Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula, is an aged Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "MD, D.Ph., D.Litt., etc.", indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. He is a doctor, professor, lawyer, philosopher, scientist and metaphysic. The character is best known through many adaptations of the story as a vampire slayer, monster hunter and the archnemesis of Count Dracula, and the prototypical and the archetypical parapsychologist in subsequent works of paranormal fiction.
Albert Victor Adamson Jr. was an American filmmaker and actor known as a prolific director of B-grade horror and exploitation films throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation of vampire fiction has been from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, with over 170 versions to date. Running a distant second are adaptations of the 1872 novel Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. By 2005, the Dracula character had been the subject of more films than any other fictional character except Sherlock Holmes.
House of Frankenstein is a 1944 American horror film starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine. The film was directed by Erle C. Kenton based on a story by Curt Siodmak, and produced by Universal Pictures. The film is about Dr. Gustav Niemann who escapes from prison and promises to create a new body for his assistant Daniel. The two murder Professor Lampini and take over his sideshow that involves the corpse of Count Dracula. After disposing of the Count, the two move on to the ruins of Castle Frankenstein where they find the body of Frankenstein's monster and The Wolf Man Larry Talbot preserved in the castle. Niemann thaws them and promises to cure Talbot of his werewolf curse, but secretly plots to revive Frankenstein's monster instead.
House of Dracula is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 1944 film House of Frankenstein. The film is set at the castle home of Dr. Franz Edelmann, who is visited first by Count Dracula and later by Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, who are trying to cure their vampirism and lycanthropy, respectively. Talbot is eventually cured, which leads him to discover the body of Frankenstein's monster in a cave below the base of the castle. Edelemann takes the monster's body back to his laboratory but finds Count Dracula has awakened and by attacking his assistants, he captures Edelmann and forces a reverse blood transfusion, which gives Edelmann a split personality and makes him a killer.
Commander USA's Groovie Movies is an American movie showcase series that ran weekend afternoons on the USA Network.
La Noche de Walpurgis /Walpurgis Night, is a 1970 Spanish/German horror film starring Paul Naschy, the fifth in his series about the werewolf Waldemar Daninsky. This film was directed by León Klimovsky and written by Paul Naschy, and is generally regarded to have kickstarted the Spanish horror film boom of the 1970s, due to its awesome box office success upon its release. This was Naschy's all-time most financially successful film. It was also the first of 8 films that he would make with director Leon Klimovsky at the helm.
El Castillo de los monstruos is a 1958 Mexican horror comedy directed by Julián Soler.
The Mark of the Wolfman, is a 1968 Spanish horror film, the first in a long series of films about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy. The film was also known as Hell's Creatures, The Nights of Satan, The Vampires of Dr. Dracula and Frankenstein's Bloody Terror. Naschy originally suggested actress Barbara Steele for the part of the vampire countess Wandesa, but Aurora De Alba wound up getting the part.
Tomb of the Werewolf is a 2003 film directed by Fred Olen Ray. It is the twelfth and last in a long series of films about the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy. The film contains a number of adult sex scenes bordering on softcore pornography. The film was shot on Video in 2003 and first distributed directly to VHS as Tomb of the Werewolf in June 2004. It was later reissued as an uncensored DVD in 2015 as The Unliving by Retromedia Entertainment. Director Ray said years later in an interview that the film never made a profit.
Billy the Kid Versus Dracula is a 1966 American horror Western film directed by William Beaudine. The film is about Billy the Kid trying to save his fiancée from Dracula. The film was originally released as part of a double feature along with Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter in 1966. Both films were shot in eight days at Corriganville Movie Ranch and at Paramount Studios in mid-1965; both were the final feature films of director Beaudine. The films were produced by television producer Carroll Case for Joseph E. Levine.
Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors is a low-budget 1967 colour scope anthology film by David L. Hewitt from stories by Russ Jones. The film includes footage from Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. The similarity of its title to Amicus Productions' hit Dr. Terror's House of Horrors led to numerous enforced title changes, including Return from the Past, The Blood Suckers, Alien Massacre, and most commonly Gallery of Horror (on-screen) and Gallery of Horrors. It has also been released as The Witch's Clock, after the first story, and the only one to feature star John Carradine, who hosts the interstitial segments. It also stars Lon Chaney Jr., Rochelle Hudson, Roger Gentry and Vic McGee. The other stories include "King Vampire," "Monster Raid," "Spark of Life," and "Count Alucard," which is credited as "Count Dracula." In the latter story, Jonathan Harker is revealed, in a humorous twist, to be a werewolf.
Dracula: The Series is a syndicated series about Count Dracula, and was broadcast from September 29, 1990, to May 11, 1991.
The influence of Countess Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture has been notable from the 18th century to the present day. Since her death, various myths and legends surrounding her story have preserved her as a prominent figure in folklore, literature, music, film, games and toys.
The Female Bunch is a 1969 action film directed by Al Adamson, and starring Russ Tamblyn and Lon Chaney Jr.. The plot centered on a group of violent, man-hating female criminals who cause trouble around the Mexican border.
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't is a 1979 American television special that revolves around Dracula trying to save Halloween from the Witch who threatens it. It won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement – Children's Program" and was nominated for three others. On its VHS release, it was retitled The Night Dracula Saved the World.
Evils of the Night is a 1985 American low-budget science fiction horror film starring Aldo Ray, Neville Brand, Tina Louise, John Carradine, and Julie Newmar. The film was directed, co-produced and co-written by Mardi Rustam.
Monster Family is a 2017 computer-animated monster comedy film directed and produced by Holger Tappe, and co-written by David Safier. It is based on David Safier's 2011 novel Happy Family. The film stars Emily Watson, Nick Frost, Jessica Brown Findlay, Celia Imrie, Catherine Tate, and Jason Isaacs.
Dracula is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker and its 1927 play adaptation. The series is a loose collection of films, with historians stating that the films all reference characters, events or at least passing knowledge of the 1931 English-language production of Dracula, with historians noting that Dracula's Daughter and Son of Dracula are more closely related to the 1931 film while the character of Dracula would make smaller appearances in later films such as House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. After Dracula's Daughter, the character of Dracula and other vampires in the series became more Americanized starting with the release of Son of Dracula, and the later House of films. The character of Dracula appears in all the films outside of Dracula's Daughter, where he is portrayed by Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., and John Carradine in the House of films.
Five Bloody Graves is an American western film directed by Al Adamson and starring Robert Dix, Scott Brady, Jim Davis, John Carradine, Paula Raymond. Fruita, Utah was used as a setting for the film.
