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Horror Of Dracula
[Hammer/WB]
1958; color
Directed by Terence Fisher
Starring: Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling & Christopher Lee
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Still basking in the success of Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer knew a good thing when they saw it and expanded their world of horror with Horror Of Dracula (simply titled Dracula in the UK). This was the first of seven appearances Christopher Lee made as the Transylvanian bloodsucker (and first of 14 vampire movies Hammer made between 1958 and 1974) and he's pretty spectacular, easily eclipsing Lugosi's Dracula by leaps and bounds. It's also the second teaming of Lee with Peter Cushing, who plays Drac's perennial nemesis Dr. Van Helsing. (The two had been paired up for Curse of Frankenstein the previous year.) The film starts with Johnathan Harker arriving at Drac's castle, where he's been hired on as a librarian. As he unpacks his things and the two make small talk, Dracula makes a point of admiring the photo of Harker's fiancee, Lucy. Things seem peaceful at first. But as soon as he's alone we quickly learn that not only does Harker know who the Count really is, he's there to give him the old stake through the heart and put an end to the centuries of horror. The pace picks up in short order with Harker getting the bite put on him by either Drac's vampire girl in residence or the big guy himself. (It's a bit unclear because he wakes up with the all-too-familiar bite marks after an encounter with the girl and a brawl with the bloody-eyed Count.) Sensing his own imminent demise, he finds the resting place of both vampires and, in a fatal mistake, dispatches the girl before attempting to move on to the main attraction. The Count, naturally, awakens and avoids the stabby-stabby routine (and, as to be expected, kills Harker). Next we're introduced to Van Helsing, Harker's colleague and co-vampire hunter, who's followed his friend to the backwoods mountains to help him kill Dracula. Of course, by the time he makes his way to the castle, Dracula is long gone, Harker's things are in complete disarray—and the photo of Lucy is mysteroiusly torn from it's frame—and Helsing's left with the task of giving his old buddy the stake treatment to free his now undead soul. Upon his return to the family of Harker's fiancee, to notify them of his demise, Helsing learns the girl has suddenly taken ill. Sensing vampirism afoot he tries to protect Lucy, but to no avail. She quickly "dies" and becomes a vampire. Being ahead of the curve, Helsing knows he has to nip this in the bud before anyone else gets a new neck decoration. He eventually convinces Lucy's brother of her dead yet undead status (we're treated to the great scene where he presses a crucifix to her forehead and it leaves a freshly sizzled burn mark) and the two join forces. Drac's an undead man with a plan, however, and he also has his bloody sights set on Mina, wife of Lucy's brother and, by default, Lucy's sister-in-law. Things really begin to snowball at this point and it all leads up to the inevitable (and highly memorable) clash between Helsing and Dracula. I'm not going to divulge everything here; plus we all know Drac's gotta die in the end anyway, only to be reborn again into many sequels to come. There's a lot more to Horror of Dracula that makes it such a great movie: the scenery, costumes, lighting, makeup and—most importantly—direction, are all top notch. Lee is brilliant in his debut as the Count, and Cushing's no slouch either (although I do prefer him in his more sinister Victor Frankenstien roles). It's also the beginning of the sexy/seductive image vampirism began to receive in the movies. Whereas the women in the Lugosi version feared Dracula, Lucy breathlessly lies in waiting for him and Mina's got a smirk on her face when she return from her visit withh the Count like she's just had a little vamp sex to go with her bite. It's no surprise this was a box office hit, as it's an undisputable classic.
—the Kommandant
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