by Tod Browning, 1931.
Starring: Herbert Bunston, Helen Chandler, Frances Dade, Dwight Frye, Bela Lugosi, David Manners, and Edward Van Sloan.
Rating: 8/10, 4/10.
I really dunno what to say about Browning’s Dracula. This is the one, the one everyone knows (although that one really should be Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu, in my opinion). Everyone knows the plot, everyone knows Lugosi’s creepily lit eyes, his accent, his goofy-but-scary lines of dialogue ("I never drink...wine"). What else is there to say?
This film does a good job of conveying the combination of horror and eroticism that runs through the vampire legend. Dracula’s attacks on the random people in the city (possibly the most frightening sequence in the film) are both scary and arousing, as are his scenes with the main-character womenfok of the film, and even the scene where he claims his first victim of the film, Renfield (Frye). There are also many wonderfully creepy images: the inside of Dracula’s castle, the woman’s hand reaching out of the coffin, the scenes on the boat.
I must say, though, that as creepy, erotic, and entertaining as the film is, it lacks a certain...something. The acting, for one thing, is definitely sub-par (especially in Frye’s portrayal of Renfield). The film seems to have nothing more to say than "vampires are scary, especially when they’re played by stiff Hungarians!" Which is very true, and lots of fun to watch, but still.
Whatever. You’ve probably all seen it, you probably all like it, and I’m certainly not going to argue—I’ve seen it several times, and I like it too.
read roger ebert's essay on dracula