Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers (WGA):

Mel Brooks (screenplay) &
Rudy De Luca (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Plot:

Another spoof from the mind of Mel Brooks. This time he's out to poke fun at the Dracula myth. Basically...

Plot Keywords:

Spoof | Vampire Bite | Vampire Bat | Stabbed Through The Heart | Hammer

Cast

Leslie Nielsen	...	Count Dracula
Peter MacNicol	...	R.M. Renfield
Steven Weber	...	Jonathan Harker
Amy Yasbeck	...	Mina Murray
Lysette Anthony	...	Lucy Westenra
Mel Brooks	...	Dr. Abraham Van Helsing
Harvey Korman	...	Dr. Jack Seward
Mark Blankfield	...	Martin
Megan Cavanagh	...	Essie
Clive Revill	...	Sykes
Chuck McCann	...	Innkeeper
Avery Schreiber	...	Peasant on Coach
Cherie Franklin	...	Peasant on Coach
Ezio Greggio	...	Coach Driver
Leslie S. Sachs	...	Usherette (as Leslie Sachs)

Also Known As:

Dracula mort et heureux de l'être (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for comedic sensuality and gore.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #33994) | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-3 (video rating) (1996) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Culver City Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

For the scene in which Steven Weber puts a stake in Lucy's heart, Mel did not tell him that he would be subsequently covered in 200 gallons of blood, so that his reaction would appear natural.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dracula flies down from Renfield's cell window, the black cable on the stuntman's back is visible.

Quotes:

Van Helsing: Why don't we have a look at the brain?
Woodbridge: [smiling] Mhm.
Van Helsing: First we crack open the skull, like so.
[bashes the corpse's head with a big hammer]
Van Helsing: Behold the naked human brain... Examine it!
[throws the brain to Woodbridge]
Woodbridge: [screams and faints]

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Dance of the Vampires (1967)

Soundtrack:

Roses From the South

Very funny

Renfield set out to find Count Dracula in Transylvania, and it was immediately clear from people's reactions that this would be a funny movie. Eventually, Renfield and Dracula ended up on a ship, and in England, Dracula began causing problems for Dr. Seward, the man running an asylum, and his daughters. Renfield was apparently Dracula's servant by this time. Dr. Van Helsing was called in to find out what was going on.

I like this kind of comedy. It wasn't 'Naked Gun' or 'Airplane!' but Leslie Nielsen, Harvey Korman and Mel Brooks were very good given the material. I didn't care for the blood and gore, but sometimes the gore was not violent, just silly. Some highlights:

When one hypnotizes someone, that person must be sure that when he says to forget everything you've been told by the hypnotist, that this applies only after you have done what the hypnotist said to do. Dracula did not.

Dracula hypnotized Mina and Essie at the same time.

One person who turned into a vampire had to be killed for good with a stake.

I'm not saying whether this was accomplished, only that the attempt was hilarious.

'Oh, yes, we have Nosferatu.'

Dracula danced in front of a mirror. Great special effects, good choreography since the partner had to know what to do alone.