Dracula (1931)

★ 7.2 1h 14m 1,364 votes IMDb

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.

Dracula

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Cast

Bela Lugosi
Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula Died 1956 · Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary [now Lugoj, Timis County, Romania] Blaskó Béla Ferenc Dezső (October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), better known by the stage name Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian stage, screen, and television actor. He is best remembered for his iconic por...
Helen Chandler
Helen Chandler as Mina Died 1965 · Charleston, South Carolina, USA Helen Chandler was an American stage and screen actress. She is today best remembered for her portrayal of Mina in the 1931 classic horror film Dracula..
David Manners
David Manners as John Harker Died 1998 · Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada David Joseph Manners (born Rauff de Ryther Duan Acklom, April 30, 1900 – December 23, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor who played John Harker in Todd Browning's 1931 horror classic Dracula. The fol...
Dwight Frye
Dwight Frye as Renfield Died 1943 · Salina, Kansas, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Dwight Iliff Frye (February 22, 1899 – November 7, 1943) was an American stage and screen actor, noted for his appearances in the classic horror films Dracula,...
Edward Van Sloan
Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing Died 1964 · Chaska, Minnesota, USA Edward Van Sloan (born Edward Paul Van Sloun) was an American screen and stage character actor best remembered for his roles in Universal Studios horror films..
Herbert Bunston
Herbert Bunston as Doctor Seward Died 1935 · Dorset, England, UK Herbert Bunston (15 April 1874 – 27 February 1935) was an English stage and screen actor. He is remembered for his role as Dr. John Seward in the Broadway and film versions of Dracula. Bunston was bo...

Audience Reviews

talisencrw 9/10 Sep 28, 2016
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 it's also right up there with the greatest-ever vampiric depictions on celluloid), and it has genuine scares. Lugosi not only growls and snarls but also delivers the succulent seductive power of both evil itself and immortality--no matter what devastating consequences that immortal life may truly mean.

Essential for both horror fanatics and fans of early (up to and including the 30's) cinema to own on the highest-possible quality, and regular re-watches. It's simply THAT GOOD.

The fact that its American release date was Valentine's Day (its New York City premiere was two days earlier) only further hits home the fact that its immortality is due to the fact that it isn't simply a cornerstone of Gothic horror but with a vibrant love story at its very heart.
JPV852 8/10 Oct 07, 2021
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 and nice set design for the era. **4.0/5**
Martha 10/10 Jul 26, 2022
"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 best of all the Universal horrors.

No one could be a more perfect Dracula than Bela Lugosi. To accomplish so much with just a stare. No special effects. No fangs... yet he chilled you to the bone and enthralled all.

One of my all-time favorites. Classic Cinema perfection.
Wuchak 6/10 May 27, 2023
**_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 only been around for a handful of years. Don’t expect the nudity, violence or gore of Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992). If you want a modern take on the tale, I suggest that one (which adds a well-done love story).

The focus here is on the handsome & intimidating Count’s calm charisma and hypnotic powers within a Victorian milieu and cobwebbed, crumbling Gothic architecture. It’s somehow relaxing despite the horror trappings. You have to accept this going in to appreciate it.

There’s a Spanish-speaking version with a different actor in the eponymous role shot simultaneously, which many say is superior. Also, a score was added by Philip Glass in 1999. There’s also a colorized version. I viewed the original B&W film with Bela Lugosi. His iconic take on the king of vampires is worth the price of admission. The climax is weak though.

The movie runs 1 hour, 15 minutes, and was shot at Universal Studios and Agua Dulce, which is in the desert high country north of there.

GRADE: B-
CinemaSerf 7/10 Oct 08, 2023
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 character, I felt the film really belonged to his assistant "Renfield" - enjoyably portrayed here by Dwight Frye. He is just an innocent estate agent who arrives at Castle Dracula only to find himself quickly enthralled to his new boss who is determined to come to "Carfax Abbey" in England with his trio of wives, and to wreak some good, old-fashioned, havoc! It's poor "Mina" (Helen Chandler) who is soon on his radar and it falls to her paramour "Harker" (David Manners) and accomplished vampire-hunter "Van Helsing" (Edward Van Sloan) to try and save the day before they are all transformed into blood-suckers. Lugosi is a wooden as a washboard in this film, but the constant shining of the light onto his eyes does manage to convey quite a potent sense of menace as his meticulously dressed count munches his way through the wee small hours. The flying bat on a string is not as daft as you might expect, indeed the whole visual impact of this film - though certainly basic - proves quite effective when the score does most of the heavy lifting. This is a story that has always benefitted from being shot monochrome, and ninety-odd years on, is still a cracking watch in a cinema.

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