31 Days of Halloween: Day 6

Dracula (1931) Director: Tod Browning

Moving on from Italian horror films, I am now starting the next phase of this month, which will focus on monster movies.  The first up is Tod Browning's Dracula, staring Bela Lugosi.  Dracula can be seen as the movie the really kicked off the Universal Studios monster cycle of films than ran until the mid 1950's.  The real first monster movie the studio produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), starring Lon Chaney Sr., but when most people think of Universal Studios monsters, the usually think of it starting with Dracula in 1931.  What followed were numerous sequels to the original Dracula, as well as other monster franchises such as Frankenstein and The Wolf Man. 

As a little kid, these were the movies I always checked out from the library and watched over and over.  They hold a special place in my heart, and I still love watching them now.  I would watch them on VHS and each movie in the collection would have a great preview advertising the whole set.  When Universal released the Blu-ray set, they used the same guy to do the voice-over for the set, which was nice nod to the good old days.

Dracula is loosely based on the novel by Bram Stoker, and opens with a man by the name of Renfield traveling to Count Dracula's castle to discuss the details of a lease on a home in England.  Dracula takes Renfield under his power and the two travel to London where Dracula unleashes his terror on the young women of the night.  To oppose the monster is Dr. Van Helsing, who knows all about vampires and their weaknesses.

Browning's film is only 75 minutes long, and the whole thing flies by.  Clearly influenced by earlier German Expressionist films by F. W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, the entire look of the film is dominated by dark shadows and exaggerated, Gothic set design.  It's also worth noting that Murnau himself directed his own, unofficial, adaptation of Stoker's novel; the now famous Nosferatu, starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok.

Lugosi's performance is one of the most legendary in cinematic history, and his interpretation is now synonymous with the character.  The slow pace at which he speaks throughout the film adds an eerie and unnatural level to the character without the need for any sort of special effect.  At times, it almost produces the same sort of surreal quality found in the films of David Lynch.  One of the great film tragedies is that Lugosi struggled to find work throughout the rest of his career, and only once reprised the role of Dracula on film in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).  He did play another notable "vampire" in Todd Browning's own Mark of the Vampire (1935), which is a remake the lost film, London After Midnight (1927).  Unfortunately, the film and the performance are not nearly on the same level as Dracula. 

Edward Van Sloan does a terrific job as Van Helsing, being able to match Lugosi's own screen presence, which helps to create terrific tension in the scenes that the two share.  His calm and calculating nature contrasts well with the uncertainty and panic of all the others on screen.  Most of the conflict between Van Helsing and Dracula is a battle of words, rather than strength, and the one scene where Dracula lunges at the doctor is impeccably shot with Van Helsing quickly pulling out a crucifix.

You have no power here!

One other performance that I do not think garners enough attention is that of Dwight Frye as the madman, Renfield.  He plays crazy exceptionally well, and never goes too far as to make it a caricature.  His wild nature works well against Lugosi's slow and controlled demeanor, making the two a good pair as partners in crime.  What really sells his performance, though, is his creepy laugh.  It's one of the best laughs in movie history.

Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh...

While perhaps not as grand or memorable as some of the latter Universal Monster movies, Dracula is without question one of the true classics of cinema, if maybe only for Lugosi's legendary portrayal of the monster.  There is much to love in this film if you are a fan of monster movies in general, and has enough atmosphere to keep casual audiences engaged.