Dracula (Hammer film series)

Last updated
Dracula
Directed by
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
1958–1974
Running time
797–801 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
China
Languages English
Chinese

Dracula is a British horror film series produced by Hammer Film Productions. The films are centered on Count Dracula, bringing with him a plague of vampirism, and the ensuing efforts of the heroic Van Helsing family to stop him. The original series of films consisted of nine instalments, which starred iconic horror actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as Count Dracula and Doctor Van Helsing, respectively. The series is part of the larger Hammer horror oeuvre.

Contents

List of films

Reception

Film Rotten Tomatoes
Dracula 90% (39 reviews) [1]
The Brides of Dracula 76% (17 reviews) [2]
Dracula: Prince of Darkness 80% (20 reviews) [3]
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave 80% (15 reviews) [4]
Taste the Blood of Dracula 67% (12 reviews) [5]
Scars of Dracula 43% (7 reviews) [6]
Dracula A.D. 1972 22% (9 reviews) [7]
The Satanic Rites of Dracula 20% (5 reviews) [8]
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires 40% (5 reviews) [9]

Cast and characters

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the series.

Character Dracula The Brides of Dracula Dracula:
Prince of Darkness
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave Taste the Blood of Dracula Scars of Dracula Dracula A.D. 1972 The Satanic Rites of Dracula The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
19581960196619681970197219731974
Count Dracula Christopher Lee Christopher Lee John Forbes-Robertson
David de Keyser V
Chan Shen H
Dr. Lawrence Van Helsing
Dr. Lorrimer Van Helsing
Peter Cushing Peter Cushing U A Peter Cushing
The Landlord George Woodbridge Norman Pierce George Woodbridge George A. Cooper Michael Ripper
Mina Harker Melissa Stribling
Lucy Westenra Carol Marsh
Jonathan Harker John Van Eyssen
Dr. John "Jack" Seward Charles Lloyd-Pack
Tania Janina Faye Anouska Hempel
Arthur Holmwood Michael Gough
Vampire Woman Valerie Gaunt
The PriestFred Johnson Philip Ray Ewan Hooper Reginald Barratt Michael Gwynn
Klove Philip Latham Patrick Troughton
Paul Paxton CarlsonBarry Andrews Anthony Corlan Christopher Matthews
Alice Hargood Linda Hayden Delia Lindsay
Jessica Van Helsing Stephanie Beacham Joanna Lumley

Crew

Crew/detail Dracula The Brides of Dracula Dracula:
Prince of Darkness
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave Taste the Blood of Dracula Scars of Dracula Dracula A.D. 1972 The Satanic Rites of Dracula The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
19581960196619681970197219731974
Director(s) Terence Fisher Freddie Francis Peter Sasdy Roy Ward Baker Alan Gibson Roy Ward Baker
Chang Cheh
Producer(s) Anthony Hinds Anthony Nelson Keys Aida Young Michael Carreras
Josephine Douglas
Roy Skeggs Don Houghton
Vee King Shaw
Writer(s) Jimmy Sangster Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bryan & Edward Percy
Anthony Hinds (uncredited)
Screenplay:
Jimmy Sangster
(as John Sansom)
Story:
Anthony Hinds
(as John Elder)
Anthony HindsAnthony Hinds
(as John Elder)
Anthony Hinds Don Houghton
Composer(s) James Bernard Malcolm Williamson James Bernard Mike Vickers John Cacavas James Bernard
Editor(s) Bill Lenny Alfred CoxChris BarnesSpencer ReeveChris Barnes James Needs Chris Barnes
Cinematographer Jack Asher Michael Reed Arthur Grant Moray Grant Dick Bush Brian Probyn John Wilcox
Roy Ford
Production companies Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions
Shaw Brothers Studio
Distributor(s) Rank Film Distributors Rank Film Distributors (UK) Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) MGM-EMI Distributors (UK) Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK)
Universal International (US & Worldwide) 20th Century Fox (US & Worldwide) Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (US & Worldwide) Warner Bros. Pictures (US & Worldwide) Continental Films (US & Worldwide)Warner Bros. Pictures (US & Worldwide)Dynamite Entertainment (US & Worldwide)Shaw Brothers Studio (US & Worldwide)
Runtime82 minutes85 minutes90 minutes92 minutes91 minutes (cut, US)
95 minutes (uncut, UK)
91 minutes96 minutes87 minutes83 minutes
Release dateMay 7, 1958July 7, 1960January 9, 1966November 7, 1968May 7, 1970November 8, 1970September 28, 1972November 3, 1973July 11, 1974

