- The vampire count leaves his Transylvanian home to wreak havoc across the world.
- For those familiar with Bram Stoker's novel, this adaptation follows the book quite closely in most respects. Jonathan Harker visits the Count in Transylvania to help him with preparations to move to England. Harker becomes Dracula's prisoner and discovers Dracula's true nature. After Dracula makes his way to England, Harker becomes involved in an effort to track down and destroy the Count, eventually chasing the vampire back to his castle.—Cameron Fairchild <fairchop@ix.netcom.com>
- An English solicitor, Jonathan Harker, travels to meet Count Dracula in Transylvania as Dracula has purchased a house in London. Dracula imprisons him in his castle and then moves to London to pursue Harker's fiancée and sister. It is left to Dr. Van Helsing to try to save them.—grantss
- When Jonathan Harker, a London-based solicitor, visits Count Dracula to complete the purchase of a house he has made in London, the mysterious Count takes a definite interest in a photo of Harker's fiancée Mina and her sister Lucy. Imprisoning Harker in the castle, the Count moves to London where he sets his sights on both of the young women. It is left to Dr. Van Helsing, an expert in strange and obscure diseases, to save at least one of them.—garykmcd
- Jonathan Harker (Bosco Hogan) is on his way to Transylvania with some documents concerning the purchase of a property in England for Count Dracula to sign. When his fellow travelers find out where Harker is headed, they beg him not to go. Count Dracula (Louis Jourdan) turns out to be handsome and cultured, although he sleeps during the day, has hairy palms and sharp fingernails, casts no reflection in a mirror, crawls head first down the castle walls, does not eat, and his eyes and mouth glow red when he sees blood.
Dracula requires that Harker remain at the castle for a month, during which time fiancée Mina Westenra (Judi Bowker) worries about Harker and Harker worries that he's going mad. Meanwhile, the Westenras -- Mina, sister Lucy (Susan Penhaligon), and their Mother (Ann Queensberry) move to their summer home in Whitby. Three weeks pass, and Dracula prepares for his trip to England. He requests that Harker write a letter saying that he has already left the castle and is on his way home. Unable to tolerate being imprisoned any longer in the castle, Harker attempts to escape but stumbles into the crypt where he finds the three vampiresses and Dracula lying in their coffin. His attempt to behead the count fails.
Back in London, at Dr John Seward (Mark Burns)'s sanitarium, zoophagist patient Renfield (Jack Shepherd) is busy collecting flies and spiders while awaiting "the Master's" arrival. In Whitby, a fierce storm is brewing. In the middle of the lightning, thunder, torrential rain, and raging seas, a ship is beached in Whitby harbor. The next day Skipper Swales is found dead near the grave of a suicide. Shortly thereafter, Lucy starts sleepwalking. On one of Lucy's sojourns into the cemetery, Mina sees her being embraced by a man who promptly disappears when Mina calls out Lucy's name. When Mina notices two punctures on Lucy's throat, she blames it on the brooch she used to fasten Lucy's shawl the night that Lucy was found sleepwalking.
Quincey P. Holmwood (Richard Barnes) comes to Whitby to visit Lucy, his fiancee, who is looking pale and growing long canines. Mina learns that Jonathan is in a hospital in Budapest and goes to join him. As Lucy is not improving, Quincey and the Westenras return to London to consult with Dr Seward, whose sanitarium is next to Carfax Abbey, the property purchased by and now inhabited by Count Dracula. Unable to make a proper diagnosis, Seward sends for Abraham Van Helsing (Frank Finlay) to travel from Amsterdam and have a look at Lucy. Van Helsing immediately recognizes Lucy's symptoms as those of a vampire in the making. He treats her by making a necklace of garlic and sealing the doors and windows of her bedroom with garlic. Unfortunately, they don't tell Mrs Westenra what they are doing, and she removes the garlic from around Lucy's neck. When a wolf jumps through Lucy's window, Mrs Westenra dies of shock, and Dracula enters the room.
Lucy is dying. Quincey is called. As he holds her hand, Lucy completes her transformation as a vampire and attempts to bite him. Moments later, Lucy is dead. Of course, Van Helsing knows that this is just the beginning.
Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mina, now Mr and Mrs Harker, return to London only to find the Westenra house in mourning and Lucy buried in her tomb. That night, Van Helsing and Seward visit her tomb but find her coffin empty. While walking from the cemetery, they encounter a small child who claims to have seen a "bloofer lady" and who has puncture wounds on his neck similar to those on Lucy's. Van Helsing and Seward collect Quincey, and the three of them return to the cemetery where they find a snarling Lucy with blood on her lips. After Lucy returns to her coffin, Quincey drives a stake through her heart and Van Helsing fills her mouth with garlic and cuts off her head.
When Jonathan recognizes the new owner of Carfax Abbey as Count Dracula, they send Mina away and make plans to search the Abbey where 50 boxes of earth were known to be delivered. With a consecrated host, Van Helsing sterilizes the boxes, but they find only 29 of them and no Dracula (as he is currently paying a visit to Mina's bedroom). The next day Mina comes to see Renfield, who recognizes Mina's changed status. Renfield begs to be taken away from the sanitarium, but Seward refuses. That night, Dracula comes to Renfield and accuses him of thwarting the gift (Mina) that he sent. Dracula kills Renfield and then goes to the Harkers' bedroom. While Jonathan lies in a trance, Mina accepts Dracula's "kiss." Dracula opens a gash in his chest and makes Mina drink. It is at that moment that Van Helsing and Seward enter the bedroom and send the Count packing. Mina awakens covered with blood and realizes that she is "unclean" when a consecrated host burns her forehead.
Van Helsing and Harker track down two deliveries of earthboxes to addresses in Purfleet and Mayfair. While they sterilize the boxes, Dracula enters. He taunts them, but their crosses and bullets are useless. Dracula leaves them speechless when he leaps from a window and escapes. After counting the boxes they have sterilized, they realize there is one box still missing. Mina tells them that Dracula has taken this box and is returning to Transylvania. The fearless vampire hunters follow.
Jonathan, Dr Seward, and Quincey follow the river route to the castle, while Mina and Van Helsing camp near the castle awaiting their arrival. During the night, Mina and Van Helsing are visited by three vampiresses. Van Helsing draws a circle around Mina and sprinkles it with consecrated hosts to keep the vampiresses out and Mina in. When morning comes, Van Helsing goes to the castle and destroys the three vampiresses while Mina sleeps in the circle.
Along the river, four gypsies load Dracula's last earthbox (with him in it) onto a wagon and race toward the castle, Jonathan, Seward, and Quincey in hot pursuit. A gunfight breaks out. Quincey is wounded. Three of the gypsies are shot, but the fourth manages to drive the wagon the rest of the way to the castle, Jonathan, Seward, and Quincey again in pursuit. They catch up to the wagon in the castle courtyard and are joined by Van Helsing and Mina. As the sun sets, Dracula awakens. But before he can rise, Van Helsing stakes him through the heart. A great cloud of dust is released, leaving nothing more of Dracula than his clothes. At that moment, the burn on Mina's forehead disappears. Dracula is destroyed. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content