Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a modern horror masterpiece, and one that too often goes overlooked. A film that is horrifying, intriguing, and astoundingly beautiful, Francis Ford Coppola took Stoker’s masterwork and breathed new, undead life into it in 1992. It recently hit its 25th anniversary, and the film remains a classic piece of horror cinema.
The film opens in 1462, with Vlad Dracula (Gary Oldman) returning from war against the Turks to find that his beloved wife, Elisabeta (Winona Ryder) has killed herself upon receiving false news of his defeat and death. When the priest tells him that her soul cannot be saved and will be forever damned by her suicide, Vlad renounces God in a fit of rage. He desecrates his small chapel, stabbing a stone cross and drinking the blood that begins to ebb from it, embracing eternal life and damnation at the hands of a merciless god.
The film opens in 1462, with Vlad Dracula (Gary Oldman) returning from war against the Turks to find that his beloved wife, Elisabeta (Winona Ryder) has killed herself upon receiving false news of his defeat and death. When the priest tells him that her soul cannot be saved and will be forever damned by her suicide, Vlad renounces God in a fit of rage. He desecrates his small chapel, stabbing a stone cross and drinking the blood that begins to ebb from it, embracing eternal life and damnation at the hands of a merciless god.
- 12/12/2017
- by Emily von Seele
- DailyDead
[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from Season 2 of “Stranger Things.”]
Matt and Ross Duffer have never hidden their inner cinephiles, and Season 2 of “Stranger Things” brings a slew of new homages to horror, action, and adventure films. On top of those are all the ’80s pop culture references essential when making a series set in that decade. Here’s an episode-by-episode breakdown of all the references and homages in the second season (sans music, which will be included in another post).
Read More:‘Stranger Things’ Spoilers Review: All the Traps, Twists, and Troubles of a Thrilling Season 2 “Chapter One: Madmax” “Mad Max” (1979) – The Australian dystopian film starring Mel Gibson inspired Max’s (Sadie Sink) high-score name. “Terminator” (1984) – The title appears on the Hawkins movie theater marquee. The film would have premiered two days before the events of the season begin, which happens to be October 28, 1984. “Ghostbusters” (1984) – The paranormal comedy would have premiered earlier that summer and inspired the main foursome’s Halloween costumes.
Matt and Ross Duffer have never hidden their inner cinephiles, and Season 2 of “Stranger Things” brings a slew of new homages to horror, action, and adventure films. On top of those are all the ’80s pop culture references essential when making a series set in that decade. Here’s an episode-by-episode breakdown of all the references and homages in the second season (sans music, which will be included in another post).
Read More:‘Stranger Things’ Spoilers Review: All the Traps, Twists, and Troubles of a Thrilling Season 2 “Chapter One: Madmax” “Mad Max” (1979) – The Australian dystopian film starring Mel Gibson inspired Max’s (Sadie Sink) high-score name. “Terminator” (1984) – The title appears on the Hawkins movie theater marquee. The film would have premiered two days before the events of the season begin, which happens to be October 28, 1984. “Ghostbusters” (1984) – The paranormal comedy would have premiered earlier that summer and inspired the main foursome’s Halloween costumes.
- 10/29/2017
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
For years, he's brought the dead to life in books like Patient Zero and Rot & Ruin, so it's rather fitting that prolific author Jonathan Maberry has now teamed up with the legendary George A. Romero to co-edit an anthology set within the early stages of the zombie uprising in Night of the Living Dead. Titled Nights of the Living Dead, the new anthology is now available from St. Martin's Press (check out our giveaway here), and to celebrate, we caught up with Maberry for our latest Q&A feature to discuss his work on the living dead dream project, and we also have a claustrophobic excerpt from his short story "Lone Gunman."
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jonathan. How did the opportunity come about to collaborate on a Night of the Living Dead anthology with the legend himself, George A. Romero?
Jonathan Maberry:...
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jonathan. How did the opportunity come about to collaborate on a Night of the Living Dead anthology with the legend himself, George A. Romero?
Jonathan Maberry:...
- 7/11/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
For a group of con men and a descendant of Van Helsing, robbing Dracula's castle could be the score they need to be set for life, but things get complicated when vampires stand in their way of a big payday in Stephan Franck's graphic novel series Silver. With Dark Planet Comics launching a Kickstarter campaign for Silver Volume 3, we had the chance to catch up with Franck for our latest Q&A feature to discuss the influences of Bram Stoker's Dracula on his work, what readers can expect to see in Volume 3, and much more.
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us today, Stephan. When and how did you first come up with the idea for Silver?
Stephan Franck: It’s my pleasure, thank you for having me. Two of my greatest fascinations in story have always been vampires and conmen, and this notion...
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us today, Stephan. When and how did you first come up with the idea for Silver?
Stephan Franck: It’s my pleasure, thank you for having me. Two of my greatest fascinations in story have always been vampires and conmen, and this notion...
- 7/11/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Welcome back to another Comics Corner. This week, we begin with Neil Gaiman's American Gods: Shadows #4 preview pages. Also: Planet of the Apes / Green Lantern #5, Venom #151, Plants vs. Zombies Vol. 7, Regression #2 from the legendary Cullen Bunn, Kill the Minotaur #1 plus five preview pages, and Ghost Island #2 Kickstarter details, while today's flashback section includes Sam & Twitch The Complete Collection Vol.1.
American Gods: Shadows #4: "During an overnight stay at their home, Shadow awakens to a visit from the third of the Zorya sisters: Zorya Polunochnaya. The Midnight Sister’s advice is ethereal and strange, yet vital . . . and Shadow can’t seem to separate reality from the dream world.
The Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, and Nebula Award—winning novel and upcoming Starz television series by Neil Gaiman adapted as a comic series for the first time!
*A Starz TV show!
"Russell’s lyrical layouts bring Gaiman’s visual,...
American Gods: Shadows #4: "During an overnight stay at their home, Shadow awakens to a visit from the third of the Zorya sisters: Zorya Polunochnaya. The Midnight Sister’s advice is ethereal and strange, yet vital . . . and Shadow can’t seem to separate reality from the dream world.
The Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, and Nebula Award—winning novel and upcoming Starz television series by Neil Gaiman adapted as a comic series for the first time!
*A Starz TV show!
"Russell’s lyrical layouts bring Gaiman’s visual,...
- 6/14/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
If you want to suck the blood of the youth, YouTube is a great place to start: Enter “Mina Murray’s Journal,” a 21st century update of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” drawing final blood just in time for Halloween.
Told as a series of vlogs — or video journals, as Mina insists on calling them — the new web series puts Mina Murray center stage, giving her the unfortunate task of visiting Dracula’s mansion in Bucharest, rather than her fiancée (updated to boyfriend) Jonathan. Writer-director James Moran wisely makes use of the novel’s epistolary structure in his adaptation, and the episodes flow naturally between Mina’s vlogs and those made by the three secondary characters: Lucy, Jonathan and Jack. Moran takes liberties with the novel’s plot by centering female characters and playing up Lucy’s romantic interest in Mina, but it’s a welcome revision that honors the spirit of its source material.
Told as a series of vlogs — or video journals, as Mina insists on calling them — the new web series puts Mina Murray center stage, giving her the unfortunate task of visiting Dracula’s mansion in Bucharest, rather than her fiancée (updated to boyfriend) Jonathan. Writer-director James Moran wisely makes use of the novel’s epistolary structure in his adaptation, and the episodes flow naturally between Mina’s vlogs and those made by the three secondary characters: Lucy, Jonathan and Jack. Moran takes liberties with the novel’s plot by centering female characters and playing up Lucy’s romantic interest in Mina, but it’s a welcome revision that honors the spirit of its source material.
- 10/31/2016
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Great news for fans of Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys—an auction of Dwayne's leather jacket and costume is going on right now and will continue until February 26th. Also: a Q&A with Refuge director Andrew Robertson and release details for MST3K: Vol. Xxxv, Venom, and The Hours Till Daylight.
The Lost Boys & Other Entertainment Memorabilia Auction: Press Release: "Prop Store is pleased to bring vampire Dwayne’s (Billy Wirth) Death Scene Leather Jacket and Costume from the 80’s classic The Lost Boys to their online auction site. Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire classic pitted a deadly group of vampires against a pair of brothers in a battle to save their family. The Dwayne vampire jacket on offer comes from the character’s death scene in which Sam (Corey Haim) shoots the vampire with an arrow, sending him back into a stereo which electrocutes him. Resembling a heavily worn biker outfit,...