Legacy

As Count Dracula, Lee fixed the image of the fanged vampire in popular culture. [10] Christopher Frayling writes, "Dracula introduced fangs, red contact lenses, décolletage, ready-prepared wooden stakes and—in the celebrated credits sequence—blood being spattered from off-screen over the Count's coffin." [11] Lee also introduced a dark, brooding sexuality to the character, with Tim Stanley stating, "Lee's sensuality was subversive in that it hinted that women might quite like having their neck chewed on by a stud". [12]

Upon publishing extracts of their screenplay for Anno Dracula in an updated version of the first book in the series, author Kim Newman revealed the film would use the likeness of Peter Cushing to represent the severed head of the deceased Van Helsing, establishing elements of the Hammer Productions Dracula film series as the backdrop for the film adaptation's events, specifically an imagined alternate ending to the 1958 Dracula film. The fourth book in the series, subtitled Johnny Alucard , follows the character of the same name originally introduced in Dracula A.D. 1972 . [13]

In 2017 a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw Dracula ranked the 65th-best British film ever. [14] Empire magazine ranked Lee's portrayal as Count Dracula the 7th-greatest horror movie character of all time. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Cushing</span> English actor (1913–1994)

Peter Wilton Cushing was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition for his leading performances in the Hammer Productions horror films from the 1950s to 1970s, and as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977).

Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Van Helsing</span> Fictional character created by Bram Stoker

Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a 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 arch-nemesis of Count Dracula, and the prototypical and the archetypical parapsychologist in subsequent works of paranormal fiction.

<i>Dracula: Dead and Loving It</i> 1995 film

Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 gothic comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Leslie Nielsen. It is a spoof of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and of some of the story's well-known adaptations.

<i>Dracula</i> (1958 film) 1958 horror film directed by Terence Fisher

Dracula is a 1958 British gothic horror film directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same name. The first in the series of Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the film also features Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing, along with Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, and John Van Eyssen. In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.

<i>Dracula 2000</i> 2000 film by Patrick Lussier

Dracula 2000 is a 2000 American gothic horror film co-written and directed by Patrick Lussier and produced by Joel Soisson and stars Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan and Jennifer Esposito. The plot follows Dracula, who arrives in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 21st century and seeks out Mary Heller, the daughter of Abraham Van Helsing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mina Harker</span> Fictional character

Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula.

<i>Dracula: Prince of Darkness</i> 1966 British film

Dracula: Prince of Darkness is a 1966 British gothic supernatural horror film directed by Terence Fisher. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions, and is the third entry in Hammer's Dracula series, as well as the second to feature Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. It also stars Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, and Barbara Shelley.

<i>The Brides of Dracula</i> 1960 film

The Brides of Dracula is a 1960 British supernatural horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Terence Fisher, the film stars Peter Cushing, David Peel, Freda Jackson, Yvonne Monlaur, Andrée Melly, and Martita Hunt. The film is a sequel to the 1958 film Dracula, though the character of Count Dracula does not appear in the film, and is instead mentioned only twice. Christopher Lee would reprise his role as Dracula in the next film in the Dracula series, Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966).

