Count Dracula (1970)

Count Dracula, a gray-haired vampire who regains his youth by dining on the blood of maidens, is pursued in London and Transylvania by Professor Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris after he victimizes them and their loved ones.

Director:

Jesús Franco (as Jesse Franco, Jess Franco, Jesus Franco Manera)

Writers:

Bram Stoker (novel), Erich Kröhnke (story) (as Erik Krohenke)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Klaus Kinski

Cast

Cast overview:
Christopher Lee	...	Count Dracula
Herbert Lom	...	Professor Van Helsing
Klaus Kinski	...	Renfield
Maria Rohm	...	Mina
Fred Williams	...	Jonathan (as Frederick Williams)
Soledad Miranda	...	Lucy
Jack Taylor	...	Quincey
Paul Muller	...	Dr. Seward

Storyline

Count Dracula, a gray-haired vampire who regains his youth by dining on the blood of maidens, is pursued in London and Transylvania by Professor Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris after he victimizes them and their loved ones.

---

Plot Keywords:

drive in classic | grindhouse film | suspense | fear | europe | 

---

Taglines:

The moon is full... the grave is empty... and terror stalks the land!

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Spain West Germany Italy Liechtenstein UK

Language:

English Spanish Italian German

Release Date:

12 October 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Count Dracula

Filming Locations:

Murcia, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmar Compagnia Cinematografica, Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica, Corona Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, location filming was planned to take place in Romania. Unfortunately, this wasn't possible due to the low budget and so Italy was chosen instead.

---

Goofs

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.

---

Quotes

Count Dracula: [howling is heard from outside] The children of the night... what music they make.

---

Crazy Credits

In the opening credits (English and Spanish prints only): "Over fifty years ago Bram Stoker wrote the greatest of all horror stories. Now, for the first time, we retell, exactly as he wrote, one of the first - and still the best - tales of the macabre."

---

Alternate Versions

German DVD includes the scene of a gypsy woman, deleted from the US version.

---

Connections

Version of Drácula (1931)

User Reviews

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.