The Lost Boys & Other Entertainment Memorabilia Auction: Press Release: "Prop Store is pleased to bring vampire Dwayne’s (Billy Wirth) Death Scene Leather Jacket and Costume from the 80’s classic The Lost Boys to their online auction site. Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire classic pitted a deadly group of vampires against a pair of brothers in a battle to save their family. The Dwayne vampire jacket on offer comes from the character’s death scene in which Sam (Corey Haim) shoots the vampire with an arrow, sending him back into a stereo which electrocutes him. Resembling a heavily worn biker outfit,...
- 2/18/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Wim Wenders goes neo-noir in this wonderfully moody character-driven crime tale. Soulful art framer Bruno Ganz is the patsy in a murder scheme, but Dennis Hopper's sociopath / villain has a change of heart and befriends him. This modern classic looks great and features movie directors Nicholas Ray and Samuel Fuller in major guest roles. The American Friend Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 793 1977 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 127 min. / Der Amerikanische Freund / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 12, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Gérard Blain, Nicholas Ray, Samuel Fuller. Cinematography Robby Müller Art Direction Heidi & Toni Lüdi Film Editor Peter Przygodda Original Music Jürgen Knieper Written by Wim Wenders from the novel Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith Produced by Renée Gundelach, Wim Wenders Directed by Wim Wenders
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Fourteen years ago Anchor Bay released a Wim Wenders DVD collection with excellent extras provided by the director himself.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Fourteen years ago Anchor Bay released a Wim Wenders DVD collection with excellent extras provided by the director himself.
- 1/16/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
facebook
twitter
google+
Jokers, circus masters and demonic dolls. Which TV characters terrify you? Den Of Geek asked its writers that very question…
The subconscious is a terrible place; dark, mysterious and peopled by spectres from the past. As a bit of a laugh then, we sent our writers journeying into theirs and asked them to drag out any TV terrors they found lurking in the shadows.
Some television fears had been ensconced there since childhood, others were more recent tenants. Some were morally terrifying; human beings with icy hearts capable of atrocities, others were simply… atrocities.
Join us as we count down in order of terror from the sort-of-creepy to the downright terrifying, the 50 TV characters that, for whatever reason, give our writers chills. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, so feel free to fill in gaps by adding your own peculiar television nightmares below…
50. Charn -...
google+
Jokers, circus masters and demonic dolls. Which TV characters terrify you? Den Of Geek asked its writers that very question…
The subconscious is a terrible place; dark, mysterious and peopled by spectres from the past. As a bit of a laugh then, we sent our writers journeying into theirs and asked them to drag out any TV terrors they found lurking in the shadows.
Some television fears had been ensconced there since childhood, others were more recent tenants. Some were morally terrifying; human beings with icy hearts capable of atrocities, others were simply… atrocities.
Join us as we count down in order of terror from the sort-of-creepy to the downright terrifying, the 50 TV characters that, for whatever reason, give our writers chills. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, so feel free to fill in gaps by adding your own peculiar television nightmares below…
50. Charn -...
- 10/29/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
In 2012, Sony brought a monster mash to the big screen with Hotel Transylvania, an animated comedy take on classic monsters that featured Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula, Kevin James as Frankenstein’s monster, and many more. With the sequel due out next fall, a new addition to the voice cast has been announced: the legendary Mel Brooks, who will voice Dracula’s vampire father, Vlad.
Deadline reports that Mel Brooks will voice Vlad, a character with a serious grumpy side (though he’s smiling in the photo shown above). As many fans of Bram Stoker’s Dracula know, the real life 15th century ruler, Vlad III Dracula, aka Vlad the Impaler, helped inspire the Count Dracula character.
Brooks is no stranger to portraying classic monsters in a comedic way, having helmed and co-written Young Frankenstein 40 years ago. Brooks also directed, co-wrote, and co-starred as Professor Van Helsing in...
Deadline reports that Mel Brooks will voice Vlad, a character with a serious grumpy side (though he’s smiling in the photo shown above). As many fans of Bram Stoker’s Dracula know, the real life 15th century ruler, Vlad III Dracula, aka Vlad the Impaler, helped inspire the Count Dracula character.
Brooks is no stranger to portraying classic monsters in a comedic way, having helmed and co-written Young Frankenstein 40 years ago. Brooks also directed, co-wrote, and co-starred as Professor Van Helsing in...
- 11/26/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Review written by Kevin Scott, MoreHorror.com
Dario Argento’s Dracula (2012)
Director: Dario Argento
Screenplay: Dario Argento, Enrique Cerezo, Stefano Piani, Antonio Tentori, Bram Stoker
Cast: Thomas Kretschmann (Dracula), Marta Gastini (Mina), Asia Argento (Lucy), Unax Ugalde (Jonathan), Rutger Hauer (Van Helsing)
It took me a while to warm up to Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Dracula from 1992. No cape, and morphing from an old guy in a geisha outfit to one of the Doobie Brothers in a Victorian pimp suit. I was accustomed to the refined stylings of Christopher Lee and Frank Langella. I’m glad, because even more takes on the classic vampire tale would follow, and being a purist just isn’t conducive to having an open mind.
There have been Italian vampire tales before, but never by the master of the giallo himself. I’ve got a good friend who summed up Italian horror cinema perfectly.
Dario Argento’s Dracula (2012)
Director: Dario Argento
Screenplay: Dario Argento, Enrique Cerezo, Stefano Piani, Antonio Tentori, Bram Stoker
Cast: Thomas Kretschmann (Dracula), Marta Gastini (Mina), Asia Argento (Lucy), Unax Ugalde (Jonathan), Rutger Hauer (Van Helsing)
It took me a while to warm up to Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Dracula from 1992. No cape, and morphing from an old guy in a geisha outfit to one of the Doobie Brothers in a Victorian pimp suit. I was accustomed to the refined stylings of Christopher Lee and Frank Langella. I’m glad, because even more takes on the classic vampire tale would follow, and being a purist just isn’t conducive to having an open mind.
There have been Italian vampire tales before, but never by the master of the giallo himself. I’ve got a good friend who summed up Italian horror cinema perfectly.
- 2/5/2014
- by admin
- MoreHorror
The death of Richard Matheson on 22 June 2013 marked the end of an amazing career as a novelist and screenwriter. His most enduring legacy will always be as the author of I Am Legend, arguably one of the finest vampire novels ever written. Considered ‘the very peak of paranoid science fiction,’ Matheson’s groundbreaking debut novel is one of the few contemporary vampire stories that came close to the literary excellence of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
With plans of a sequel to the Will Smith misfire I Am Legend (2007) being seriously considered by filmmakers, there is only one thing that fans of Matheson’s outstanding post apocalyptic work are asking “when is there going to be a Proper film version of the book?”
Published in 1954, I Am Legend tells the terrifying tale of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a mysterious airborne virus that has turned everyone, including his wife Virginia and best friend Ben Cortman,...
With plans of a sequel to the Will Smith misfire I Am Legend (2007) being seriously considered by filmmakers, there is only one thing that fans of Matheson’s outstanding post apocalyptic work are asking “when is there going to be a Proper film version of the book?”
Published in 1954, I Am Legend tells the terrifying tale of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a mysterious airborne virus that has turned everyone, including his wife Virginia and best friend Ben Cortman,...
- 1/5/2014
- Shadowlocked
The Big Bang Theory: 8.30pm, E4
Episode two of the seventh series sees friction beween Sheldon and Leonard as the latter returns early from his sea expedition, with only Penny knowing.
Howard has an encounter with a tube of oestrogen cream, making him very emotional, and Raj helps him through.
Dracula: Sky Living, 9pm
The latest version of Bram Stoker's classic stars Jonathan Reys-Meyers as the titular vampire, here posing as American industrialist Alexander Grayson in order to carry out his true revenge on those who ruined his life many centuries ago.
However, Dracula falls for Mina (Jessica De Gouw) who is engaged to journalist Jonathan Harker (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), causing a few problems.
Sleepy Hollow: Universal, 10pm
Sleepy Hollow updates the story of Ichabod Crane to the modern day. Here, headless horseman Crane (Tom Milson) is the final hope for humanity, and so teams up with...
Episode two of the seventh series sees friction beween Sheldon and Leonard as the latter returns early from his sea expedition, with only Penny knowing.
Howard has an encounter with a tube of oestrogen cream, making him very emotional, and Raj helps him through.
Dracula: Sky Living, 9pm
The latest version of Bram Stoker's classic stars Jonathan Reys-Meyers as the titular vampire, here posing as American industrialist Alexander Grayson in order to carry out his true revenge on those who ruined his life many centuries ago.
