Horror of Dracula (1958) - A Review in Two Parts *

“Dracula’s Daughter” (1936) on a Friday evening and “Horror of Dracula” on an early Saturday, Midnight Movie schedule in 2020, I keep reaffirming what a cool experience it is to flush the usual annual format of “get ‘em all in October”, opting for out of season to watch these classics of the horror genre. It allows for meditation and breathing space. I can think about them, let them marinate. It is nice to not feel rushed and the air of relief I have in getting to take my time and decide to populate a year with them instead of one month continues to feel like the right decision.

There is always a fun debate among Hammer fans about which series is better, the Dracula or Frankenstein films. I often see that Frankenstein wins out, and that isn’t hard to fathom because Cushing is always the lead in them. Both series, to me, sort of fade as they enter the 70s but what a great start for both these Universal revival British franchises. In 2020, I’ll finally be able to do a tally and verify with myself which is preferable to me. I think Cushing is in enough of the Dracula films with Lee often towering and imposing whenever he enters the films, without much dialogue at all, that the Dracula series might edge the Frankenstein series, but I’ll see for sure.

Still, Bernard’s heart-stirring score that opens, with the castle, and then the camera leads us to Dracula’s crypt as BRIGHT RED BLOOD blotches his name on the lid…just grabs us right at the beginning, with that vibrant Technicolor bringing horror fans into a new era of Gothic horror.

What I always enjoy about the differing interpretations of the Dracula story is how Jonathan Harker is portrayed. Already written about “Dracula” (1931) this week, Harker is more of a romantic love interest worried about his eventual bride-to-be, Mina, while in Hammer’s “Horror of Dracula” he’s preparing to kill Dracula in his castle. He goes to Dracula’s castle on a rather innocuous enough job to catalogue his vast historical library, while actually intending to stake him when the moment arrived. And Van Helsing becomes involved when Harker doesn’t return, knowing it will be left up to him to destroy Dracula. Cushing isn’t as showy as Van Sloan or unflappable, but more austere, stoic, not as prone to just out and out talk about vampires and their history until he’s in a corner and must confess of Harker’s mission…and its failure.