Time for me to jump into the fray.

I've collected vampire movies for years; they are pretty near my favorite horror genre. (Also, in my skinnier days, I was known for years for dressing up as Dracula around Halloween time.)

Here are just some of the ones that stand out in my mind, in no particular order. A few of my favorites:

Nosferatu (1922)

Dracula (1931 - Bela Lugosi)

Dracula's Daughter (1936 - Gloria Holden) An underrated gem, IMO.

Dracula (USA: Horror of Dracula - 1958 - Christopher Lee) One of the best ever. Period. (TIS, I think this is the actor you were thinking of.)

El Conde Dracula (USA: Count Dracula - 1970 - Christopher Lee) Not part of the Hammer Films series. It had potential, but oh, what they could have done if they only had more than a $20 budget.

The Fearless Vampire Killers (AKA: Dance of the Vampires - 1967) Roman Polanski's film should be seen in its uncut, European release version, if at all possible.

The Night Stalker The original telemovie was great. The series that came after, was, well...let's just say the premise wore a bit thin.

Vampyr (1932) Carl Dreyer's film is, for me, sort of an acquired taste. If you don't like films like this, you won't like this film. One of the problems is that there are no really high quality prints of the film extant.

The Brides of Dracula (1959) An underrated semi-sequel to Horror of Dracula that should be shown more often.

Kiss of the Vampire (1963) A stand-alone gem by Hammer Films. After many years of being only available in the US in a butchered/mutilated version, I understand it has finally been restored.

Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) Begun as a low-budget nudie, the producers had a change of heart and it was released as a straight horror film. Very low-budget, but quite effective in its way.

Fright Night (1985) For some reason, this one seems to be all but forgotten these days. Worth seeing for Roddy McDowall, Chris Sarandon, among others.

Innocent Blood What a film! A vampire/Mob movie with more than its share of comedic moments. Directed by John Landis, starring the gorgeous Anne Parillaud, with Robert Loggia as an Undead Don and Don Rickles (as his Bruce Cutler-esque lawyer) thrown in for good measure. Ya gotta see this one!

I'm sure I'll post some more when I check the Vitelli Archives. I will say, though, that I pretty much hated two of the more popular films already mentioned:

Dracula (1979 - Langella)

Bram Stoker's Dracula

The reasons? Well, basically, my reasons were similar: The leading actors, in both cases, were absolutely not what I thought Count Dracula should look like. I thought Langella's "sexy vampire" and Oldman's long-haired something-or-other (with those ridiculous eyeglasses) were miles away from what Stoker wrote and were totally unbelievable. Also, and possibly worst of all, the writing in these films veered so far awar from the novel (at times) that I just had to shake my head in disgust and wonder "What were these people thinking?"

Anyway, I'll probably get back to this thread a little later.

Time to scour the countryside for fresh victims.

Signor V.

I personally welcomed the change in Langella's Dracula. In his portrayal of the count as a suave and good looking, seductive type of gentleman.

Regardless of if you liked that version of the count or not, overall you have to admit that the movie itself was done in such superb, gothic fashion. The asylum scenes were dark and dreary, as were the crypt scenes when Van Helsing is looking for his daughter's body...a pretty frightening and goulish scene.

And you have to admit that the scene where Langella initially seduces and makes love to Kate Nelligan is one that was quite good and done in a fashion that you've never seen in any previous Dracula /Vampire movie made.

I find it a bit amusing that you do NOT enjoy the Langella version of the Count because of the "pretty boy" portrayal, and yet you enjoyed Firght Night, who's vampire looked as though he just stepped out of a modeling agency!

I happen to like Fright Night and also don't understand why it seems to be the forgotten movie whenever Vampire movies are mentioned.

You do know what Pacino movie the vampire in Fright Night played in, right? :

"I couldn't explain why I did the things I did. So I went to this psychiatrist who explained to me I was a woman in a man's body. So Sonny right away wanted to get me money for a sex change operation: but where was he to get that? 2500 dollars! My God, he's in hock up to his ears already."

I guess I can understand why you did not like Langella's version, but Bram Stoker's Dracula was good (and he was suppose to look more like the actual Dracula) another thing is Bram Stoker's Dracula has been said to be the closest to the actual novel (which i have yet to read since I am still busy with Rice's Vampire Chronicles.)

Let me backtrack a little: When the play Dracula was revived on Boadway in the 1970's (with Langella), they were using basically the same script that had been used in 1927 with Bela Lugosi. It was very dated, to say the least, and perhaps Langella's different type of portrayal made for a better theatrical experience. At least - even though it was the same script - nobody could accuse him of imitating Lugosi's "oily, dangerous foreigner" portrayal (which was a popular villainous stereotype back then).

Now, as far as the movie version: The script for the film bore precious little relation to the stage play. And, given such opulent period settings, Langella's Count looked a bit out of place and almost anachronistic. I don't know if I'd go so far as to call him a "pretty boy", but he just didn't seem to fit somehow. What really bothered me more was how the writers seemed to totally disregard key elements of the novel. It was a wise move not to film the stage play; but a shamefully wasted opportunity in that there wasn't more fidelity to what Stoker wrote.



Now, as far as Fright Night and Chris Sarandon: I think I accepted his characterization more because the film had a modern setting and he just seemed to "fit" better. Since he wasn't playing "Dracula", I could view the character within the context of an original film with no real preconceptions - which, I will admit - I always will have when watching yet another adaptation of the original Stoker novel. I think most people who see Dracula expect to see certain things. Watching Fright Night, I was more like a clean slate.

And yes, I though Sarandon was most effective in Dog Day Afternoon!



While Bram Stoker's Dracula did have several elements that came right from the novel - and had not usually been filmed before - there were many deviations that I felt were unnecessary and detrimental. Since I don't want to spoil it for you, I'll just say that I hope you can get around to reading the novel. It's told in the form of diaries, journals, etc., and is very Victorian in style. (After all, it was written in 1897!)

Signor V.

Have you gotten to Tale Of The Body Thief yet?

Yes I read that last May and it was a very good book I enjoyed it, but it was not one of my favorites. My favorites go more like this- The Vampire Lestat, Interview with the Vampire, Merrick, and The Vampire Armand((Only reason Merrick got higher is because of the part when Merrick summons the ghost of Claudia))

I tooliked Lestat the best, then Interview With The Vampire, and then Tale Of The Body Thief.

I also really enjoyed the "offshoot book" - Vittorio The Vampire

Sounds like a shylock I know.

Submitted for your consideration - here are a few more films I feel are worthy of a look:

Mark of the Vampire (1935) MGM's remake (with Bela Lugosi) of the now-lost London After Midnight.

Return of the Vampire (1943) Bela and his pet werewolf in wartime London (actually the Columbia Pictures backlot). Great fun.

Dead Men Walk (1943) Yeah, I know, it's pure no-budget schlock - but George Zucco in a dual role as good/evil twins (one with hairpiece, one without) and the ever-popular Dwight Frye make this worth one viewing.

The Vampire Lovers (1970) Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt. 'Nuff said.

Terror in the Crypt (1963) Another version of J. Sheridan LeFanu's "Carmilla" (like the above title), this one made in Italy and starring Christopher Lee. Not great by any means, but worth a viewing. It may have a different title on DVD, though.

Return of Dracula (1958) AKA Curse of Dracula, a minor but effective little film with a couple of surprisingly gory scenes - particularly that ending!

House of Dark Shadows (1970) As a stand-alone film, I liked it.

Stay tuned...

Signor V.