However, Dracula falls for Mina (Jessica De Gouw) who is engaged to journalist Jonathan Harker (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), causing a few problems.
Sleepy Hollow: Universal, 10pm
Sleepy Hollow updates the story of Ichabod Crane to the modern day. Here, headless horseman Crane (Tom Milson) is the final hope for humanity, and so teams up with...
- 11/7/2013
- Digital Spy
One thing is clear - if you're going to do Dracula, you damn better make sure you're bringing something new to the table. Bram Stoker's original novel has been adapted so many times in so many different ways that it's impossible to even count the clichés. Would this new take on the classic - a co-production between NBC and Sky Living - give us a fresh look on the tale that feels as old as time?
The answer is, well, sort of. Certainly, the show introduced some welcome departures, turning things on their heads by having Dracula and his traditional nemesis Van Helsing working together to bring down the shady Order of the Dragon. That's a twist that could bring some interesting twists, and it's by no means an easy alliance - best friends don't tend to throttle each other.
Other smaller touches worked reasonably well; beheading vampire victims...
The answer is, well, sort of. Certainly, the show introduced some welcome departures, turning things on their heads by having Dracula and his traditional nemesis Van Helsing working together to bring down the shady Order of the Dragon. That's a twist that could bring some interesting twists, and it's by no means an easy alliance - best friends don't tend to throttle each other.
Other smaller touches worked reasonably well; beheading vampire victims...
- 10/31/2013
- Digital Spy
Review Laura Akers 29 Oct 2013 - 07:15
Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born to play Dracula, if only the rest of the show could keep up with him. Here's Laura's review of episode one...
This review contains spoilers.
1.1 The Blood is the Life
When Jonathan Rhys Meyers signed on to do The Tudors, I had my doubts. With a couple of degrees in Renaissance studies, I’m tough to please when it comes to narratives set in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. And how on earth did a skinny and somewhat effeminate guy who seems to have stopped aging at 25 and who falls short of 5’10 expect to pull off playing twenty years at the end of the life of a he-man known to tower above the rest of his court while sporting a waistline almost three quarters his own height? It wasn’t just improbable. It was outright laughable.
And yet, by...
Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born to play Dracula, if only the rest of the show could keep up with him. Here's Laura's review of episode one...
This review contains spoilers.
1.1 The Blood is the Life
When Jonathan Rhys Meyers signed on to do The Tudors, I had my doubts. With a couple of degrees in Renaissance studies, I’m tough to please when it comes to narratives set in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. And how on earth did a skinny and somewhat effeminate guy who seems to have stopped aging at 25 and who falls short of 5’10 expect to pull off playing twenty years at the end of the life of a he-man known to tower above the rest of his court while sporting a waistline almost three quarters his own height? It wasn’t just improbable. It was outright laughable.
And yet, by...
- 10/29/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Sneak Peek images, footage and synopsis from the second episode of the new "Dracula" TV series titled "A Whiff of Sulfur", airing on NBC, November 1, 2013.
Created by Cole Haddon, "Dracula" premieres October 25, 2013, as a 'reimagining' of the classic "Dracula" novel by author Bram Stoker:
"...'Dracula' king of the 'vampires', comes to London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society.
"In reality, the evil bloodsucker seeks revenge on those who betrayed him centuries earlier.
"As Dracula's plans move toward fruition, he falls hopelessly in love with a woman who may be a reincarnation of his deceased wife.
"...in 'A Whiff Of Sulphur', 'Grayson' and 'Lady Jayne' become lovers...
"...as he looks into her connections.
"Then Grayson helps 'Mina' face a challenge.
"And 'Jonathan' strikes a bargain that has unexpected consequences..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek...
Created by Cole Haddon, "Dracula" premieres October 25, 2013, as a 'reimagining' of the classic "Dracula" novel by author Bram Stoker:
"...'Dracula' king of the 'vampires', comes to London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society.
"In reality, the evil bloodsucker seeks revenge on those who betrayed him centuries earlier.
"As Dracula's plans move toward fruition, he falls hopelessly in love with a woman who may be a reincarnation of his deceased wife.
"...in 'A Whiff Of Sulphur', 'Grayson' and 'Lady Jayne' become lovers...
"...as he looks into her connections.
"Then Grayson helps 'Mina' face a challenge.
"And 'Jonathan' strikes a bargain that has unexpected consequences..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek...
- 10/11/2013
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sarah Dobbs Jun 21, 2017
As news arrives that Sherlock's creators are working on a Dracula adaptation, here are 10 screen versions of Bram Stoker's character...
Dracula is one of the classic monster stories. It’s the quintessential vampire tale; most of our ideas about what a vampire is, what a vampire does, and what a vampire can be killed by come from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. And while elements of the story have been woven into countless other vampire-themed books, films, and TV shows, it’s Dracula that we keep coming back to, over and over. Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are in talks about reviving the character once again for a BBC miniseries, but before that arrives, let’s take a look back at ten other versions of the world’s most famous vampire…
See related Kevin Feige on Black Panther, female superhero movie Thor: Ragnarok - Thor's roommate won't be in it Nosferatu (1922)
Who plays Dracula? Max Schreck.
What’s the story? It’s a pretty faithful, if pared down, version of the Dracula story: a clerk is sent out to meet a mysterious client in a spooky castle, realises he’s a monster, and tries to flee, only for his own wife to fall victim to the vampire’s spell. It’s silent, black and white, and gorgeous.
What makes it special? What’s kind of amazing about this film is that it almost didn’t survive. The production didn’t have the approval of Bram Stoker’s estate, and despite changing a few details – the vampire here is known as Count Orlok, not Dracula, and the other names and locations have also been altered – it’s close enough that when the Stokers sued, a court ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed.
Luckily for us, one survived. It’s incredibly creepy, all weird angles and lurking shadows, and Schrek plays the vampire as a proper monster. There’s nothing seductive about him, he’s just terrifying. Even now. Especially now, maybe, now that we’re jaded and cynical about special effects and CGI. Because this film looks scarier than anything created on a computer, and it’s all real.
Dracula (1931)
Who plays Dracula? Bela Lugosi.
What’s the story? Based on a popular stage adaptation of Dracula, this is another mostly faithful adaptation, though the characters have been shuffled a bit. Here, it’s Renfield, not Jonathan, who goes out to meet Dracula in his castle in Transylvania. Jonathan and Lucy get shunted off to the side of the story, with Mina taking centre stage, while Dr Seward, head of the lunatic asylum, is recast as her father. Lugosi is a much sexier Count than Schreck, and the subtext about Mina’s sexual awakening is, er, pretty much text here.
What makes it special? Oh, everything. It’s beautiful to look at, for one thing. It’s got a bit of a sense of humour, though not enough to stop it from being insanely creepy. Lugosi makes the role completely his own; when people think of Count Dracula, this is the version most of them imagine. Interestingly, this version also does a lot more with Renfield’s story than the original novel, and Dwight Frye is fantastic in that role. Even if you think you’ve seen too many Dracula parodies to enjoy Lugosi’s rendition of the Count, this film is worth watching for Dwight Frye alone.
Dracula (1958)
Who plays Dracula? Christopher Lee.
What’s the story? It’s Dracula, but slightly wonky. It starts with Jonathan Harker setting off to visit Castle Dracula – but this time, he knows what he’s in for, and is planning to kill the Count. He fails, leaving Van Helsing to take up the hunt. Most of the characters have been shuffled around: Jonathan is engaged to Lucy, who’s Arthur’s sister, and Arthur is married to Mina. It’s not obvious why that reshuffle had to happen, because it doesn’t make a huge amount of difference to how things play out. It’s still Mina who has to fight to extricate herself from Dracula’s clutches in the end.
What makes it special? Dracula was one of the first Hammer Horror films, and it was massively successful. It spawned eight sequels, including The Brides of Dracula, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, and Taste The Blood of Dracula, and it basically shaped the horror genre for a good couple of decades. But what’s special about it today is the cast. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are always good value, and here, as the evil Count and the scholarly vampire hunter determined to kill him off, they’re brilliant.
Count von Count, Sesame Street (1972)
Who plays Dracula? Originally Jerry Nelson, and now Matt Vogel.
What’s the story? Okay, this is kind of a cheat. Count von Count isn’t actually called Dracula, but he’s so clearly modelled on Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of the great vampire that I couldn’t just leave him out. The character appears to be based on the idea that vampires are obsessed with counting – folklore from all over the world has it that if a vampire encounters a pile of rice or other grains, they won’t be able to do anything until they’ve counted it all. The Count loves to, er, count.
