DRACULA WEEK
Also known as “Dracula,” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” Dan Curtis, the creator of “Dark Shadows” adapts (I use the term loosely) the bare essentials of Bram Stoker’s iconic novel. I say “the bare essentials” because for a movie written by Richard Matheson, there isn’t much that the movie strives for beside delivering a Dracula movie and nothing else. There’s no re-interpretation, or any kind of drastic changes to the narrative, save for Jonathan Harker’s fate, which is quite gruesome.
In 1897 Hungary, at the request of Count Dracula, solicitor Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania in order to help the count finalize a real estate purchase. While there, he’s bewitched by a group of female vampires, and is lucky to escape the castle alive. Meanwhile, back in England, Harker’s fiancée, Mina, is taken ill, and the attending doctor, Van Helsing, traces the sickness to the recent arrival of the mysterious Dracula.
For the most part, though, “Dan Curtis’ Dracula” is a solid version of Dracula that, while not re-inventing the wheel, does allow for a pretty good time. The casting of Jack Palance as the titular lord of the vampires is a ballsy one because I never associate him with Dracula per se. That said while he isn’t the best Dracula I’ve ever seen, his portrayal of Dracula is interesting. Palance goes much more for the Christopher Lee killing machine rather than the debonair Bela Lugosi type. Sure there are moments when he speaks and seduces his intended prey, but he’s more of a hulking vampire who doesn’t mind mowing down his victims.
Palance is successful in that regard in where he smacks people to the side, throws them in to walls, and even takes gun shots before murdering a victim. He also is never above playing dirty especially in one scene where he sics a wild dog on Arthur Holmwood in an attempt to kidnap Lucy from the bed. The supporting cast are quite good including Simon Ward as Arthur Holmwood who works tirelessly to save his wife Lucy. Nigel Davenport is not very effective as Abraham Van Helsing sadly, lacking the gravitas that makes him feel like a valid foe of Dracula’s. While imperfect and rote in many instances, “Dan Curtis’ Dracula” is a fine adaptation and production that is better left for completists and Dracula buffs more than the casual horror fan.