#I have recently rewatched most of Tom's filmography... for reasons...

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Halloween 2020 - Day 3 - Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

The Apocalypse is Now for me!

Even without getting into the Universal sequels the way I have been with their Frankenstein franchise, I certainly have managed to get through a fair few Dracula related movies over the years; the 1931 version (and it’s Spanish language counterpart), Nosferatu, Shadow of the Vampire, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Dracula 2000, Van Helsing, Monster Squad, Hotel Transylvania and the BBC production from earlier this year. Never did a recap on the final episode of that though. This one has been on the list for a while, along with the 1994 Frankenstein movie, and it recently turned up cheap on blu-ray so why not? It is on UK Netflix at the moment so could have saved myself a few pounds but, eh, it can sit with the Universal boxsets and I am curious to look at some of the extras.

This is directed by Francis Ford Coppola and, for someone widely regarded as one of the great filmmakers of all time, I’ve never seen any of his work so this is a first. I do have the Godfather boxset here though that I should get around to a some point. Looking at his filmography, Jack really sticks out like a sore thumb.

Looking at some of the various Dracula adaptations though, one that stands out is an animated Batman movie called The Batman vs Dracula that came out in 2005. I kinda need to see that, along with the TMNT cross over they did last year. There’s actually more Batman/Dracula movies out there apparently, including a lost Fillipino film called Batman Fights Dracula and Batman Dracula which was produced and directed by Andy Warhol, both without permission from DC Comics. I wasn’t expecting one, let alone three of the things.

This version seems to be much more in line with the original source material, featuring a lot of scenes told from diary entries, letters and ship logs. Plus it features Quincey Morris and a more dramatic finale where Dracula faces off against a group consisting of Harker, Van Helsing, Seward, Holmwood and Morris before nearly getting stabbed to death. More interesting at least than sneaking in whilst he’s asleep and staking him through the heart.

It adds to an overall feel of sympathy that it feels like the movie is trying to build for Dracula. It opens up by showing his heroic feats in battle, fighting off the Turks and defending the Order of the Dragon, only for his wife to commit suicide when she receives fake news of her husband’s demise. When Dracula is told that his bride’s soul cannot be saved for she has sinned in taking her own life, he renounces God and drives his sword into a cross which proceeds to have blood gush out of it which he laps up. Even when he goes to turn Mina into one of the undead, he hesitates, reluctant to saddle her with his same fate.

Then when Harker arrives to conduct business with Carfax Abbey, Dracula laments the passage of time, how his great race is now but a distant memory and, when learning of Harker’s fiancé Mine, mourns his own departed wife.

That wig is really stupid though.

Even in the face of that, the movie still managed to win Oscars for Best Costume Design, as well as Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Makeup. It lost Best Art Direction to Howards End. The visuals truly are the high point of the film, particularly early on with the gothic scenery of Dracula’s castle or the surreality of all the blood in the chapel in the aforementioned origin scene for Dracula.

There’s one gorgeous moment on Harker’s journey to Transylvania where he’s writing in his journal and the scene fades between an interior shot of him, to this shot of the train seemingly travelling atop his diary admist a dusk skyline. That same orange skyline is in effect in the scene where Dracula fights the Turks, with everything playing out in silhouette.

Dracula’s armor is quite unique there as well. Has this ostentatious feel to it, I don’t know how protective it would be but it’s very striking. It’s something I’ve seen out of context before seeing the movie and it always made me think of the human body without skin, all the muscles and tendons and what not. Like Frank in Hellraiser before he’s fully reformed. It feels like the kinda thing you’d see as a unique armour set in Dark Souls.

I really like the lunatic asylum where we find Renfield and Dr Seward, even if it is underused. Renfield is always my favourite part of these movies but we start with him already mad and it’s Harker who has to take over his accounts and go seal the Dracula deal before being targeted by the Count and his mistresses in the castle. The whole asylum has this very grimey, industrial feel to it.

The guards have these head cages on and Reinfield has these odd hand/finger braces? For some reason the Dracula: Dead and Loving it version is coming to mind where everything is much cleaner and looks like some stately home. There’s that scene where Seward invites Renfield out for a spot of afternoon tea, only Renfield is more interested in the passing insects than any sandwiches or pastries on offer. Absolutely a world away from his surroundings here.

The cast is very strong, with Gardy Oldman as Dracula and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing standing out, even amongst the lesser parts you’ve got Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes and even Tom Waits as Renfield. Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder are also noteworthy, mainly for their English accents. It’s kina hard to see Reeves in this role personally as I’ve just come off the back of rewatching the first two Bill & Ted’s, as well as the new one, so I keep expecting Harker to be like “This Dracula dude is totally keeping me locked in his castle and intends to turn me into one of his undead groupies, that is most heinous!” I find Harker tends to just blend in by the end of the movie though as he’s often in these group settings along with Van Helsing, Holmwood, Seward and Morris and it’s the former two that often stand out most due to Van Helsing’s eccentricity and Holmwood being the comparative straight man who’s always confused as to what the devil is going on.

Certainly for the spectacle alone this is worth watching, beyond that, I’m not so sure. I think anything once Dracula leaves Transylvania I’m not as interested in, this version like the BBC once this year focuses more on the initial meeting between Harker and Dracula and spends more time within the castle, looking at their interactions and Harker’s suffering.