What makes it special? The fact that Sesame Street included a vampire character is kind of amazing, and the fact that he speaks in a parody of Lugosi’s accent, and wears that cape, well, it’s just sort of brilliant. The earliest incarnations of the Count were a bit spooky, but apparently kids found his maniacal laughing and tendency to zap people who interfered with his counting a bit scary, so he was made cuter and goofier. He’s basically the most adorable incarnation of Dracula you’ll ever find.
Blacula (1972)
Who plays Dracula? Charles Macaulay.
What’s the story? This film is about one of Dracula’s protégés, rather than Dracula himself. After an African prince approaches Dracula for help dealing with the slave trade, he gets bitten and sealed in a coffin for centuries. Popping out in the 1970s, Mamuwalde – dubbed “Blacula” by the Count – sets about trying to win the heart of a woman he believes to be the reincarnation of his dead wife.
What makes it special? Isn’t the idea of a blaxploitation take on Dracula special enough for you? William H. Marshall plays the first ever black vampire in this movie, and since there haven’t been all that many since, that’s still pretty notable. The fashion is glorious, and the music is wonderful too. The plot is, well, kind of flimsy, and pretty slow, and it actually verges on being kind of boring, but there’s something pretty cool about it nonetheless.
Blood for Dracula (1974)
Who plays Dracula? Udo Kier.
What’s the story? A sickly Dracula is starving to death due to the lack of available virgins in Romania, so he travels to Italy in search of a bride. Unfortunately, the family of impoverished aristocrats he ends up staying with employs a rather rapey handyman, and there may not be any virgins left for him.
What makes it special? Produced by Andy Warhol, this is definitely one of the strangest takes on the Dracula story. Many of the established tropes are present – Dracula doesn’t have a reflection, and can’t stand garlic - but rather than being powerful and seductive, Kier’s Count is almost pitiable. He spends much of the film in a wheelchair, which is an oddly creepy image, and he’s kind of… whiny. It’s hard to know where your sympathies should lie, and it’s fun to see a mother actively throwing her daughters at Dracula rather than trying to save them from him. The accents are occasionally baffling (especially Joe Dallesandro’s Brooklyn drawl) but maybe that’s all part of the joke.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Who plays Dracula? Gary Oldman.
What’s the story? Back in the fifteenth century, Dracula’s wife kills herself after being told her husband has been killed in battle. Knowing suicide is a sin, Dracula figures she’s damned, and turns against God himself, becoming a vampire. After skulking in his castle for centuries, he decides to move to London, where he meets Mina Harker – a woman who looks exactly like his dead wife. The rest of the Dracula story is intact, but with a side of overly dramatic tragic romance.
What makes it special? It’s one of the most faithful adaptations around, in terms of how much of the book it conveys to the screen. Characters are shown writing letters and diary entries, as per the book, and Lucy’s three suitors are all present and correct, which is rare.
Unfortunately, some of the performances are pretty terrible (Keanu Reeves is an easy target, but he’s truly awful here, and Cary Elwes is in full smirk mode). There are so many famous people crammed in that it gets distracting, and the set design is too stagey to be effective. But it gets points for keeping all the characters in their places.
‘Buffy vs Dracula’, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000)
Who plays Dracula? Rudolf Martin.
What’s the story? To kick off the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy went up against the most famous vampire of all time. Yup, they actually wrote Dracula into an episode of Buffy. There’s no real messing with the character, apart from dropping him into modern day California, and he uses pretty much all of his tricks: he turns into a bat, he dissolves into mist, he uses mind control to turn Xander into a slavering minion, and he seduces Sunnydale’s women, including Buffy herself.
What makes it special? There’s something about crossovers that’s always oddly irresistible. Fitting the Scooby Gang into the Dracula story is fun because of the cognitive dissonance it causes: they’re all-American teenagers, and he’s a character from a gothic Victorian novel, so there’s no reason they should ever encounter one another, and the fallout is genuinely funny. (Spike’s indignation is a particular highlight.) There’s also a serious side to the story, as Dracula tells Buffy she’s a creature of darkness, but that’s something that really developed over the rest of the series. This episode is mostly just fun.
Dracula 2000 (2000)
Who plays Dracula? Gerard Butler.
What’s the story? Despite Van Helsing’s best efforts, someone has let Dracula out of his prison, and he’s determined to track down the one woman who might be able to stand up to him. (Who just happens to be Van Helsing’s daughter.) Bringing Van Helsing and Dracula into a modern day setting requires a bit of sleight of hand, but it just about works, and the film has an ace up its sleeve: an explanation for Dracula’s true identity that finally explains why he’s so averse to silver and crucifixes.
What makes it special? It kind of shouldn’t be, because it’s so silly. It’s got that self-aware, slightly camp late-90s horror thing going on, and it’s never actually scary. But it is a lot of fun, with some sharp dialogue (“I don’t drink… coffee”) and loads of geek-friendly faces popping up, including Jonny Lee Miller, Nathan Fillion, and Jeri Ryan.
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Who plays Dracula? Dominic Purcell
What’s the story? Dracula, or “Drake”, is an ancient vampire summoned by modern day vampires looking for an upgrade. Blade has been killing off too many of them, and they want to walk in daylight, which apparently Drake’s blood will let them do. Drake is a bit of a rubbish Dracula, as they go; he’s just a really old vampire, and none of the usual Dracula plot elements are present.
What makes it special? Let’s be clear about this, Blade Trinity is a pretty terrible film. It has two redeeming features, though: Ryan Reynolds and Parker Posey are fantastic, and every scene they have together is wonderful; and it includes a scene in which Drake wanders into a vampire-themed shop and terrorises the snarky goth assistants. Those things just about make it worth watching, but for Dracula super-fans, it hasn’t got much to offer. Purcell’s Dracula is apparently meant to be charismatic, but he just comes off dull and thuggish.
Other notable onscreen Draculas: Countess Dracula (Ingrid Pitt stars as Elizabeth Bathory, so not really Dracula at all, except in the title); Count Duckula (an 80s cartoon about a vampiric duck); Count Dracula (a low budget horror from 1979, directed by Jess Franco and starring Christopher Lee despite not being part of Lee’s Hammer Dracula franchise); Dracula: Dead And Loving It (Mel Brooks’s daft spoof); Dracula Ad 1972 (a reteaming of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing that brings Dracula into the 70s); Dracula Sucks (a hardcore porn adaptation); and Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D (which isn’t out yet, and will almost certainly be terrible.)
This feature was originally posted in October 2013.
As news arrives that Sherlock's creators are working on a Dracula adaptation, here are 10 screen versions of Bram Stoker's character...
Dracula is one of the classic monster stories. It’s the quintessential vampire tale; most of our ideas about what a vampire is, what a vampire does, and what a vampire can be killed by come from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. And while elements of the story have been woven into countless other vampire-themed books, films, and TV shows, it’s Dracula that we keep coming back to, over and over. Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are in talks about reviving the character once again for a BBC miniseries, but before that arrives, let’s take a look back at ten other versions of the world’s most famous vampire…
See related Kevin Feige on Black Panther, female superhero movie Thor: Ragnarok - Thor's roommate won't be in it Nosferatu (1922)
Who plays Dracula? Max Schreck.
What’s the story? It’s a pretty faithful, if pared down, version of the Dracula story: a clerk is sent out to meet a mysterious client in a spooky castle, realises he’s a monster, and tries to flee, only for his own wife to fall victim to the vampire’s spell. It’s silent, black and white, and gorgeous.
What makes it special? What’s kind of amazing about this film is that it almost didn’t survive. The production didn’t have the approval of Bram Stoker’s estate, and despite changing a few details – the vampire here is known as Count Orlok, not Dracula, and the other names and locations have also been altered – it’s close enough that when the Stokers sued, a court ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed.
Luckily for us, one survived. It’s incredibly creepy, all weird angles and lurking shadows, and Schrek plays the vampire as a proper monster. There’s nothing seductive about him, he’s just terrifying. Even now. Especially now, maybe, now that we’re jaded and cynical about special effects and CGI. Because this film looks scarier than anything created on a computer, and it’s all real.
Dracula (1931)
Who plays Dracula? Bela Lugosi.
