Dracula
Dracula

Movie spotlight

Dracula

1931
Movie
74 min
English

A British estate agent travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Dracula, who is interested in leasing a London castle. After Dracula enslaves the agent and drives him to insanity, the pair return to London together, where Dracula, a secret bloodsucker, begins preying on socialites.

Insights

IMDb6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes77%
Metacritic60/100
Google Users85%
Director: Tod BrowningGenres: Horror, Mystery

Plot Summary

Count Dracula, a Transylvanian vampire, travels to London seeking to spread his curse and feed on human blood. He ensnares a young woman, Lucy Weston, and her fiancé, John Harker, finds himself drawn into the count's sinister orbit. A group of men, led by Professor Van Helsing, must then race against time to stop Dracula's reign of terror and rescue Lucy before she succumbs to the vampire's influence.

Critical Reception

Dracula was a significant critical and commercial success upon its release, cementing Bela Lugosi's status as the definitive cinematic Dracula. While some contemporary reviews noted its deliberate pacing and stagey elements, critics widely praised its atmospheric horror and Lugosi's iconic performance. It is now considered a classic of the horror genre.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its atmospheric dread and iconic lead performance.

  • Lauded as a foundational film in the vampire and horror genres.

  • Some noted its theatrical origins but found the mood and suspense effective.

Google audience: Audiences largely appreciate Dracula for its classic status, Bela Lugosi's unforgettable portrayal, and its enduringly spooky atmosphere, though some find its pacing slow by modern standards.

Fun Fact

Bela Lugosi's famous line, 'Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make!' was improvised by the actor during the filming of the scene.

AI-generated overview · Verify ratings on official sources

My Review

TMDB Reviews

5 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

I saw this with a marvellous piano accompaniment that really did showcase the delights of silent cinema and the talents of a pianist who can play, non-stop, for seventy five minutes. Though Bela Lugosi takes top billing as the eponymous cha...

Wuchak

Wuchak

**_A tall, dark and mesmerizing vampire comes to London from Transylvania_** “Dracula” (1931) was based on the play rather than the novel, but the basic Bram Stoker tale is there with alterations. In its time, this was great. Talkies had...

Martha

Martha

"The blood is the life, Mr. REINFIELD" At three years old this was my first horror movie. My great-grandmother is the one who sat me down and showed me great Bela Lugosi as Dracula. This entire movie is timeless and classic. The very...

JPV852

JPV852

Probably my third or fourth time seeing this and while the story is simple, still really entertaining and Bela Lugosi, who even as a favorite of mine acknowledge was never the strongest actor, is in his element. Also has some decent effects...

talisencrw

talisencrw

Though not my very favourite movie about the infamous vampire, this is quite beautiful, well-told and gorgeously photographed (I really can't wait to see the blu!) and is most probably Bela Lugosi's finest hour (though I love his work; and ...