'Dracula' (1931) Movie Review

​Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   Dracula is directed by Ted Browning, and it stars Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, and Edward Van Sloan. It tells the story of one of Horror’s most iconic characters, the vampire Dracula. When Dracula travels to England and begins preying upon its inhabitants, an investigation is led by Professor Van Helsing. When the professor discovers the truth about Dracula, he attempts to stop him before he turns more people into vampires.

   Dracula was an entertaining film to watch, although it might not be for the reason you’d expect. Yes, this film does have those classic Dracula moments, and it does feature great performances, but the most interesting thing to me was how it laid the groundwork for the explosion of the horror genre that would soon follow.
   Horror films existed before 1931’s Dracula, as evidenced by 1922’s Nosferatu and 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera, but Dracula redefined the genre. Dracula brought something to the table that hadn’t been present before. What that is exactly is hard to define; it could be many things. However, the proof is in the genre’s popularity growth during the past 85 years.
   When it comes to the film itself, by far the best part was Bela Lugosi’s performance as Dracula. He managed to perfectly capture the charming aristocrat side of the character, in addition to the horrifying side that makes Dracula so classic. When you look at Lugosi, you see Dracula. He looks the part so extremely well. I believe that’s due to one of two things. First, they perfectly cast the role. Second, he gave such an iconic performance that, in modern times, we just assumed that’s what Dracula has always looked like. For all I know, people in 1930 could have had a much different vision of what Dracula looked like, but since Bela Lugosi’s performance in 1931, Dracula has looked like Lugosi.
   I’ve noticed one thing about a lot of older films that I find really annoying. No, it’s not the black and white, and it’s not the stage-performance acting. It’s actually the conclusions, or rather, lack thereof. Many of these films simply end, and Dracula falls victim to that. The climax and the film conclude almost simultaneously. There is no falling action. It’s an extremely abrupt ending, and it’s in almost every film I’ve seen from the time.
   Dracula was an entertaining movie to watch, primarily due to Bela Lugosi’s performance as the titular character. It laid the groundwork for what would become the immensely popular horror genre of today. The film didn’t really have a conclusion, and the story was a little lackluster, but overall I enjoyed Dracula.

7/10


   What did you think of 1931’s Dracula? How does it compare to other classic horror films? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this review, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and miscellaneous movie thoughts!
 
Thanks for stopping by!