What’s the story? Based on a popular stage adaptation of Dracula, this is another mostly faithful adaptation, though the characters have been shuffled a bit. Here, it’s Renfield, not Jonathan, who goes out to meet Dracula in his castle in Transylvania. Jonathan and Lucy get shunted off to the side of the story, with Mina taking centre stage, while Dr Seward, head of the lunatic asylum, is recast as her father. Lugosi is a much sexier Count than Schreck, and the subtext about Mina’s sexual awakening is, er, pretty much text here.
What makes it special? Oh, everything. It’s beautiful to look at, for one thing. It’s got a bit of a sense of humour, though not enough to stop it from being insanely creepy. Lugosi makes the role completely his own; when people think of Count Dracula, this is the version most of them imagine. Interestingly, this version also does a lot more with Renfield’s story than the original novel, and Dwight Frye is fantastic in that role. Even if you think you’ve seen too many Dracula parodies to enjoy Lugosi’s rendition of the Count, this film is worth watching for Dwight Frye alone.
Dracula (1958)
Who plays Dracula? Christopher Lee.
What’s the story? It’s Dracula, but slightly wonky. It starts with Jonathan Harker setting off to visit Castle Dracula – but this time, he knows what he’s in for, and is planning to kill the Count. He fails, leaving Van Helsing to take up the hunt. Most of the characters have been shuffled around: Jonathan is engaged to Lucy, who’s Arthur’s sister, and Arthur is married to Mina. It’s not obvious why that reshuffle had to happen, because it doesn’t make a huge amount of difference to how things play out. It’s still Mina who has to fight to extricate herself from Dracula’s clutches in the end.
What makes it special? Dracula was one of the first Hammer Horror films, and it was massively successful. It spawned eight sequels, including The Brides of Dracula, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, and Taste The Blood of Dracula, and it basically shaped the horror genre for a good couple of decades. But what’s special about it today is the cast. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are always good value, and here, as the evil Count and the scholarly vampire hunter determined to kill him off, they’re brilliant.
Count von Count, Sesame Street (1972)
Who plays Dracula? Originally Jerry Nelson, and now Matt Vogel.
What’s the story? Okay, this is kind of a cheat. Count von Count isn’t actually called Dracula, but he’s so clearly modelled on Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of the great vampire that I couldn’t just leave him out. The character appears to be based on the idea that vampires are obsessed with counting – folklore from all over the world has it that if a vampire encounters a pile of rice or other grains, they won’t be able to do anything until they’ve counted it all. The Count loves to, er, count.
What makes it special? The fact that Sesame Street included a vampire character is kind of amazing, and the fact that he speaks in a parody of Lugosi’s accent, and wears that cape, well, it’s just sort of brilliant. The earliest incarnations of the Count were a bit spooky, but apparently kids found his maniacal laughing and tendency to zap people who interfered with his counting a bit scary, so he was made cuter and goofier. He’s basically the most adorable incarnation of Dracula you’ll ever find.
Blacula (1972)
Who plays Dracula? Charles Macaulay.
What’s the story? This film is about one of Dracula’s protégés, rather than Dracula himself. After an African prince approaches Dracula for help dealing with the slave trade, he gets bitten and sealed in a coffin for centuries. Popping out in the 1970s, Mamuwalde – dubbed “Blacula” by the Count – sets about trying to win the heart of a woman he believes to be the reincarnation of his dead wife.
What makes it special? Isn’t the idea of a blaxploitation take on Dracula special enough for you? William H. Marshall plays the first ever black vampire in this movie, and since there haven’t been all that many since, that’s still pretty notable. The fashion is glorious, and the music is wonderful too. The plot is, well, kind of flimsy, and pretty slow, and it actually verges on being kind of boring, but there’s something pretty cool about it nonetheless.
Blood for Dracula (1974)
Who plays Dracula? Udo Kier.
What’s the story? A sickly Dracula is starving to death due to the lack of available virgins in Romania, so he travels to Italy in search of a bride. Unfortunately, the family of impoverished aristocrats he ends up staying with employs a rather rapey handyman, and there may not be any virgins left for him.
What makes it special? Produced by Andy Warhol, this is definitely one of the strangest takes on the Dracula story. Many of the established tropes are present – Dracula doesn’t have a reflection, and can’t stand garlic - but rather than being powerful and seductive, Kier’s Count is almost pitiable. He spends much of the film in a wheelchair, which is an oddly creepy image, and he’s kind of… whiny. It’s hard to know where your sympathies should lie, and it’s fun to see a mother actively throwing her daughters at Dracula rather than trying to save them from him. The accents are occasionally baffling (especially Joe Dallesandro’s Brooklyn drawl) but maybe that’s all part of the joke.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Who plays Dracula? Gary Oldman.
What’s the story? Back in the fifteenth century, Dracula’s wife kills herself after being told her husband has been killed in battle. Knowing suicide is a sin, Dracula figures she’s damned, and turns against God himself, becoming a vampire. After skulking in his castle for centuries, he decides to move to London, where he meets Mina Harker – a woman who looks exactly like his dead wife. The rest of the Dracula story is intact, but with a side of overly dramatic tragic romance.
What makes it special? It’s one of the most faithful adaptations around, in terms of how much of the book it conveys to the screen. Characters are shown writing letters and diary entries, as per the book, and Lucy’s three suitors are all present and correct, which is rare.
Unfortunately, some of the performances are pretty terrible (Keanu Reeves is an easy target, but he’s truly awful here, and Cary Elwes is in full smirk mode). There are so many famous people crammed in that it gets distracting, and the set design is too stagey to be effective. But it gets points for keeping all the characters in their places.
‘Buffy vs Dracula’, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000)
Who plays Dracula? Rudolf Martin.
What’s the story? To kick off the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy went up against the most famous vampire of all time. Yup, they actually wrote Dracula into an episode of Buffy. There’s no real messing with the character, apart from dropping him into modern day California, and he uses pretty much all of his tricks: he turns into a bat, he dissolves into mist, he uses mind control to turn Xander into a slavering minion, and he seduces Sunnydale’s women, including Buffy herself.
What makes it special? There’s something about crossovers that’s always oddly irresistible. Fitting the Scooby Gang into the Dracula story is fun because of the cognitive dissonance it causes: they’re all-American teenagers, and he’s a character from a gothic Victorian novel, so there’s no reason they should ever encounter one another, and the fallout is genuinely funny. (Spike’s indignation is a particular highlight.) There’s also a serious side to the story, as Dracula tells Buffy she’s a creature of darkness, but that’s something that really developed over the rest of the series. This episode is mostly just fun.
Dracula 2000 (2000)
Who plays Dracula? Gerard Butler.
What’s the story? Despite Van Helsing’s best efforts, someone has let Dracula out of his prison, and he’s determined to track down the one woman who might be able to stand up to him. (Who just happens to be Van Helsing’s daughter.) Bringing Van Helsing and Dracula into a modern day setting requires a bit of sleight of hand, but it just about works, and the film has an ace up its sleeve: an explanation for Dracula’s true identity that finally explains why he’s so averse to silver and crucifixes.
What makes it special? It kind of shouldn’t be, because it’s so silly. It’s got that self-aware, slightly camp late-90s horror thing going on, and it’s never actually scary. But it is a lot of fun, with some sharp dialogue (“I don’t drink… coffee”) and loads of geek-friendly faces popping up, including Jonny Lee Miller, Nathan Fillion, and Jeri Ryan.
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Who plays Dracula? Dominic Purcell
What’s the story? Dracula, or “Drake”, is an ancient vampire summoned by modern day vampires looking for an upgrade. Blade has been killing off too many of them, and they want to walk in daylight, which apparently Drake’s blood will let them do. Drake is a bit of a rubbish Dracula, as they go; he’s just a really old vampire, and none of the usual Dracula plot elements are present.
What makes it special? Let’s be clear about this, Blade Trinity is a pretty terrible film. It has two redeeming features, though: Ryan Reynolds and Parker Posey are fantastic, and every scene they have together is wonderful; and it includes a scene in which Drake wanders into a vampire-themed shop and terrorises the snarky goth assistants. Those things just about make it worth watching, but for Dracula super-fans, it hasn’t got much to offer. Purcell’s Dracula is apparently meant to be charismatic, but he just comes off dull and thuggish.
Other notable onscreen Draculas: Countess Dracula (Ingrid Pitt stars as Elizabeth Bathory, so not really Dracula at all, except in the title); Count Duckula (an 80s cartoon about a vampiric duck); Count Dracula (a low budget horror from 1979, directed by Jess Franco and starring Christopher Lee despite not being part of Lee’s Hammer Dracula franchise); Dracula: Dead And Loving It (Mel Brooks’s daft spoof); Dracula Ad 1972 (a reteaming of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing that brings Dracula into the 70s); Dracula Sucks (a hardcore porn adaptation); and Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D (which isn’t out yet, and will almost certainly be terrible.)
