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(1931)



Dracula was released in 1931, and was based on a play, which was based on the novel by Bram Stoker. This film begins in Transylvania, where the young real estate agent Renfield is traveling through the peasant villages. When the coach suddenly stops he declares that he must go on toward his destination, the castle of Count Dracula. The peasants react violently and forbid him to go on. When he insists, an old peasant woman gives him a crucifix and begs him to wear it “for his mother.”

Renfield is greeted by a rather quiet driver apparently from Dracula’s estate. He speeds up a mountain to the Count’s castle, and the one time Renfield sticks his head out the window to accost this crazy driver, he sees only a bat flying in front of the carriage. When they arrive at the castle the carriage quickly retreats. A confused Renfield finally meets with the Count, who greets him warmly. They go to his inner castle, and Dracula miraculously passes through a multitude of cobwebs on the way without disturbing them. That night, they discuss the travel plans for the next day (to sail on a chartered ship to England), and Renfield, alone, drinks “very old wine.” Dracula leaves and Renfield faints. Dracula then returns to drain his life from him.

The next scene is aboard the stormy Vesta, the ship. A slightly crazier Renfield assures his sleeping “master” (Dracula) that they will soon arrive. Newspaper clippings then flash about a corpse-filled ship arriving in England, with the captain tied to the wheel. The sole survivor is Renfield, who is committed in Dr. Seward’s Sanitarium.

Dracula soon meets with his new neighbors, Dr. Seward, his daughter Mina, her fiancée John Harker, and their friend Lucy. That night Lucy is killed, and she appears later in the film as the “Woman in White,” a vampire lady. Concurrently, another doctor, Dr. Van Helsing, analyzed Renfield, who is obsessed with obtaining the blood of insects, and relates this to the recent findings of bloodless corpses around London. He concludes that this is the work of a vampire.

Dracula soon meets with his new neighbors, Dr. Seward, his daughter Mina, her fiancée John Harker, and their friend Lucy. That night Lucy is killed, and she appears later in the film as the “Woman in White,” a vampire lady. Concurrently, another doctor, Dr. Van Helsing, analyzed Renfield, who is obsessed with obtaining the blood of insects, and relates this to the recent findings of bloodless corpses around London. He concludes that this is the work of a vampire.


Dracula soon meets with his new neighbors, Dr. Seward, his daughter Mina, her fiancée John Harker, and their friend Lucy. That night Lucy is killed, and she appears later in the film as the “Woman in White,” a vampire lady. Concurrently, another doctor, Dr. Van Helsing, analyzed Renfield, who is obsessed with obtaining the blood of insects, and relates this to the recent findings of bloodless corpses around London. He concludes that this is the work of a vampire.

Dracula frequently visits Mina and begins to place her under his spell; however, Van Helsing suspects something is up. He sets traps and wolfbain strings up around Mina, but he is almost too late. She is nearly a full-fledged vampire herself. The only thing left to do is to kill the undead Count by driving a steak through his heart. This happens at the end of the movie, just before Renfield is killed by his master as a traitor. Van Helsing does the deed, and the end comes.







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