 Storyline: After a harrowing ride through the Carpathian mountains in eastern Europe, Renfield enters castle Dracula to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula, who is in actuality a vampire. Renfield is drugged by the eerily hypnotic count, and turned into one of his thralls, protecting him during his sea voyage to London. After sucking the blood and turning the young Lucy Weston into a vampire, Dracula turns his attention to her friend Mina Seward, daughter of Dr. Seward who then calls in a specialist, Dr. Van Helsing, to diagnose the sudden deterioration of Mina's health. Van Helsing, realizing that Dracula is indeed a vampire, tries to prepare Mina's fiance, John Harker, and Dr. Seward for what is to come and the measures that will have to be taken to prevent Mina from becoming one of the undead. Written by Doug Sederberg Editor's Note: Take a moment and imagine what modern horror would be without Universal Pictures. Without founder Carl Laemmle and his vision for the future of cinema, or his son Carl Laemmle Jr., who inherited the keys to the studio kingdom in 1928, when talkies were rapidly displacing silent films and promising groundbreaking new strides in moviemaking and the movie-going experience. Without early horror pioneers like Tod Browning, James Whales, Karl Freund, George Waggner or Jack Arnold. Without iconic creature actors Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Claude Rains, Lon Chaney, Jr., Elsa Lanchester or Ben Chapman. Without Dracula, the indispensable 1931 classic that left a more lasting mark on vampire movies and lore than any other vampire film before or after (save Nosferatu). Or Frankenstein, which pushed boundaries, shocked audiences and has been received with overwhelming enthusiasm ever since. The Mummy, bold in its atmosphere and unforgettable in its tragic romance. The Invisible Man, which features some of the most astonishing special effects and perhaps one of the most unnerving depictions of mounting madness of the era. The Bride of Frankenstein, a complex, wickedly funny, altogether unpredictable sequel that in many regards surpasses its predecessor. The Wolf Man, a once-chilling character drama that examines the frailty of man and the beast within. Phantom of the Opera, though more a twisted love story than a traditional horror picture, a film that nevertheless caused some theaters to stock smelling salts in in the event that a moviegoer fainted upon the removal of the Phantom's mask. Or Creature from the Black Lagoon, which frightened audiences above the water and below with a scaly monster unlike any they had seen before. Needless to say, modern horror, and really the genre in whole, would be completely different than what we know. Which brings us to the first film in the Essentials Collection; the true essential that is producer Carl Laemmle, Jr. and director Tod Browning's Dracula, starring horror icon Bela Lugosi as the titular Count, David Manners as the unfortunate John Harker, Helen Chandler as his bewitched fiancée Mina, Dwight Frye as solicitor turned madman Renfield, Edward Van Sloan as the steadfast Professor Van Helsing, and Frances Dade as poor Lucy Weston, one of Dracula's early victims. Based on the Bram Stoker novel of the same name, the film is positively tame by today's standards -- or even the standards of the 1930s horror films that followed -- and yet audiences were left gasping, trembling and, if one is to believe the newspaper reports issued in the days following its initial release, fainting. While it's lost some of its luster and bite, or at the very least its ability to frighten, it still stands as an arresting stepping stone in talkie cinema and the budding horror genre. Even eighty-one-years later, there's a magnetism to Lugosi's stilted speech and wild eyes, a sweetness to Chandler's torn, sidelong glances, a desperation to Manners' plight, a strength in Van Sloan's statesmanly delivery, and an unsettling lunacy in Frye's jittery demeanor. It succumbs to its own grandiose, stage-play loftiness, no doubt. But it also oozes the sort of passion, innovation and cultural sacrilege the best horror films of every age have embraced wholeheartedly. More than a mere dub, the Spanish version of Dracula -- director George Melford's Drácula -- is one of the unexpected treats in the 8-disc, 9-film Universal Classic Monsters Collection, and one of the more unexpected early horror masterpieces from Universal. Shot simultaneously with the English-language Bela Lugosi classic (in the late evenings, with the same sets and props the American cast and crew used earlier in the day), the Spanish version of the film stars Carlos Villar as Conde Drácula, Barry Norton as Juan Harker, Lupita Tovar as Eva, Pablo Alvarez Rubio as Renfield and Eduardo Arozamena as Van Helsing. But, interestingly, it's the Spanish cast that reigns supreme. The Spanish script that's more faithful to Bram Stoker's text (with a number of scenes that didn't make the cut in the American version), more frightening on the whole, and more bold in its depiction of passion and sexuality. The Spanish director who seems more ahead of his time. And the Spanish Count who provides the greater chills. Lugosi may have become the face of Dracula, but Villar is the more resolute and revered king of vampires. Don't skip past Drácula. Don't mistake it for a lesser film. This is the classic '30s adaptation of Stoker's novel to be seen, and the clear masterpiece of the two. Cast Notes: Bela Lugosi (Count Dracula), Helen Chandler (Mina), David Manners (John Harker), Dwight Frye (Renfield), Edward Van Sloan (Van Helsing), Herbert Bunston (Doctor Seward), Frances Dade (Lucy), Joan Standing (Maid), Charles K. Gerrard (Martin [as Charles Gerrard]). IMDb Rating (01/16/13): 7.6/10 from 21,024 users
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