This feature was originally posted in October 2013.
- 8/19/2013
- Den of Geek
From the press release:
Are you ready for a spine-chilling global avalanche of Indian zombies, Israeli oldboys, vengeance-crazed Vikings, Swedish mesmerists, Irish telekinesis, Argentine undead, Aussie bone-crushers, murderous Mormons and Chilean assassins?
Film4 FrightFest 2013, returning for its 4teenth year, has unveiled its biggest line-up in history. From Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will be at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square to present 51 films on three screens. Empire 1 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Empires 2 & 4. The new FrightFest Xtra strand, also in Screen 2, will allow fans to catch up with sold-out performances of the most popular attractions.
This year there are eleven countries representing five continents with a record-breaking thirty-three UK or European premieres and ten world premieres.
The world premieres include our opening night attraction The Dead 2: India from the Ford Brothers,...
Are you ready for a spine-chilling global avalanche of Indian zombies, Israeli oldboys, vengeance-crazed Vikings, Swedish mesmerists, Irish telekinesis, Argentine undead, Aussie bone-crushers, murderous Mormons and Chilean assassins?
Film4 FrightFest 2013, returning for its 4teenth year, has unveiled its biggest line-up in history. From Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will be at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square to present 51 films on three screens. Empire 1 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Empires 2 & 4. The new FrightFest Xtra strand, also in Screen 2, will allow fans to catch up with sold-out performances of the most popular attractions.
This year there are eleven countries representing five continents with a record-breaking thirty-three UK or European premieres and ten world premieres.
The world premieres include our opening night attraction The Dead 2: India from the Ford Brothers,...
- 6/30/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Today is author Bram Stoker’s birthday. The man who wrote Dracula would be 165 years old today, if he had the same affliction he gave his most famous character. In honor of Stoker’s birthday, we’ve found some of the best spoofs, parodies, and satires on Dracula. Because dammit, birthdays should be fun!
Count Duckula
Count Duckula - Opening Theme [HQ]
A favorite cartoon of mine growing up, Count Duckula was a duck version of Dracula. Every now and again, he would die, but could be resurrected once a century. The most recent resurrection didn’t go according to plan. Instead of blood, ketchup was used. Thus, this incarnation of Duckula was a vegetarian who was more interested in becoming a star than in starting blood wards.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (Trailer 1995)
As a sort of “follow-up” to the wildly successful Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks...
Count Duckula
Count Duckula - Opening Theme [HQ]
A favorite cartoon of mine growing up, Count Duckula was a duck version of Dracula. Every now and again, he would die, but could be resurrected once a century. The most recent resurrection didn’t go according to plan. Instead of blood, ketchup was used. Thus, this incarnation of Duckula was a vegetarian who was more interested in becoming a star than in starting blood wards.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (Trailer 1995)
As a sort of “follow-up” to the wildly successful Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks...
- 11/9/2012
- by Alyse Wax
- FEARnet
The amusing conceit of Russian-born, Us-educated Tartakovsky's 3D animated feature is that the widowed Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) decides to turn his castle into a luxury hotel for fellow monsters with no dangerous humans allowed in. Unfortunately, a young American backpacker called Jonathan (after Bram Stoker's Jonathan Harker) accidentally slips inside on the 118th birthday of Dracula's cute little daughter Mavis, and Jonathan falls for her. It's inventive, wittily drawn, macabre in a Charles Addams vein, and overlong. Children will find it as much fun as Halloween.
AnimationComedyAdam SandlerBram StokerPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
AnimationComedyAdam SandlerBram StokerPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 10/13/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Okay, full disclosure time: I've been a fan of Claudio Simonetti and his musical projects ever since I experienced the opening minutes of Suspiria, which is also the first film by Dario Argento ever to flash before my stunned eyeballs. A couple of decades have passed since then, but I have yet to hear any music from Claudio and his various collaborators that I didn't enjoy – including scores to films I've long since forgotten, and a few I haven't even seen yet. Among the latter is the latest Argento epic to feature Simonetti's music: the much-talked-about Dracula 3D. This isn't the first time I've reviewed the score to an Argento film before seeing the film itself: I also had the unique pleasure of reviewing Simonetti's wonderfully bizarre gothic rock opera soundtrack to The Mother of Tears long before the film's international release. Sure, that movie caught unholy hell from a lot of outraged horror fans,...
- 10/4/2012
- by Gregory Burkart
- FEARnet
Chicago – It was probably just a matter of time. With the current vampire craze dominating pop culture in flicks like “The Twilight Saga” and shows like “True Blood,” it was inevitable that creatures of the night be turned into family entertainment. Even “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” was recently released on Blu-ray and Universal is about to unleash a whole set of HD monster movie classics. Monsters are hip. “Hotel Transylvania” does its best to put a nail in that coffin.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
With its manic style, hyperactive visuals, and 3rd-grade sense of humor, I was annoyed by “Hotel Transylvania” from the very beginning, and while the movie definitely improves as it goes along, it never completely won me back. The opening scenes of “Hotel Transylvania” are just loud, obnoxious, and filled with either gross-out jokes or repeated statement of the movie’s set-up to the point that even eight-year-olds will yell,...
Rating: 2.0/5.0
With its manic style, hyperactive visuals, and 3rd-grade sense of humor, I was annoyed by “Hotel Transylvania” from the very beginning, and while the movie definitely improves as it goes along, it never completely won me back. The opening scenes of “Hotel Transylvania” are just loud, obnoxious, and filled with either gross-out jokes or repeated statement of the movie’s set-up to the point that even eight-year-olds will yell,...
- 9/19/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Written by: Bil Brossert and Anthony D.P. Mann
Directed by: Anthony D.P. Mann
Featuring: Anthony D.P. Mann, Matt Davis, Terry Wade, Denise Wedge, Barry Yuen
Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been adapted in so many mediums, one would figure that the novel would be more beloved, or at least talked about more often.
I remember excitedly picking up the book for the first time nearly 20 years ago (in anticipation of what I lovingly refer to as the funniest film Francis Ford Coppola has ever made), but as I discovered to my chagrin, Dracula, the novel, is dry. Dry. Drrrrrrrryyyyyyyy. It’s filled with memorable, iconic characters, unforgettable imagery and scenes that stick in the mind for a long time, but actually getting through the majority of Stoker’s leaden prose, in my experience, is a bit of a slog.
There are always purists, however, and co-writer/director/star Anthony D.P. Mann...
Directed by: Anthony D.P. Mann
Featuring: Anthony D.P. Mann, Matt Davis, Terry Wade, Denise Wedge, Barry Yuen
Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been adapted in so many mediums, one would figure that the novel would be more beloved, or at least talked about more often.
I remember excitedly picking up the book for the first time nearly 20 years ago (in anticipation of what I lovingly refer to as the funniest film Francis Ford Coppola has ever made), but as I discovered to my chagrin, Dracula, the novel, is dry. Dry. Drrrrrrrryyyyyyyy. It’s filled with memorable, iconic characters, unforgettable imagery and scenes that stick in the mind for a long time, but actually getting through the majority of Stoker’s leaden prose, in my experience, is a bit of a slog.
There are always purists, however, and co-writer/director/star Anthony D.P. Mann...
- 5/6/2012
- by Dan Coyle aka Deadpool
- Planet Fury
Mainstream animation is thriving right now. But, as he looks ahead to some of the treats in store for 2012, Simon wonders if it's going to get even better...
There’s a school of thinking that, right now, we’re going through something of a second golden age of animation. The difference this time, though, is that this isn’t being driven by one company. Rather, that for the first time in the history, the mainstream movie animation industry has at least eleven companies capable of producing a strong animated movie.
If you want proof of that, firstly, take a glance at this year. Ilm burst into the animation industry (an area where it’s arguably existed for some time) with the superb Rango (still in my top five films of the year, and still thoroughly awesome), for starters.
We’ve also had Disney going close to its roots with Winnie The Pooh and Tangled,...
There’s a school of thinking that, right now, we’re going through something of a second golden age of animation. The difference this time, though, is that this isn’t being driven by one company. Rather, that for the first time in the history, the mainstream movie animation industry has at least eleven companies capable of producing a strong animated movie.
If you want proof of that, firstly, take a glance at this year. Ilm burst into the animation industry (an area where it’s arguably existed for some time) with the superb Rango (still in my top five films of the year, and still thoroughly awesome), for starters.
