View Full Version : Best Version of Dracula?
cruentus
10-02-05, 07:29 PM
Since Halloween is only a few weeks away, I've been digging through my collection of horror DVDs.
The absolute best film version of Bram Stoker's vampire story is a silent movie made in 1922 by F.W. Murnau "Nosferatu". This is one damn creepy movie.
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The best sound version of Dracula is the 1977 BBC production starring French actor Louis Jourdan. This version is the most faithful to the source material.
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Nah... Werner Herzog's 1979, Nosferatu the Vampyre w/ Klaus Kinski, gets best sound verzion. IMHO
I've heard of the one from 1922. I still haven't gotten it, but it sounds like a great idea for halloween! :)
I can't think of any, but you can always get "Love at First Bite". That was so campy it's scary. :D
Koffee
Wil Davis
10-02-05, 11:24 PM
The definitive version is F. W. Murnau's original "Nosferatu" made in 1922 - VERY SCARY!!!!
"Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992) is reckoned to be the worst version - absolute garbage! The original book is fabulous. The "Hammer" film (Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing) scared the living daylights out of me when I was a kid, but Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 version started off OK - the suspension of my disbelief kicked in at around 2 minutes, but was brought to a grinding halt at precisely 7 minutes and 15 seconds into the film - the moment when Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) spoke his first word... What an awful apology of an English accent! Winona Ryder's accent was hardly any better. I spent the rest of the film doing a "Mystery Science Theater 3000" on it - well, the film was simply begging for it. However, I will admit that the visual-effects were very good; Anthony Hopkins was splendid as Van Helsing; some of the humorous bits were quite good, although I wonder whether some of the humour was intentional or accidental. By and large, a good film, but not really great. It amazes me that it even got nominated for Academy Awards let alone winning four! Oh by the way, Mr Coppola, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for not letting Tom Waits sing!
"Blood For Dracula" (1974) - I was looking for a film which I remember seeing in the early '70s - it was about Dracula, and was produced by Roman Polanski - and this one turned up (not the film I was looking for, by the way) - however, I watched it, and found it to be very good - especially when accompanied by the directors commentary. This film was done on a very small budget, and forget about the "Dracula" story, just take a look at the great photography and the use of light. The locations are great and really make the atmosphere. The women are gorgeous, and each of the characters stand on their own. Look for the cameo appearance of Roman Polanski. I actually felt sorry for Count Dracula, him being a vegetarian and all... Great film! - rent it! The juxtaposition of the dialogue with the scenes and shots is great - listen carefully to what is being said - and the accents are terrific! The film is VERY funny!
…and here is the other Polanski film which I eventually found:
"The Fearless Vampire Killers or: Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are In My Neck" is a spoof of various vampire movies, and was made by Roman Polanski in 1966 and also stars Jack MacGowran, Sharon Tate, Alfie Bass and others - great movie, and very funny! Great lines, and lots of visual humour, and a rare chance to see the lovely Sharon Tate!
- Wil
cruentus
10-03-05, 08:00 AM
I've heard of the one from 1922. I still haven't gotten it, but it sounds like a great idea for halloween! :)
Koffee
Since the film "Nosferatu" is in the public domain, there are a lot of DVD versions available. IMHO, there are only two versions that deserve consideration, the version put out by Kino Video , and the Image Entertainment version.
The Kino Video version has the best image transfer by far. The images are crisp, amazingly good for a film that was made 80+ years ago. The inter-title cards on this version are properly translated. On the down side, the Kino version offers two different music scores, neither of them very good. The Kino DVD also doesn't offer a lot in the way of extra features.
The Image Entertainment's version transfer is not quite as good as the Kino version -- some of the detail is washed out. This version has a slightly better music score. The inter-title cards look like they were translated by a high school kid with a German/English dictionary -- stupid. The best part of the Image Entertainment version is the excellent commentary offered by film historian Lokke Heiss
Forget all the other versions, they are crap, hacked together by grifters, to separate suckers from their money.
SpiderMike
10-03-05, 08:40 AM
Hands down it would Nosferatu!!!
"Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992) - the moment when Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) spoke his first word... What an awful apology of an English accent!
Wasn't his first line something like "Woooh, so Mr. Dracula, did you order like a most excellent pizza?"
another vote for Nosferatu
however Gary Oldman as Dracula was superbe. He is absolutely
one of the creepiest actors out there.
the scene with him shaving Harker is good, the action of his
shadow is even better. . .
