Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

"Horror of Dracula" may not be a faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic Gothic vampire tale, in fact far from it, but it is a fine take of Stoker's novel.In this version, Jonathan Harker goes to Dracula's castle at the beginning under the guise of a librarian, but he actually knows what Dracula is and his purpose is to destroy him. Unfortunately, he is killed by Dracula and the vampire goes to London to prey upon Harker's fiancee, Lucy Holmwood [yes, they changed the names too], and later on Mina Holmwood, Lucy's sister-in-law. It is left to Van Helsing [Peter Cushing] and Arthur Holmwood [Lucy's brother and Mina's husband] to destroy the monster.

Christopher Lee, in his first portrayal of the evil Count Dracula, may not have much screen time, but he makes the most of the limited time he does have. His Count is sensual and evil at the same time - exerting a hypnotic effect upon his female victims that have them eagerly disrobing for the count's pleasure [and fangs:)].

Peter Cushing does an amazing job as Dr Van Helsing, vampire hunter and his commanding presence and determination to hunt down and destroy the monster that is Dracula is so credibly done that I was cheering him on all through the movie.

The female victims are suitably beautiful and helpless in the face of Dracula's charm and manipulations, and though this movie doesn't exactly scream big budget, I thought the production values were pretty decent - the vivid colors, the sets and scenery all enhanced the movie experience.There is a genuine atmosphere of menace that is effectively conveyed via the creepy score and sets.

This is the first horror movie I watched [back on TV when I was ten] and I remember being so absolutely terrified that I slept with a pillow covering my neck for a long time afterwards! Watching it now, the terror effect may be somewhat diminished but my appreciation of the movie and the acting is very much intact. A must-have for fans of Dracula and especially Lee and Cushing.

This film marked a new beginning for vampire movies being in color and actually showing stakings. Christopher Lee was savage and yet sexual in his approach to his victims, combining the suaveness of Bela with a beastial attitude. "Dracula" as this film is known in the UK, was a great success for Hammer Films and led to six sequels. The cast is well chosen and they play their roles to the hilt. I believe this is the best Dracula movie ever made. I highly recommend it to anyone.