“Dracula (1931)” Review
Bela Lugosi’s performance as Count Dracula in 1931’s “Dracula” is the stuff of legend as many people think of him whenever Dracula is mentioned.
There is no series more iconic, or important, to American horror films than the slate of monster movies made by Universal in the 30s, 40s and 50s. While horror cinema may have begun in Europe, it was these films that showed Americans that horror could not only be effective but profitable. And the film that started it all starred the most famous literary monster of all time: 1931’s “Dracula.”
Bela Lugosi stars as Count Dracula, a vampire from Transylvania who moves to London to feast on the blood of the living. When his latest target is Mina Seward (Helen Chandler), Mina’s fiancée Jonathan (David Manners) and Doctor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) try to stop Dracula once and for all.
When it comes to iconic portrayals of iconic characters, Bela Lugosi’s interpretation of Dracula is one of the best. With his thick Hungarian accent, incredibly alluring movement and piercing eyes, his performance is mesmerizing and, when people think of Dracula, Lugosi comes to the minds of many. Before making his big break as a film actor, Lugosi played Dracula in a popular stage play that the film is based on and it’s clear from his work in the film that Lugosi feels a kinship with Dracula. Becoming this creature of the night was easy for him to the point that, when he died in 1956, he was buried wearing his cape.
With Lugosi captivating the audience as the villain, he distracts from one of the film’s faults which is that the protagonists aren’t that interesting. While actors like Helen Chandler and David Manners are trying their best, the material they are given just hasn’t held up nearly 100 years later and feels a tad melodramatic.
Edward Van Sloan’s Van Helsing is an equal to Lugosi’s Dracula. As an expert in vampires and their weaknesses, Van Helsing sees through Dracula’s deceit by showing the Count in a mirror where he casts no reflection.
However, one protagonist who is engaging and has quite a bit of screen time is Van Helsing. Edward Van Sloan, who would go on to star in multiple Universal horror films, is an impressive Van Helsing who wishes to destroy the evil of Dracula forever. Van Helsing’s confrontations with Dracula are fantastic and there’s a real feeling of fear present. Fear that Van Helsing might meet his end at the fangs of the blood-sucking count.
The film’s supporting cast also has a few notable performances including Dwight Frye as Reinfield, a real estate agent who oversaw Dracula’s trip to England and who has become Dracula’s mentally deranged slave. While Frye does quite a bit of overacting, it never feels like he’s hamming it up. It feels like he’s a certified lunatic, hell bent on doing Dracula’s will.
Looking back on the Universal Monster films, very few of them, if any, are thought of as frightening. Society is just not as scared of these films. But that doesn’t mean they still don’t have value. “Dracula’s” atmosphere is so eerie and attractive with big gothic castles, sets full of fog and a rich black-and-white environment that can’t help but make you feel creepily comforted during Halloween.
The film was directed by Tod Browning, a noted director of silent and talking horror films. However, he was frequently absent during production leaving cinematographer Karl Freund to direct many scenes as an uncredited director. While it’s hard to know which scenes were directed by Browning and which were done by Freund, the film is dripping with the feeling of silent German expressionist cinema of the 1920s with dark shadows and gothic tones. This is fitting because Germany was one of the first countries to regularly make horror films, “Dracula” was being made right as silent cinema was ending and Freund was German himself.
Karl Freund was also essential to the history of cinematography. Not only did he serve as the director of photography for many great German films like “Metropolis,” but he would also go on to win an Oscar in 1937 for “The Good Earth” and revolutionize film production with his ways of making the camera move instead of staying in a static location. He would later go on to work as the Director of Photography for every episode of “I Love Lucy” until 1956, perfecting the revolutionary multi-camera setup of Desi Arnez.
Not only is this information useful and interesting if Karl Freund is ever a category on “Jeapordy,” but it also shows what a massive talent he was. That talent was extended to “Dracula” and the look of this film is so powerful. Not only does it enhance the actors’ performances, but it also has inspired many future horror films and filmmakers, notably Tim Burton.
While the film is a talking picture, there are still some elements of the silent era that have bled over into this film. Most notably, there isn’t much music in the film with no score being commissioned. However, this leads to some of Dracula’s kills being done in silence which is pretty chilling. The music that is used in the film is also very effective with a piece of music from the second act of “Swan Lake” being played in the opening credits. The music is full of melancholy and perfectly sets up the viewer for the film they’re about to experience.
What makes “Dracula” so special is that it was the first “talkie horror film” for the United States and its success spawned the nearly three decades of Universal Monster films that excited audiences and live forever in our iconography. But the film itself is also a masterpiece in early horror and is still popular. People watch this film and the other Universal Monster films for Halloween because of how creepy and atmospheric they are.
If you’re worried about exposing children to horror films, this film is actually a great way to introduce them to the genre since there is minimal gore with the filmmakers instead using the power of suggestion. It’s something they can watch without covering their eyes but it’s also creepy enough to entice them. I remember when I was a kid and my brother and I used to watch these films all of the time, setting us on the path to love horror and the effect it can have on those who indulge in it.
