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Rating: 5 out of 5
Sometimes, the classics are still as good and excellent as today’s films. You know what? The classics still hold up today. I can’t disrespect the classics. One classic horror film that helped make the horror genre is the 1931 version of Dracula. When I was on YouTube looking for a movie to watch, I saw that the 1931 version of Dracula was staring me right in the face. I have watched Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Gary Oldman, many times. I thought that was the best Dracula because of the music, blood, some of the actors and being somewhat close to the novel. I want to say that the 1931 version is more of my taste.
The 1931 version was directed by Tod Browning and starred Bela Lugosi in the title role. The film starts with a carriage of six people rolling up to a town near Dracula’s castle. Renfield (Frye) is in the carriage, who was sent to get documents signed by Dracula. You know something is up when the townspeople tell Renfield it is unsafe and he should leave. At that moment, the film shows Dracula (Lugosi) and his vampire brides rising from their coffins. Yet, Renfield says he must go, so he gets in the carriage and bounces. I don’t know about you, but I would’ve bounced when I saw the bat leading the carriage.
When Renfield makes it to the castle, he is greeted by Dracula. Everything in my own body would’ve told my ass to leave, but Renfield walks right in. This is when the movie becomes excellent. Dracula drops an all-time banger of a movie quote. Renfield and Dracula go back and forth for a while. The wine scene was creepy, and I will talk about this later, but the camera work is phenomenal. Now, Renfield comes under Dracula’s control when he passes out while looking at a bat. The brides come in, but Dracula sends them away and slowly comes to Renfield’s neck. The scene slowly fades as a fog comes up. It was masterful work. From this scene, Renfield becomes a crazy person, and on the ship, he shined. The laugh he gave and that crazed look was priceless. Bravo!
In London, Dracula rolls up on a girl and sucks her blood in the middle of the night. Really? How are you going to roll up on a girl, stare at her, and suck her blood as she is trying to sell flowers. Dracula goes on a terror when he meets Lucy (Dade) and Mina (Chandler) at the opera. Poor Lucy. Girl didn’t stand a chance. I love the bat scene in her room and how the camera moves to Lucy and then back to see Dracula standing there. I’m telling you, the classics are amazing.
The film’s greatest part comes after Lucy’s death and when Van Helsing (Van Sloan) rolls up. Van Helsing is a boss who knows what they are dealing with and knows that Dracula is a vampire. You can tell the tension is high between Dracula and Van Helsing. Van Helsing tricks Dracula into looking in a box with a mirror. Dracula loses it but regains his composure. During this time, Mina gets sicker, and her fiancé Jonathan becomes worried but doesn’t believe Dracula is doing anything. Jonathan is whipped and a little bitch.
The climax of the film was on point and excellent. Dracula takes Mina and sucks her blood, and back at the abbey, Dracula snaps Renfield’s neck like a twig. Van Helsing was not fucking around. When he found Dracula in that box and punk ass Harker ran off, Van Helsing took that stake and, without hesitation, staked the dude. It was done off-screen, but you hear Dracula groaning in pain. That is it! A Freaking AMAZING film!
I must give credit to the camera work in this film. It is phenomenal and adds to the creepiness of the film. The one area that was the strongest came with Dracula. When that light shined on Dracula’s eyes, you knew he was about to do some evil things. I love how the film showed that light on Dracula’s eyes because it added to the overall intimidation of the character.
I must give props to many of the actors in this film. First, I want to give a major shout-out to Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. Lugosi was excellent as the title character. His look, presence, and voice brought out the character in a way that made Count Dracula memorable. I believe that he set the tone and still is the standard for the classic Count Dracula. There were many imitations, but few surpassed him. Maybe Gary Oldman, but I still give the edge to Lugosi.
I must give a shout-out to Dwight Frye as Renfield. Frye might be the second-best actor in the entire film. He was fantastic. At the start of the film, he is proper and civilized. When he was turned, Frye should’ve been nominated for an Oscar because his acting was beyond impressive. The look Frye had and the laugh will send shivers down your spine.
Finally, I must give credit to Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing. Van Sloan portrayed Van Helsing as a no-nonsense man who knows what he is talking about. Whenever he looked at Dracula, he had a scowl on his face. You could tell that he knew what Dracula was. He seemed to enjoy the game he played with Dracula.
The 1931 version of Dracula is terrific. Everyone should take a moment during the spooky season to watch it. It is only 75 minutes long, and you can watch it in no time. The story is great, and the camera work is phenomenal. The acting is great, especially Lugosi. Give respect and honor to the old-school Dracula and listen to the children of the night.