We’ve also had Disney going close to its roots with Winnie The Pooh and Tangled,...
- 11/1/2011
- Den of Geek
Just about every time I read that Adam Sandler has a new project in development, I think the same thing: “The guy is still doing this crap?” I say that as someone who actually thinks the guy has talent in him, and who also thinks that he’s even showed it in past work like Punch-Drunk Love. The problem is, the guy makes one of those for every fifteen Grown Ups or Just Go With Its; it’s hard to defend him when he doesn’t seem to try.
His next project is reported by Variety as being Hotel Transylvania, an animated movie about Dracula, which will see a release on September 21st, 2012. This seems to have some modicum of promise behind it, but there’s still the chance that it could be pretty bad. The good news is that it’ll be directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man behind...
His next project is reported by Variety as being Hotel Transylvania, an animated movie about Dracula, which will see a release on September 21st, 2012. This seems to have some modicum of promise behind it, but there’s still the chance that it could be pretty bad. The good news is that it’ll be directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man behind...
- 7/5/2011
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Dracula is back from the dead and next time he will be in 3D. Entertainment Weekly has confirmed actor Rutger Hauer (“The Hitcher,” “Blade Runner”) signed on to play the famous vampire killer Van Helsing in the horror “Dracula 3D.” “That could be really, really exciting,” said Hauer to EW. “I’m flying to London and when I get there I want to have a talk [with] The Master about what he thinks he gets from me, to see where he lives. I can see 3D working really well and he’s experimenting with it.” There is not too much detail regarding the plot for this Dracula film version at this time. Last May, Shock Till You Drop reported the synopsis for the film as “a faithful translation of the Bram Stoker novel.” Here is the original book’s synopsis if you are not familiar with the original 1897 Bram Stoker novel:...
- 3/5/2011
- LRMonline.com
If you're old enough to remember when vampires were scary monsters to be feared and not glittery good looking men to be lusted after, then you're not really that old. Sure, before the Twilight craze there was Anne Rice and her preternatural vampires with long, flowing locks of luscious hair in her vampire books -- and before that, there was Christopher Lee biting the necks of screaming British women. But even before that there was Bram Stoker's Dracula and its gothic romantic triangle between the Count, Mina and Jonathan.
But until now it's been safe to say that there hasn't been a romantic angle done on the zombie monster craze.
Tucked in today's trades comes word of a new movie called Warm Bodies, set to star young British actor Nicholas Hoult (who'll be seen as Beast in the upcoming X-Men: First Class picture.) Warm Bodies is based on a...
But until now it's been safe to say that there hasn't been a romantic angle done on the zombie monster craze.
Tucked in today's trades comes word of a new movie called Warm Bodies, set to star young British actor Nicholas Hoult (who'll be seen as Beast in the upcoming X-Men: First Class picture.) Warm Bodies is based on a...
- 3/2/2011
- by Patrick Sauriol
- Corona's Coming Attractions
Jake Silbermann
Although it’s only been three months since CBS pulled the plug on As the World Turns after an astonishing 54-year run, for many gay fans, it feels like an eternity. As any AfterElton.com reader knows, the teen supercouple formerly known as Nuke, played with uncommon depth and finesse by Jake Silbermann (Noah) and Van Hansis (Luke), made history with the first-ever dude-on-dude kiss on daytime TV, setting off a media frenzy and a veritable blizzard in the blogosphere.
Their unfolding relationship polarized fans — the gays cheered, but later, some complained the story line was sporadic and sluggish. Remember our Liplock Clock that counted how long it took between kisses? (It was 211 agonizing days between the first and second smooch.) Meanwhile, right-wingers wanted the duo to disappear altogether.
When the producers finally portrayed the guys having sex, they skipped the actual sex scene and merely showed the before and after.
Although it’s only been three months since CBS pulled the plug on As the World Turns after an astonishing 54-year run, for many gay fans, it feels like an eternity. As any AfterElton.com reader knows, the teen supercouple formerly known as Nuke, played with uncommon depth and finesse by Jake Silbermann (Noah) and Van Hansis (Luke), made history with the first-ever dude-on-dude kiss on daytime TV, setting off a media frenzy and a veritable blizzard in the blogosphere.
Their unfolding relationship polarized fans — the gays cheered, but later, some complained the story line was sporadic and sluggish. Remember our Liplock Clock that counted how long it took between kisses? (It was 211 agonizing days between the first and second smooch.) Meanwhile, right-wingers wanted the duo to disappear altogether.
When the producers finally portrayed the guys having sex, they skipped the actual sex scene and merely showed the before and after.
- 12/23/2010
- by David Kennerley
- The Backlot
Every Sunday in October, Old Ass Movies will be teaming with 31 Days of Horror in order to deliver a horror film that was made before you were born and tell you why you should like this. This week, Old Ass Horror presents the story of Dracula as seen through the beautiful, blood-filled eyes of Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and the entire Hammer Family. Synopsis: Retitled for American consumption as to avoid confusion with Tod Browning’s Dracula, this is a straightforward adaptation of Bram Stoker’s original novel that became the basis for so many movies. Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) is turned into a vampire by the vicious Count Dracula, but when Doctor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) goes to investigate, he finds the fiend has already fled his castle and is headed to inflict more pain on Jonathan’s family by attacking his fiance. Killer Scene: It might just be the disintegration shot because of how...
- 10/24/2010
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Voting in the 2010 Eagle Awards is now open. After compiling votes from around the world including not just the UK and the USA but also more than 40 other countries including Finland, Israel, Russia, Taiwan, Ghana, Costa Rica, Croatia and Chile, the top five nominees in each of 29 categories have been chosen by the thousands of participants. To cast your vote for your 2009 favourites, log on to http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/vote.aspx
Voting is to close at midnight (British Summer Time) on Sunday July 4th 2010. The winners will be announced later this year at a venue yet to be determined.
2010 Eagle Awards Nominees
Favourite Newcomer Writer
Al Ewing
Jonathan Hickman
Kathryn Immonen
Kieron Gillen
Mike Lynch
Favourite Newcomer Artist
David Lafuente
Declan Shalvey
Jamie McKelvie
John Cullen
Matt Timson
Favourite Writer
Alan Moore
Geoff Johns
John Wagner
Tony Lee
Warren Ellis
Favourite Writer/Artist
Bryan Lee O’Malley
Darwyn Cooke...
Voting is to close at midnight (British Summer Time) on Sunday July 4th 2010. The winners will be announced later this year at a venue yet to be determined.
2010 Eagle Awards Nominees
Favourite Newcomer Writer
Al Ewing
Jonathan Hickman
Kathryn Immonen
Kieron Gillen
Mike Lynch
Favourite Newcomer Artist
David Lafuente
Declan Shalvey
Jamie McKelvie
John Cullen
Matt Timson
Favourite Writer
Alan Moore
Geoff Johns
John Wagner
Tony Lee
Warren Ellis
Favourite Writer/Artist
Bryan Lee O’Malley
Darwyn Cooke...
- 6/21/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Few filmmakers — past or present, alive or dead — can boast a filmography as vast and as varied as that of Werner Herzog. Acclaimed as a filmmaker, famed as an eccentric personality and veted as one of cinema’s true artists, Herzog is truly a singular voice in film.
This past Saturday, the Egyptian Theatre was the fortunate host to guest Werner Herzog, as he presented a double feature of two of his more popular films, 1979’s Nosferatu, The Vampyre (known as Nosferatu, Phantom Der Nacht, or Nosferatu, Phantom of the Night in its native Germany) along with 1987’s Cobra Verde.
Readers of FM likely need no introduction to either Nosferatu or its titular character. Herzog’s film is of course a remake of the 1922 silent classic directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as cinema’s first classic vampire. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s immortal Dracula (published...
This past Saturday, the Egyptian Theatre was the fortunate host to guest Werner Herzog, as he presented a double feature of two of his more popular films, 1979’s Nosferatu, The Vampyre (known as Nosferatu, Phantom Der Nacht, or Nosferatu, Phantom of the Night in its native Germany) along with 1987’s Cobra Verde.
Readers of FM likely need no introduction to either Nosferatu or its titular character. Herzog’s film is of course a remake of the 1922 silent classic directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as cinema’s first classic vampire. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s immortal Dracula (published...
