Dracula (1931)

Lovely painted background as the stagecoach heads through the Transylvanian mountains. 

Renfield and his chums arrive in the local village, where the locals warn him away from the castle. 

"We people of the mountains believe in the castle there are vampires!" 

Renfield ignores the villagers & we're soon with the totally normal and clean-living Count and his 3 "wives." 

The total lack of incidental music lends the whole film a creeping dread. 

Such a simple but effective thing, the piercing glare of the whites of Lugosi's eyes. 

The castle interior is so impressive, so enormous looking. Shame about those bats. 

"I am Dracula! I bid you welcome! The children of the night; What music they make!" Famous lines, undiminished by uncountable retreads. 

Renfield's only bothered about his missing luggage. Always happens on holiday, mate. 

Dracula's buying a house in London. Renfield cuts himself on a paperclip like a proper twonk. 

"I never drink... wine!" Dracula's such a card. 

Dracula sets the 3 Mrs. Draculas on Renfield then has a go himself. 

By the time, we're on the ship back to England, with Dracula hiding in his box of soil, Renfield's become a full-on loon. 

Lovely model work on the ship; less lovely "storm acting" from the extras. 

When the ship arrives in England, the crew are all dead, the Captain tied to the wheel, seen only in shadow... 

...and in the hold, Renfield is grinning to himself. A newspaper report describes his newfound prediliction for insects. 

Dracula's having a night on the town & fancies a bite to eat. No takeaways open, so he chows down on a flower girl. 

Next the Count goes to a gig, then hooks up with the Harkers and their pals. 

Dracula gets his batsuit on to pay Mina a call. such effective use of light and shadows as he creeps ever closer to her neck. 

Over at the sanitorium Renfield is gutted when Martin nicks his spider. 

"Who wants to eat flies?" asks Renfield. "You do, ya looney!" replies the health care professional. 

Van Helsing notes that Renfield is affected by the howls of a wolf. 

Van Helsing threatens Renfield with Wolfsbane, a plant the Transylvanians use as protection from vampires... 

Mina says her room was full of fog last night. Should have given that curry a miss. 

Dracula returns to the scene of the crime, where Van Helsing outs him as a vampire by proving he has no reflection. 

"Vampires only exist in ghost stories!" Harker hasn't been paying attention. 

They quiz Renfield. "Dracula? I've never even heard the name before." he says, shaking and grinning dementedly. Well, I'm convinced. 

With both Lucy & Mina having fallen victim to Dracula, Van Helsing & Harker resolve to track down the vampire and destroy him. 

Dracula tries to hypnotize Van Helsing. And fails. 

Mina's acting all crackers. Now she loves fog, hates Wolfsbane & she wants Jonathan to get Van Helsing's crucifix away from him. 

"They're all craaaazy! Except me and you. And sometimes I have my doubts about you." 

 

They hunt Dracula to his abbey lair, where Van Helsing stakes him, and Mina is freed from his influence. 

 

Hmmm. Bit of a damp squib ending if I'm honest, but easily forgiveable, such a seminal work and such a mesmerising atmosphere. 

TTFN! K.
Coming Soon... The Curse of Fenric