KrisPistofferson
10-03-05, 02:53 PM
"Best Dracula actor" and "Best Dracula movie" are two different things, in my opinion. I think Christopher Lee is hands down the greatest Dracula of all time,(Peter Cushing is the best Van Helsing, as well,) but the Hammer films, while enjoyable, aren't in the same league as some other treatments of the story. I really liked Gary Oldman's turn, as well, but he's my favorite actor, anyway.
FastFreddy
10-04-05, 01:22 AM
It’s a vampire movie -- not “Dracula” as such -- but my favorite is Near Dark (1987), directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Set in the hot, dry, Western U.S., it’s a beautiful film visually – very stylish.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093605/
heckflosse
10-04-05, 03:43 AM
I think the best Dracula movie has to be 'Nosferatu'.
But the best vampire movie is 'Interview with a Vampire'.
Bleah. I saw Interview and I wasn't impressed. That's a snorefest. :cry:
Koffee
Cromulent
10-04-05, 08:54 AM
"Shadow of the Vampire". John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Eddie Izzard, Cary Elwes. It's a movie about the making of Nosferatu. Great acting, hilarious, and just enough suspense and horror to keep it interesting.
va_cyclist
10-04-05, 10:37 AM
I liked the Gary Oldman version also. Any movie with Winona Ryder is worth watching.
Any movie with Winona Ryder is worth watching.
Whoa! Low standards? Have you seen Mr. Deeds? Boys? How to Make an American Quilt? *snore*
:D
Koffee
wrench_meister
10-04-05, 12:03 PM
As far as vampire movies, I was always partial to The Lost Boys with Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, and of course the Coreys.
when it comes to Dracula, I saw the 1931 version with Bela Lugosi on Halloween once and I thought it was outstanding. His delivery of the lines, as he did not speak English and learned the dialogue phonetically, always made him seem that much more scary to me.
heckflosse
10-04-05, 12:40 PM
Any movie with Winona Ryder is worth watching.
Anything with Winona Ryder is worth watching, else it might disappear. :D
On the down side, the Kino version offers two different music scores, neither of them very good.
OTOH, since it's a silent film, you can just hit "Mute" and put on the creepy music of your choosing, or just opt for creepy silence.
Karldar
10-05-05, 11:23 AM
I've got Nosferatu on DVD, but I don't think it's a very good transfer. On a disc with Metropolis, I believe. I'll have to dig it out and rewatch it.
Bleah. I saw Interview and I wasn't impressed. That's a snorefest. :cry:
Koffee
It was alright, I guess. What really bothered me about it was Guns N' Roses doing Sympathy For The Devil. The original would've been better, in my opinion. And, really, I think Concrete Blonde's Bloodletting(The Vampire Song) should've been part of the soundtrack. Duh, perfect fit, people. It's like I Am The Law being left out of Judge Dredd...which wasn't all that good, but still!
KingTermite
10-05-05, 03:15 PM
Sounds like a kewl Halloween tradition to start...watch the movie every year for Halloween (whichever one if your favorite).
I started my own tradition like that for Easter about 3 or 4 years ago. I watch "Jesus Christ Superstar" every year for Easter. :D
KingTermite
10-05-05, 03:18 PM
On a side note, have any of you ever seen Whitby Abbey? The setting that inspired the Dracula story (Bram Stoker lived there in Whitby for some time)? The real place has the spookiest presence of anywhere I have ever been in my life. It was an awesome place to see.
Here are some of my pics I took while there last year.
http://www.kingtermite.net/fun/whitbyabbey/
SpiderMike
10-05-05, 03:18 PM
Sounds like a kewl Halloween tradition to start...watch the movie every year for Halloween (whichever one if your favorite).
I started my own tradition like that for Easter about 3 or 4 years ago. I watch "Jesus Christ Superstar" every year for Easter. :D
Kinda like how one of the cable channels (TNT I think) airs "A Christmas Story" the whole day.
Thinking of that, I miss the Elvira hosted Halloween marathons.
KingTermite
10-05-05, 03:32 PM
Thinking of that, I miss the Elvira hosted Halloween marathons.
Yeah!! That woman had so much sex appeal.....she knew how to make "work" her male audience.
I remember being at my parents once a few years back and they were watching one of their home makeover type shows and the lady who was having her home made over was the actress who had played Elvira. She was like 60 years old and looked nothing like "Elvira", but still one heck of an attractive woman.
RegularGuy
10-05-05, 03:43 PM
Sounds like a kewl Halloween tradition to start...watch the movie every year for Halloween (whichever one if your favorite).