<i>The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires</i> 1974 film

The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires is a 1974 martial arts horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker. The film opens in 1804, when seven vampires clad in gold masks are resurrected by Count Dracula. A century later, Professor Van Helsing, known in the world for his exploits with Dracula, is recruited by a man and his seven siblings after giving a lecture at a Chinese university to take on the vampires. The film is a British-Hong Kong co-production between Hammer Film Productions and Shaw Brothers Studio.

<i>The Satanic Rites of Dracula</i> 1973 British film

The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a 1973 British horror film directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is the eighth film in Hammer's Dracula series, and the seventh and final one to feature Christopher Lee as Dracula. The film was also the third to unite Peter Cushing as Van Helsing with Lee, following Dracula (1958) and Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vampires in popular culture</span>

Vampires are frequently represented in popular culture, including appearances in ballet, films, literature, music, opera, theatre, paintings, and video games.

<i>Nadja</i> (film) 1994 American film

Nadja is a 1994 American horror film written and directed by Michael Almereyda, and starring Elina Löwensohn in the title role and Peter Fonda as Abraham Van Helsing. Nadja is a vampire film that treats genre elements in an understated arthouse style. It received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Taste the Blood of Dracula</i> 1970 film by Peter Sasdy

Taste the Blood of Dracula is a 1970 British supernatural horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Peter Sasdy from a script by Anthony Hinds, it is the fifth installment in Hammer's Dracula series, and the fourth to star Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. The film also features Geoffrey Keen and Gwen Watford.

<i>Dracula A.D. 1972</i> 1972 British film

Dracula A.D. 1972 is a 1972 British horror film, directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It was written by Don Houghton and stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Stephanie Beacham. Unlike earlier films in Hammer's Dracula series, Dracula A.D. 1972 had a contemporary setting in an attempt to update the Dracula story for modern audiences. Dracula is brought back to life in modern London and preys on a group of young partygoers that includes the descendant of his nemesis, Van Helsing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Count Dracula in popular culture</span> Appearances of Count Dracula in popular culture

The character of Count Dracula from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, has remained popular over the years, and many forms of media have adopted the character in various forms. In their book Dracula in Visual Media, authors John Edgar Browning and Caroline Joan S. Picart declared that no other horror character or vampire has been emulated more times than Count Dracula. Most variations of Dracula across film, comics, television and documentaries predominantly explore the character of Dracula as he was first portrayed in film, with only a few adapting Stoker's original narrative more closely. These including borrowing the look of Count Dracula in both the Universal's series of Dracula and Hammer's series of Dracula, including include the characters clothing, mannerisms, physical features hair style and his motivations such as wanting to be in a home away from Europe.

Frankenstein is the title of several horror-adventure films loosely based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, centered on Baron Victor Frankenstein, who experiments in creating a creature beyond human.

<i>Dracula</i> (Universal film series)

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.

The Wolf Man is the title of several horror film series centered on Larry Talbot, a man who upon being bitten by a werewolf becomes one himself, and his subsequent attempts to cure himself of his murderous condition. The franchise was created by Curt Siodmak.

The World of Hammer is a British television documentary series created and written by Robert Sidaway and Ashley Sidaway, and produced by Robert Sidaway.

References

  1. "Horror of Dracula (1958)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  2. "The Brides of Dracula (1960)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  3. "Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  5. "Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  6. "Scars of Dracula (1970)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. "Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  8. "The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  9. "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  10. Jackson, Kevin (31 October 2009). "Fangs for the memories: The A-Z of vampires". The Independent . Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  11. "Hallowe'en: Why Dracula just won't die". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  12. "Why Christopher Lee's Dracula didn't suck". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  13. FitzSimons, Paul (23 October 2013). "Anno Dracula: Kim Newman Talks Vampires". Writing.ie.
  14. Calhoun, Dave; Huddleston, Tom; Jenkins, David; Adams, Derek; Andrew, Geoff; Davies, Adam Lee; Fairclough, Paul; Hammond, Wally (17 February 2017). "The 100 best British films". Time Out London . Time Out Group. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  15. "The 100 best horror movie characters". Empire. Retrieved 2 December 2017