Suggested Films for Dracula Projects. I highly recommend the newer Masterpiece Theater presentation of Dracula from PBS. Very nice contrast by the Dracula actor between the old and young Dracula parts.
Dracula Films
Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des Grayens (The Undead, a Symphony of Horror) (1922)
Directed by F.W. Murnau. A silent classic of the German expressionist cinema. Believed to be the first vampire film. Based loosely on Bram Stoker’s novel.
Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht (The Undead, Phantom of the Night) (1979)
Directed by Werner Herzog. German remake of the original vampire film. Starring Klaus Kinski.
Dracula (1931)
Directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi. Classic by Universal Studios, also responsible for the famous Frankenstein movies of the 1930s and ’40s. Based on the Deane/Balderston play, the film transforms Dracula into a type of suave, continental lover.
Horror of Dracula (1958)
Directed by Terence Fisher. Starring Christopher Lee (Dracula) and Peter Cushing (Van Helsing). The first of the Hammer horror series of Dracula films. Loosely based on Stoker’s novel.
El Conde Dracula (1970)
Spanish version directed by Jesus Franco and based fairly closely on Stoker’s novel. Stars Christopher Lee (Dracula). Franco portrays the Dracula story as a confrontation between youth and age.
Love at First Bite (197 )
Stars George Hamilton (Dracula). Parody of the Dracula legend. Dracula enters the Disco Age to pursue the reincarnation of his lost love. A dancing Dracula??
Dracula* (1973)
Made-for-television movie directed by Dan Curtis. Starring Jack Palance (Dracula) and Nigel Davenport (Van Helsing). Gives more sympathetic portrayal of Dracula as a noble warrior yearning for his lost love.
Dracula (1977)
BBC/PBS miniseries directed by Philip Saville and starring Louis Jourdan. More faithful to Stoker’s novel than previous versions. Filmed on location at Whitby.
Dracula (1979)
Set at the beginning of the twentieth century. Dracula is portrayed as a romantic, dashing hero/villain; Lucy is a sexually liberated woman who is Dracula’s perfect mate. Directed by John Badham. Starring Frank Langella (Dracula), Laurence Olivier (Van Helsing), and Kate Nelligan (Lucy).
Bram Stoker’s Dracula* (1992)
Very faithful to the novel, except for the inclusion of a love story between Dracula and Mina; Mina is the reincarnation on of Dracula’s lost love. The love story transforms Dracula from the Satanic to the Byronic hero type. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Gary Oldman (Dracula), Wynona Ryder (Mina), and Anthony Hopkins (Van Helsing).
Dracula, Dead and Loving It (1997)
Parody of Dracula written and directed by Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein). Lacks the brilliance of Brooks’ attempt at the Frankenstein legend. Stars Leslie Nielsen (Dracula) and Mel Brooks (Van Helsing).
Dracula 2000 (December, 2000)
Update of the Dracula story produced by horror master Wes Craven. Check out the trailer.
Related Vampire Films
Vampire Hunter D (1985)
A classic of Japanese animation. The story is imaginative, if bizarre. When the ancient vampire Count Lee plans to claim a village maiden as his bride, the mysterious vampire hunter known as “D” sets out to rescue her. Although Japanese, the film has strong similarities to American Westerns. It also features the theme of human duality that is central to Stoker’s novel. Contains scenes of graphic violence.
Dark Shadows (1966-1971)
An ABC Gothic soap opera recounting the adventures of the vampire Barnabas Collins. Episodes of the television series and two spin-off movies, House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971), are available on video.
Dark Shadows (1991)
Revival of the old television series. Stars Ben Cross as Barnabas Collins.
The Night Stalker (1971)
In this made-for-television movie, an eccentric Los Vegas reporter investigates a series of murders that he believes were committed by a vampire. A major influence on the later X-Files TV series. Stars Darren McGavin.
Salem’s Lot (1979)
Television mini-series (a shorter movie version is also available) of Stephen King’s horror novel . An ancient vampire attempts to take over the town of Salem. Stars David Soul and James Mason.
The Lost Boys (1987)
When two boys move to California, they become involved with a dangerous gang of teenage biker vampires. Stars Kiefer Sutherland and Diane Wiest.
Nick Knight (1989)
Made-for-television movie about a vampire who has become a Los Angeles police detective. He investigates a series of murders in which the victims were drained of blood.
Forever Knight (1992-93)
Television series based on the Nick Knight movie. While trying to recover his mortal nature, the vampire Nick Knight decides to serve humanity as a crime-fighting cop.
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
Film version of Anne Rice’s novel about a young vampire coming to terms with his new vampire nature. The three main characters, Louis, Lestat, and Claudia, make interesting comparisons to Dracula. Louis and Lestat can also be compared as Byronic (Louis) and Satanic (Lestat) heroes. Stars Brad Pitt (Louis), Tom Cruise (Lestat), and Kirsten Dunst (Claudia).