In the Carpathian mountains, the locals fear the night and the Castle Dracula. Count Dracula (Lugosi) hires British businessman Renfield (Frye) to find a new home in England. Unbeknownst to Renfield, Dracula is a vampire. Once their business is completed, Renfield becomes Dracula's servant.
They travel to England and Renfield is taken to sanatorium, run by Dr. Seward (Bunston) in the property adjoined by Dracula's new property. Dr. Seward, his daughter Mina (Chandler), her fiance John Harker (Manners), and family friend Lucy Weston (Dade), welcome Dracula and invite him into their lives. As people begin vanishing mysteriously, and Lucy dies suddenly, Professor Van Helsing (Van Sloan) is brought into find the problem. Van Helsing is an expert on vampires. Can Dracula be stopped, or is he too smart and powerful?
The definitive Dracula film. It was not the first film incarnation of Bram Stoker's classic story, but it is the best known: the barometer by which all other Dracula films are judged.
In addition to being the Holy Grail of Dracula films, it is also the iconic role for Bela Lugosi. Lugosi originated the role of Dracula on Broadway. Although he was not the first choice for the role, he lobbied for it, took a pay cut, and went out of his way to make the film happen. In the end, it is hard to imagine anyone else in the role. Lugosi delivers all of Dracula's lines at a slow, deliberate pace. Apparently, he learned his lines (for Broadway) phonetically, since he did not speak English at that point. The delivery style and pace stuck, and work well for the character... he's lived for a very long time and speaks his words deliberately.
The rest of the cast is decent, with Dwight Frye standing out as Renfield. Frye subsequently appeared in other monster movies (such as Frankenstein a year after this film).
A classic monster movie, that makes all other Dracula movies / spoofs make a little more sense. Check it out!
Dracula (1931) 75 minutes
Director: Tod Browning and Karl Freund
Starring: Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula
Helen Chandler as Mina
David Manners as John Harker
Dwight Frye as Renfield
Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing
Herbert Bunston as Dr. Seward
Frances Dade as Lucy Weston
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