take 22 years before Coppola made another version of the story, which is as fantastic as Franco's film.

Christopher Lee is astonishing as Dracula (as usual), while Herbert Lom excels as Van Helsing. The rest of the cast, including Maria Rohm as Mina, Soledad Miranda as Lucy and Klaus Kinski as Renfield, are superb.

The film works well because it relies on atmosphere and mood, rather than resorting to gore every few minutes. That's what you rarely see in a horror film these days, which is a shame, as films that use these techniques frighten more.

Christopher Lee is the greatest Count Dracula of all time, probably more famous than Bela Lugosi or Max Schreck, the bald-headed creature of the night in the silent movie Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens, also known as Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

A marvellous vampire film!