Among all the roles in the long and illustrious career of Christopher Lee, the most iconic, at least to those introduced to the actor in the twentieth century, was undoubtedly the title character of the 1958 British horror film Dracula. This Hammer production did not merely launch a popular film series; in many ways, it redefined the concept of the vampire in popular culture, moving the archetype away from the languid aristocrat towards a more visceral predator. While the Universal monster movies of the 1930s had established the vampire as a figure of elegance and tragic romanticism, Lee’s interpretation brought a raw, physical menace that would influence the genre for decades to come.
The film is one of the authorised adaptations of Bram Stoker’s seminal 1897 novel, although the scriptwriter Jimmy Sangster took significant liberties and strayed from the source material. The narrative unfolds on 3 May 1885, somewhere in Central or Eastern Europe, presumed to be Transylvania. An Englishman named Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) arrives at the Count's castle to work as a librarian. However, Harker, who is engaged to Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh), is actually a vampire hunter intent on destroying Dracula. He manages to take down Dracula's bride (Valerie Gaunt), but not before being bitten and turning into a vampire himself. Harker’s friend, Doctor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), comes looking for him. Upon finding Harker turned, Van Helsing stakes him. Dracula, however, is nowhere to be found. Van Helsing travels to the town of Karlstadt to deliver the news to Lucy, her brother Arthur (Michael Gough) and his wife Mina (Melissa Stribling). Upon arrival, Mina is sick from anaemia and dies. Van Helsing suspects vampirism, and Arthur is initially reluctant. However, after seeing his sister rise from the grave as a vampire, Arthur changes his mind. Van Helsing stakes her and later conceives a bold plan to use her as bait to trap the vampire.
Dracula was produced by Hammer Films, the British studio that would become legendary for its gothic horror and exploitation films in the 1960s. Much of the impetus for its production was the success of Curse of Frankenstein (1957), a film that redefined modern horror by updating Universal's classic motifs with colour and graphic content. Terence Fisher was again brought in as director, with Sangster writing the script and Cushing reunited with Lee, who had played the Monster in the previous film. Dracula, also known as Horror of Dracula in North America—a title used to set it apart from the classic 1931 version starring Bela Lugosi—was, like most Hammer productions, made with a low budget. This, among other things, explains Sangster's decision to dispense with Dracula's ability to shapeshift into a bat or wolf, as this would have made special effects too demanding. On the other hand, the use of colour made the film more visceral. Fisher insisted on using blood, even featuring a scene in which Mina is being treated for her vampirism by blood transfusion.
Lee actually doesn't appear that much in the film, but when he does it is really impressive. While he maintains some of the iconic attire of Lugosi's suave gentleman-like vampire, he is more raw and visceral, with visible fangs and an attraction to his female victims that is undeniably sexual. Lee argued that director Fisher should adopt this approach, and he did, even in portraying female characters, who, while being seduced and having their blood sucked by Dracula, act in a way that could be interpreted as sexual. While much of the film rests on Lee's shoulders, the rest of the cast is solid, and the same can be said for Fisher, whose competent direction compensates for the low budget, making the film look grander than it actually is and making the plot sail smoothly for roughly over 80 minutes. The music by James Bernard, on the other hand, isn't that impressive.
While today's audience, being exposed to endless reinterpretations of vampire mythology, might ask themselves what was so special about this film, 1958's Dracula, with its more graphic content and exploration of vampire sexuality, was rather bold and shocking for the standards of the time. Countless other filmmakers took it as inspiration or a source of vampire lore for their own vampire films. For Hammer Films, it was a smashing success, leading to the continuation of the story in a series that, until 1974, had eight more instalments.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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