I started my own tradition like that for Easter about 3 or 4 years ago. I watch "Jesus Christ Superstar" every year for Easter. :D
The 1972 Norman Jewison Superstar? Man, I hated it when it was new and I don't think it's aged well. I did like the 2000 version that ran on PBS pretty well. My own tradition is to listen to Superstar during Holy Week. I listen to both the original cast album and the "Resurrection" album that features the Indigo Girls. I love them both for different reasons.
As for vampire movies, Nosferatu is the best. Ever. Hands Down. I like Shadow of the Vampire a lot. The Bela Lugosi Dracula is stagey and creaky and looks old, but Lugosi was great.
A lot of people like the 1979 version of Dracula that starred Frank Langella. I'm not one of them. John Badham isn't much of a director. Still, if you've never seen it, you might want to check it out.
CycleMagic
10-05-05, 03:44 PM
Sounds like a kewl Halloween tradition to start...watch the movie every year for Halloween (whichever one if your favorite).
I started my own tradition like that for Easter about 3 or 4 years ago. I watch "Jesus Christ Superstar" every year for Easter. :D
Our community theatre group plays Rocky Horror every Halloween; you should see the costumes that this little town can pull out of their closets!!!
CycleMagic
10-05-05, 03:52 PM
Here are some of my pics I took while there last year.
http://www.kingtermite.net/fun/whitbyabbey/
King,
feeling a bit like the visitor that goes through your medicine cabinet when you aren't looking, I checked out the other pictures on your site and saw your trip to Stonehenge. I was there two years ago and found it one of the most amazing and awesome sites I'd ever had the good fortune to see. Something very spiritual about that place. hope you enjoyed it as well.
Liz
SpiderMike
10-05-05, 03:55 PM
Yeah!! That woman had so much sex appeal.....she knew how to make "work" her male audience.
I remember being at my parents once a few years back and they were watching one of their home makeover type shows and the lady who was having her home made over was the actress who had played Elvira. She was like 60 years old and looked nothing like "Elvira", but still one heck of an attractive woman.
http://www.elvira.com/
Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira. Have to admit, she was probably one of my first childhood crushes. Still remember when she was on CHiPs.
KingTermite
10-05-05, 03:56 PM
King,
feeling a bit like the visitor that goes through your medicine cabinet when you aren't looking, I checked out the other pictures on your site and saw your trip to Stonehenge. I was there two years ago and found it one of the most amazing and awesome sites I'd ever had the good fortune to see. Something very spiritual about that place. hope you enjoyed it as well.
Liz
Whitby Abbey which I had never heard of before my trip ( a friend of mine who lives in Leeds took me there ) had every bit of a "presence" as Stonehenge did. The two were both a the most amazing things in England I saw.
My only complaint was I got screwed by the tour group and was VERY RUSHED through Stonehenge. If I ever have the chance, I'd go back and spend an entire day just at Stonehenge....take all the walking paths and everything. I'd like to see the other henges around England too.
cruentus
10-05-05, 03:58 PM
On a side note, have any of you ever seen Whitby Abbey? The setting that inspired the Dracula story (Bram Stoker lived there in Whitby for some time)? The real place has the spookiest presence of anywhere I have ever been in my life. It was an awesome place to see.
Here are some of my pics I took while there last year.
http://www.kingtermite.net/fun/whitbyabbey/
The 1977 BBC version of "Count Dracula" was filmed on location in Whitby.
Here's a screen shot of Whitby Abbey from the BBC's "Count Dracula".
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3j6z2/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/W.jpg
cruentus
10-05-05, 04:02 PM
http://www.elvira.com/
Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira. Have to admit, she was probably one of my first childhood crushes. Still remember when she was on CHiPs.
She appeared nude in some men's magazines in the early 1970's, she's a natural red-head, if you know what I mean.
CycleMagic
10-05-05, 04:02 PM
Whitby Abbey which I had never heard of before my trip ( a friend of mine who lives in Leeds took me there ) had every bit of a "presence" as Stonehenge did. The two were both a the most amazing things in England I saw.
My only complaint was I got screwed by the tour group and was VERY RUSHED through Stonehenge. If I ever have the chance, I'd go back and spend an entire day just at Stonehenge....take all the walking paths and everything. I'd like to see the other henges around England too.
It was February when I was there, so the only thing rushing us was the bitter cold WIND....yikes! we were able to take as much time as we could stand before getting frostbite! Yes, after going there, I want to see the other sites as well. There is a cheesy romance novel series (that is very addicting) "Outlander" by Dianna Gabaldon that uses a henge as a portal for time travel. If you are ever looking for a bit of guilty pleasure brain candy, those books are great!
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