Suggested Films for Dracula
Projects
Dracula Films
* I have personal copies of these films that
English 390 students may borrow.
Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des
Grayens* (The Undead, a
Symphony of Horror) (1922)
Directed by F.W. Murnau. A silent classic
of the German expressionist cinema. Believed to be the first vampire
film. Based loosely on Bram Stoker's novel.
Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht (The Undead, Phantom of the Night) (1979)
Directed by
Werner Herzog. German remake of the original vampire film. Starring
Klaus Kinski.
Dracula* (1931)
Directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi. Classic by
Universal Studios, also responsible for the famous Frankenstein movies
of the 1930s and 40s. Based on the Deane/Balderston play, the film
transforms Dracula into a type of suave, continental
lover.
Horror of Dracula*
(1958)
Directed by Terence Fisher. Starring Christopher Lee
(Dracula) and Peter Cushing (Van Helsing). The first of the Hammer
horror series of Dracula films. Loosely based on Stokers
novel.
El Conde Dracula (1970)
Spanish version directed by Jesus Franco and based fairly closely on
Stoker's novel. Stars Christopher Lee (Dracula). Franco portrays the
Dracula story as a confrontation between youth and age.
Love at First Bite (197
)
Stars George Hamilton (Dracula). Parody of the Dracula legend.
Dracula enters the Disco Age to pursue the reincarnation of his lost
love. A dancing Dracula??
Dracula* (1973)
Made-for-television movie directed by Dan Curtis. Starring Jack
Palance (Dracula) and Nigel Davenport (Van Helsing). Gives more
sympathetic portrayal of Dracula as a noble warrior yearning for his
lost love.
Dracula (1977)
BBC/PBS miniseries directed by Philip Saville and starring Louis
Jourdan. More faithful to Stoker's novel than previous versions. Filmed
on location at Whitby.
Dracula (1979)
Set
at the beginning of the twentieth century. Dracula is portrayed as a
romantic, dashing hero/villain; Lucy is a sexually liberated woman who
is Dracula's perfect mate. Directed by John Badham. Starring Frank
Langella (Dracula), Laurence Olivier (Van Helsing), and Kate Nelligan
(Lucy).
Bram Stokers Dracula*
(1992)
Very faithful to the novel, except for the inclusion of a
love story between Dracula and Mina; Mina is the reincarnation on of
Dracula's lost love. The love story transforms Dracula from the Satanic
to the Byronic hero type. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring
Gary Oldman (Dracula), Wynona Ryder (Mina), and Anthony Hopkins (Van
Helsing).
Dracula, Dead and Loving It (1997)
Parody of Dracula written and directed by
Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein). Lacks the brilliance of Brooks' attempt
at the Frankenstein legend. Stars Leslie Nielsen (Dracula) and Mel
Brooks (Van Helsing).
Dracula 2000 (December,
2000)
Update of the Dracula story produced by horror master Wes
Craven. Check out the trailer.
Related Vampire Films
Vampire Hunter D*
(1985)
A classic of Japanese animation. The story is imaginative, if
bizarre. When the ancient vampire Count Lee plans to claim a village
maiden as his bride, the mysterious vampire hunter known as "D" sets out
to rescue her. Although Japanese, the film has strong similarities to
American Westerns. It also features the theme of human duality that is
central to Stokers novel. Contains scenes of graphic
violence.
Dark Shadows* (1966-1971)
An ABC Gothic soap opera recounting the
adventures of the vampire Barnabas Collins. Episodes of the television
series and two spin-off movies, House of Dark Shadows (1970) and
Night of Dark Shadows (1971), are available on
video.
Dark Shadows (1991)
Revival of the old television series. Stars Ben Cross as Barnabas
Collins.
The Night Stalker (1971)
In this made-for-television movie, an eccentric Los Vegas reporter
investigates a series of murders that he believes were committed by a
vampire. A major influence on the later X-Files TV series. Stars Darren
McGavin.
Salems Lot (1979)
Television mini-series (a shorter movie version is also available)
of Stephen King's horror novel . An ancient vampire attempts to take
over the town of Salem. Stars David Soul and James
Mason.
The Lost Boys* (1987)
When two boys move to California, they become
involved with a dangerous gang of teenage biker vampires. Stars Kiefer
Sutherland and Diane Wiest.
Nick Knight (1989)
Made-for-television movie about a vampire who has become a Los
Angeles police detective. He investigates a series of murders in which
the victims were drained of blood.
Forever Knight* (1992-93)
Television series based on the Nick Knight movie.
While trying to recover his mortal nature, the vampire Nick Knight
decides to serve humanity as a crime-fighting cop.
Interview With the Vampire * (1994)
Film version of Anne Rice's novel about a young
vampire coming to terms with his new vampire nature. The three main
characters, Louis, Lestat, and Claudia, make interesting comparisons to
Dracula. Louis and Lestat can also be compared as Byronic (Louis) and
Satanic (Lestat) heroes. Stars Brad Pitt (Louis), Tom Cruise (Lestat),
and Kirsten Dunst (Claudia).
* I have personal copies of these films that
English 390 students may borrow.