Review of Dracula (1958) by Richard D — 26 Mar 2018
Hammer follows up their adaptation of "Frankenstein" with an adaptation of "Dracula". There are some significant changes to the story with a few characters being eliminated and many having the roles in the story shuffled around, but the big break with previous film adaptations is filming in colour.
Filming in colour really alters the atmosphere ... it makes the film brighter and a lot less atmospheric and creepy. Hammer compensates by making this version more action oriented and a lot more visceral.
Peter Cushing's Van Helsing fights with Dracula, Dracula runs and grapples with his victims, and bright red blood appears on screen (as emphasized by it's appearance on the title screen). I really love how fast this moves.
It can't equal the atmosphere of the first 20 minutes of the Universal version, but while that version descends into tedium, this one sprints to an energetic climax.
This review of Dracula (1958) was written by Richard D on 26 Mar 2018.
Dracula has generally received positive reviews.
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