- 3/22/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
He is, without a doubt, the most famous vampire (yes, even more famous than Edward from the Twilight franchise). His villainy is legendary and his story inspired centuries of sequels in both books and movie form. Spawned from the genius of Bram Stoker, Dracula gave readers the original figure who started the bloodsucker craze. Now, in 2009, an actual descendant of the Stoker line is bringing Vlad the Impaler back to life.
Dracula The Un-dead (out now in hardcover from Dutton) was written by Dacre Stoker (Bram’s great-grandnephew) and Dracula historian Ian Holt. Equipped with Bram’s personal notes and thorough research, they have turned out a novel that is definitely worthy of sitting on the shelf beside the 1897 classic.
Told from several perspectives (as was the original), Dracula The Un-dead re-introduces readers to favorite characters like Mina Murray/Harker, Jonathan Harker, Dr. Jack Seward, Arthur Holmwood and Abraham Van Helsing.
Dracula The Un-dead (out now in hardcover from Dutton) was written by Dacre Stoker (Bram’s great-grandnephew) and Dracula historian Ian Holt. Equipped with Bram’s personal notes and thorough research, they have turned out a novel that is definitely worthy of sitting on the shelf beside the 1897 classic.
Told from several perspectives (as was the original), Dracula The Un-dead re-introduces readers to favorite characters like Mina Murray/Harker, Jonathan Harker, Dr. Jack Seward, Arthur Holmwood and Abraham Van Helsing.
- 10/29/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Jessica Leibe)
- Fangoria
Halloween Week kicks off here on Splash Page with the first in our series of guest columns from comic book creators known for their work with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and all manner of terrifying subject matter. First up is writer Tony Lee, who's currently hard at work on the comic book adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," as well as the webcomic "Where Evils Dare" and his original graphic novel "From The Pages Of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': Harker," a sequel to the classic 1897 novel. Keep it locked to Splash Page all week for more Halloween-themed guest columns, features and exclusive previews!
I was never much of a horror fan as a kid. Growing up in the '70s and '80s, I was too young for movies like "The Exorcist," "Rosemary's Baby," "The Shining" and "The Omen," only finding them later in my life. No, I...
I was never much of a horror fan as a kid. Growing up in the '70s and '80s, I was too young for movies like "The Exorcist," "Rosemary's Baby," "The Shining" and "The Omen," only finding them later in my life. No, I...
- 10/26/2009
- by Splash Page Team
- MTV Splash Page
Writer Tony Lee, who previously spoke to MTV News about his graphic-novel sequel to Bram Stoker's "Dracula," is dipping into the world of vampires once again. This time around, his new series debuts on DC's webcomic platform Zuda Comics, and he's created a trailer that should catch the attention of a certain vampire-friendly franchise's fanbase.
"Nazi Vampires Don't Sparkle," claims the YouTube trailer for "Where Evils Dare," Lee's new comic with artist Stefano Martino.
"Twilight" comparisons aside, Lee's comic promises a story that's equal parts "The Dirty Dozen" and "Van Helsing," with Allied soldiers battling Adolf Hitler's 666 Platoon—an army of "vampires, werewolves and remote-controlled zombie Nazis led by Captain Von Frankenstein and the SS Colonel Dracula."
"The allies have an ace up their sleeve, for they're led by Captain Richard Harker, grandson of Jonathan and Mina Harker... And he has a score to settle," according to Lee.
"Nazi Vampires Don't Sparkle," claims the YouTube trailer for "Where Evils Dare," Lee's new comic with artist Stefano Martino.
"Twilight" comparisons aside, Lee's comic promises a story that's equal parts "The Dirty Dozen" and "Van Helsing," with Allied soldiers battling Adolf Hitler's 666 Platoon—an army of "vampires, werewolves and remote-controlled zombie Nazis led by Captain Von Frankenstein and the SS Colonel Dracula."
"The allies have an ace up their sleeve, for they're led by Captain Richard Harker, grandson of Jonathan and Mina Harker... And he has a score to settle," according to Lee.
- 10/5/2009
- by Rick Marshall
- MTV Splash Page
Author Dacre Stoker, the great-grandnephew of "Dracula" author Bram Stoker, has written a sequel to the classic vampire novel with screenwriter Ian Holt, receiving the official blessings of the Stoker Estate, to fast-track the novel for a big screen adaptation. Dracula: The Un-Dead will be available October 13. "...'Dracula: The Un-Dead' is a bone-chilling sequel based on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition. Written with the blessing and cooperation of Stoker family members, 'Dracula: The Un-Dead' begins in 1912, twenty-five years after Dracula "crumbled into dust." The 'Van Helsing' protégé, 'Dr. Jack Seward', is now a disgraced morphine addict obsessed with stamping out evil across Europe, while an unknowing 'Quincey Harker', the grown son of 'Jonathan' and 'Mina', leaves law school for the London stage, only to stumble upon the troubled production of "Dracula,...
- 9/22/2009
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
We've been telling you about the official print follow-up to Bram Stoker's Dracula for a while now. Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew, has penned a sequel to the original novel along with Long Island screenwriter Ian Holt, which even has the official backing of the Stoker Estate, the first to have such a designation since the original film adaptation starring Bela Lugosi. Now that the book is in the can, a promotional trailer has hit the web.
The book is also scheduled to be adapted for the screen, but there's not much movement on that front just yet. For a bit more check out Ian Holt's blog.
Synopsis
Dracula: The Un-Dead is a bone-chilling sequel based on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition. Written with the blessing and cooperation of Stoker family members, Dracula: The Un-Dead begins in...
The book is also scheduled to be adapted for the screen, but there's not much movement on that front just yet. For a bit more check out Ian Holt's blog.
Synopsis
Dracula: The Un-Dead is a bone-chilling sequel based on Bram Stoker's own handwritten notes for characters and plot threads excised from the original edition. Written with the blessing and cooperation of Stoker family members, Dracula: The Un-Dead begins in...
- 9/17/2009
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Now this is interesting news. Not only do Dracula fans have the official sequel in novel form, Dracula: The Un-Dead (which we first told you about here), to look forward to this October, there's also a totally separate, but still Stoker family-sanctioned, graphic novel on its way.
From MTV: Entitled From the Pages of Bram Stoker's "Dracula": Harker, Tony (Doctor Who) Lee's upcoming graphic novel follows the cast of Stoker's 1897 novel as they attempt to put their lives back together in the aftermath of Count Dracula's death. "This is the first-ever graphic novel that has an endorsement from the Stoker family," said Lee of the book, which will feature an introduction by Dacre Stoker, the great grandnephew of Bram Stoker.
"When I first started doing 'Harker,' I spoke to Dacre because I heard he was doing his sequel," said Lee. "We discussed it all and discovered...
From MTV: Entitled From the Pages of Bram Stoker's "Dracula": Harker, Tony (Doctor Who) Lee's upcoming graphic novel follows the cast of Stoker's 1897 novel as they attempt to put their lives back together in the aftermath of Count Dracula's death. "This is the first-ever graphic novel that has an endorsement from the Stoker family," said Lee of the book, which will feature an introduction by Dacre Stoker, the great grandnephew of Bram Stoker.
"When I first started doing 'Harker,' I spoke to Dacre because I heard he was doing his sequel," said Lee. "We discussed it all and discovered...
- 9/15/2009
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
When last we spoke with British comic book writer Tony Lee, he was hard at work scripting the comic book adventures of beloved science-fiction hero Doctor Who. This October, another of Lee's projects hits shelves—and this time around, he's tapped into an even more well-known and much-loved universe: the vampire-filled world of Bram Stoker's "Dracula."
Titled "From The Pages Of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': 'Harker,'" Lee's upcoming graphic novel follows the cast of Stoker's 1897 novel as they attempt to put their lives back together in the aftermath of Count Dracula's death. However, unlike other stories that tap the well of vampire mythology, "Harker" has a very unique seal of approval.
"This is the first-ever graphic novel that has an endorsement from the Stoker family," said Lee of the book, which will feature an introduction by Dacre Stoker, the great grandnephew of Bram Stoker.
According to Lee,...
Titled "From The Pages Of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula': 'Harker,'" Lee's upcoming graphic novel follows the cast of Stoker's 1897 novel as they attempt to put their lives back together in the aftermath of Count Dracula's death. However, unlike other stories that tap the well of vampire mythology, "Harker" has a very unique seal of approval.
"This is the first-ever graphic novel that has an endorsement from the Stoker family," said Lee of the book, which will feature an introduction by Dacre Stoker, the great grandnephew of Bram Stoker.
According to Lee,...
- 9/14/2009
- by Rick Marshall
- MTV Splash Page
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.