Dracula (Hammer film series)

Dracula is a British horror film series produced by Hammer Film Productions. The films are centered on Count Dracula, bringing with him a plague of vampirism, and the ensuing efforts of the heroic Van Helsing family to stop him. The original series of films consisted of nine installments, which starred iconic horror actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as Count Dracula and Doctor Van Helsing, respectively. The series is part of the larger Hammer horror oeuvre.

Dracula
Directed by
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
1958–1974
Running time
797–801 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
China
LanguagesEnglish
Chinese

List of films

Reception

Film Rotten Tomatoes
Dracula 90% (39 reviews)[1]
The Brides of Dracula 76% (17 reviews)[2]
Dracula: Prince of Darkness 80% (20 reviews)[3]
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave 80% (15 reviews)[4]
Taste the Blood of Dracula 67% (12 reviews)[5]
Scars of Dracula 43% (7 reviews)[6]
Dracula A.D. 1972 22% (9 reviews)[7]
The Satanic Rites of Dracula 20% (5 reviews)[8]
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires 40% (5 reviews)[9]

Cast and characters

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
  •  U indicates an uncredited appearance.
  •  V indicates a voice-only role.
  •  Y indicates a younger version of the character.
  •  H indicates an appearance as a host of another character.
Character Dracula The Brides of Dracula Dracula:
Prince of Darkness
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave Taste the Blood of Dracula Scars of Dracula Dracula A.D. 1972 The Satanic Rites of Dracula The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
1958 1960 1966 1968 1970 1972 1973 1974
Count Dracula Christopher Lee Christopher Lee John Forbes-Robertson
David de KeyserV
Chan ShenH
Dr. Lawrence Van Helsing
Dr. Lorrimer Van Helsing
Peter Cushing Peter CushingUA Peter Cushing
The Landlord George Woodbridge Norman Pierce George Woodbridge George A. Cooper Michael Ripper
Mina Harker Melissa Stribling
Lucy Westenra Carol Marsh
Jonathan Harker John Van Eyssen
Dr. John "Jack" Seward Charles Lloyd-Pack
Tania Janina Faye Anouska Hempel
Arthur Holmwood Michael Gough
Vampire Woman Valerie Gaunt
The Priest Fred Johnson Philip Ray Ewan Hooper Reginald Barratt Michael Gwynn
Klove Philip Latham Patrick Troughton
Paul Paxton Carlson Barry Andrews Anthony Corlan Christopher Matthews
Alice Hargood Linda Hayden Delia Lindsay
Jessica Van Helsing Stephanie Beacham Joanna Lumley

Crew

Crew/detail Dracula The Brides of Dracula Dracula:
Prince of Darkness
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave Taste the Blood of Dracula Scars of Dracula Dracula A.D. 1972 The Satanic Rites of Dracula The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
1958 1960 1966 1968 1970 1972 1973 1974
Director(s) Terence Fisher Freddie Francis Peter Sasdy Roy Ward Baker Alan Gibson Roy Ward Baker
Chang Cheh
Producer(s) Anthony Hinds Anthony Nelson Keys Aida Young Michael Carreras
Josephine Douglas
Roy Skeggs Don Houghton
Vee King Shaw
Writer(s) Jimmy Sangster Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bryan & Edward Percy
Anthony Hinds (uncredited)
Screenplay:
Jimmy Sangster
(as John Sansom)
Story:
Anthony Hinds
(as John Elder)
Anthony Hinds Anthony Hinds
(as John Elder)
Anthony Hinds Don Houghton
Composer(s) James Bernard Malcolm Williamson James Bernard Mike Vickers John Cacavas James Bernard
Editor(s) Bill Lenny Alfred Cox Chris Barnes Spencer Reeve Chris Barnes James Needs Chris Barnes
Cinematographer Jack Asher Michael Reed Arthur Grant Moray Grant Dick Bush Brian Probyn John Wilcox
Roy Ford
Production companies Hammer Film Productions Hammer Film Productions
Shaw Brothers Studio
Distributor(s) Rank Film Distributors Rank Film Distributors (UK) Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) MGM-EMI Distributors (UK) Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK)
Universal International (US & Worldwide) 20th Century Fox (US & Worldwide) Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (US & Worldwide) Warner Bros. Pictures (US & Worldwide) Continental Films (US & Worldwide) Warner Bros. Pictures (US & Worldwide) Dynamite Entertainment (US & Worldwide) Shaw Brothers Studio (US & Worldwide)
Runtime 82 minutes 85 minutes 90 minutes 92 minutes 91 minutes (cut, US)
95 minutes (uncut, UK)
91 minutes 96 minutes 87 minutes 83 minutes
Release date May 7, 1958 July 7, 1960 January 9, 1966 November 7, 1968 May 7, 1970 November 8, 1970 September 28, 1972 November 3, 1973 July 11, 1974

Legacy

As Count Dracula, Lee fixed the image of the fanged vampire in popular culture.[10] Christopher Frayling writes, "Dracula introduced fangs, red contact lenses, décolletage, ready-prepared wooden stakes and—in the celebrated credits sequence—blood being spattered from off-screen over the Count's coffin."[11] Lee also introduced a dark, brooding sexuality to the character, with Tim Stanley stating, "Lee's sensuality was subversive in that it hinted that women might quite like having their neck chewed on by a stud".[12]

Upon publishing extracts of their screenplay for Anno Dracula in an updated version of the first book in the series, author Kim Newman revealed the film would use the likeness of Peter Cushing to represent the severed head of the deceased Van Helsing, establishing elements of the Hammer Productions Dracula film series as the backdrop for the film adaptation's events, specifically an imagined alternate ending to the 1958 Dracula film. The fourth book in the series, subtitled Johnny Alucard, follows the character of the same name originally introduced in Dracula A.D. 1972.[13]

In 2017 a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw Dracula ranked the 65th-best British film ever.[14] Empire magazine ranked Lee's portrayal as Count Dracula the 7th-greatest horror movie character of all time.[15]

References

  1. "Horror of Dracula (1958)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  2. "The Brides of Dracula (1960)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  3. "Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  5. "Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  6. "Scars of Dracula (1970)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. "Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  8. "The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  9. "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  10. Jackson, Kevin (31 October 2009). "Fangs for the memories: The A-Z of vampires". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  11. "Hallowe'en: Why Dracula just won't die". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  12. "Why Christopher Lee's Dracula didn't suck". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  13. FitzSimons, Paul (23 October 2013). "Anno Dracula: Kim Newman Talks Vampires". Writing.ie.
  14. Calhoun, Dave; Huddleston, Tom; Jenkins, David; Adams, Derek; Andrew, Geoff; Davies, Adam Lee; Fairclough, Paul; Hammond, Wally (17 February 2017). "The 100 best British films". Time Out London. Time Out Group. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  15. "The 100 best horror movie characters". Empire. Retrieved 2 December 2017
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