We’ve listed 5 Vampire movies you should watch, but after taking a stroll down memory lane with the original Nosferatu (1922) film we tracked down our best Dracula movies. These are movies where Count Dracula features, and the story is based on Vlad the Impaler. No, Twilight and/or Interview with the Vampire are not movies based on Vlad. Sadly there have not been any decent takes on Dracula in the last 20 years or so. Dare we say we are actually looking forward to a reboot?
The amount of Dracula movies are quite extensive. Here’s a list to give you an idea on how many times the story of Vlad the Impaler has been seen in movies.
Here’s our Top 4 Dracula Movies:
1. Nosferatu (1922)
Considered to be the first vampire movie ever. This is the father of Vampire and Dracula movies. This film was put together extremely fast after the original and official novel of Count Dracula was written. Aside from major differences, this film sends chills down your spine. Vlad the impaler being portrayed as Count Orlock. The film kept the key characters and the plot, but Max Schreck’s portrayal gave such a different style to Dracula, as he became more demonic than humanistic. To look at him as Count Orlok, even now, is a bit scary.
Nosferatu (1922)
Because the rights was not granted to make a movie based on the novel, all the names of characters were changed and locations as well. While Dracula was depicted as a suave, smooth charmer who could seduce women with his aristocratic manners, Orlok was shown as a repulsive figure that had the appearance of a grotesque animated cadaver. There was an advantage to this. Orlok, whose rat-like appearance invokes images of the plague, was more associated with the “undead” than was Stoker’s Dracula. And the fear of the dead coming back to haunt the living seems to be a primitive fear that stretches across all cultures and time periods.
The 1979 remake of this version of Count Dracula was just as chilling. We labelled them together as one:
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
2. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Probably the first Dracula film most will remember. This version kept true to the novel in almost every sense. The scenes were realistically disturbing, as there was plenty of nudity and gore, which captured the novel’s spirit. Gary Oldman was perfect as Dracula, as he was everything Dracula should be, scary, disturbing, sexually seductive, an age switcher and, most of all, unpredictable.
Bram Stokers Dracula (1992)
Bram Stokers Dracula (1992)
3. Count Dracula (1970)
This was Christopher Lee’s second take as Vlad the Impaler. He is considered as the Dracula. His depiction of Vlad has truly set the bar on what it means to be Dracula. His first role was in the ‘Horror of Dracula (1958)‘. ‘Count Dracula‘, the 1970 take still remained a very faithful adaption of the Dracula novel, perhaps the most creepy Dracula of all time, especially with Klaus Kinski’s silent role as Renfield, who’s actions depicted are so disturbing, you did not need to hear the man speak for a powerful portrayal. Christopher Lee plays a scarier Dracula in this film than he did in his first attempt.
Count Dracula (1970)
Count Dracula (1970)
4. Dracula (1931)
Whether he’s your favourite Dracula or not, Bela Lugosi is the iconic image that pops into everybody’s head when anybody mentions Dracula. Mostly because this was the first, official, Dracula film ever made. The film itself was excellent, very scary for it’s time, but that seemed to age. Aside from that, the atmosphere seemed brilliantly dark, at least for the 30s.
Dracula (1931)
Dracula (1931)
We could have listed many more as there have been so many depictions. There 4 (technically 5) movies set the bar for us on Dracula. Agree? Let us know in the comments below.
