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For a horror film fan I am ashamed to say it took me nearly 27 years of my life before I finally watched this version of Dracula. Feel free to rag on me for that. I decided to finally catch up with the rest of you by adding it to my 2016 Horrorthon! This is the only film I have seen from Tod Browning, but Freaks is also on my list for the month. Pretty much all the writers here have been involved with old Universal Horror films with the exception of a few whom only did this one. Also this is the only credit for Max Cohen. It's time to finally see the awesomeness that is Bela Lugosi as Dracula!
This is so much shorter than I thought it would be. The pacing is really uneven. It moves too quickly through things and then other times it moves so slowly. Rarely does anything even all that interesting really happen. The sets are quite fantastical though. Even the added score to the old classic makes for it to be more interesting. The ending was a bit abrupt. Way too much is off-screen here. It's probably because of it being filmed in the 1930s, but it kind of hindered the experience in my opinion.
The acting is of course as you would expect from the 1930s. Bela Lugosi is fun as the Count. Of course the role is a bit over the top, but it worked here. Besides the guy is a legend. He made Dracula who he is for the screen. His looks always got your attention. Dwight Frye as Renfield was so much fun and besides Bela Lugosi probably the best thing about this. You feel sorry for him after Dracula has made him into one of his ghouls. Helen Chandler was beautiful, but as Mina there isn't much else she offered. David Manners is definitely the Keanu Reeves of this Dracula. They both play the same character with the same bland acting. Edward Van Sloan was a decent Van Helsing. I was constantly annoyed though whenever his response to something was a nod of the head or simply walking away without a word. The brides were pretty pointless and I don't even think they are mentioned after their appearance. Everyone else here was practically forgettable.
I'm going to be honest I was pretty disappointed. It is a classic that has a few moments and some interesting characters. The major flaws are in the script and directing. The pacing is wild and the whole thing feels too brief. Many of the supporting characters were forgettable or could have used better actors. Besides Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye the sets and the 1998 musical score were really the only good things about this. I get why it's a classic and that it set up for the future of horror and Dracula. For me though I really wish it would have been better. It's worth a watch to see one of the horrors that started it all though.
