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The Movie Dracula Countdown
With Sam Worthington set to play Dracula, we look at some of his toothy predecessors...
Sam Worthington is about to don Dracula's cape in Alex Proyas' prequel, Dracula: Year Zero, telling the story of Dracula's life as a warlord as well as his un-death. He's following in some pretty illustrious footsteps, as a look at some of his predecessors will show…

WORDS CHRIS HEWITT, ALASTAIR PLUMB, PHIL DE SEMLYEN

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The Movie Dracula Countdown | Bela Lugosi The Movie Dracula Countdown
Bela Lugosi
Dracula (1931)

He… vants… to… suck… your… blood. If most people think of Christopher Lee when they think of Dracula, chances are that the voice they hear in their heads is the thick Hungarian accent of Bela Lugosi, who brought a truly indelible intensity and campy creepiness to his portrayal of the massive Count in Universal's quaint and stagey classic. It's a role that dominated and defined Lugosi throughout the rest of his life - and eventually he was buried in the cape.

Bram Stoker's Dracula? Lugosi is a more verbose vampire than Stoker perhaps intended, engaging in lengthy dialogue with his would-be killers (a by-product of the film's theatrical origins), while the plot diverges from the story at key points (Renfield, not Harker, is the one who travels to Castle Dracula at the beginning), but the tone is pretty much spot-on.

Fangtastic or just plain sucks? It's dated, of course, but it still has considerable charm, and Lugosi's performance is enormous fun. Fangtastic.

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Have Your Say
Which is yor favourite movie dracula? Register or login now to have your say.

Your Comments
1
Posted on Sunday January 31, 2010, 23:33 by FuquaNorton
Sam Worthington is definitely a GREAT choice for Dracula. Read More

2
Posted on Saturday January 30, 2010, 19:58 by Bill C.
Two of the best Draculas, and nearest to Stoker' s concept, were Jack Palance and Louis Jourdan ... both were excellent. I hated "Van Helsing" at first, but later, I had to admit is was an enjoyably outrageous, over-loaded, campy joke ...Three Aussie boys, (Jackman, Roxburgh and Wenham) taking the money and running and having a ball while they were at it ... and, if you're in the right mood, the fun rubs off. Read More

3 it's a dracula list
Posted on Saturday January 30, 2010, 18:30 by dutchSith
The reason why there were so many vampire's not in the list is because they only took the Dracula character. That's why there's is no fright night in there or Lestat. ( THE coolest vampire ever) Read More

4
Posted on Saturday January 30, 2010, 08:51 by Bumble Beeraser
Oldman was too short to play Dracula. He's supposed to have this commanding presence. For modern Drac, get Mark Strong. Read More

5
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 18:02 by kevy07
does'nt he remind you of a gay bono? Read More

6
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 14:47 by jimoakley666
God, this website is having issues today... Read More

7
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 14:47 by jimoakley666
And still to this day nobody has done a proper version of Dracula. Everyone portrays him more as the proverbial row of tents as opposed to a dirty filthy rancid plague in human form. Read More

8 Yeah
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 14:44 by jimoakley666
And still to this day nobody has done a proper version of Dracula. Everyone portrays him more as the proverbial row of tents as opposed to a dirty filthy rancid plague in human form. Read More

9 Yeah
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 14:44 by jimoakley666
And still to this day nobody has done a proper version of Dracula. Everyone portrays him more as the proverbial row of tents as opposed to a dirty filthy rancid plague in human form. Read More

10 Yeah
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 14:43 by jimoakley666
And still to this day nobody has done a proper version of Dracula. Everyone portrays him more as the proverbial row of tents as opposed to a dirty filthy rancid plague in human form. Read More

11 No Willem Dafoe?
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 12:24 by O_Goncho
Empire, I am disappoint. Read More

12
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 11:44 by Tinman84
It's true how can you say Van Helsing is a bad film, for anyone that loves the Universal Horror Classics it's a great visual spectacle, all right it's not the best film in the world but it's fun and I can't wait for the Wolfman and Dracula year one or any remake to come. Read More

13
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 10:11 by malaga
I actually loved Van Helsing. Admittedly, I was ten at the time, but there is a certain dull pleasure in this movie, if only thanks to some great chemistry between Jackman's Van Helsing and Wenham's Carl. I'm still a Friar; I can curse all I want. Dammit! Although even then, I did find a few of the characters *coughcoughAnnaValeriouscoughcough* a bit irritating, but I still feel that Roxburgh's performance wasn't bad, considering the lines he'd been given. Read More

14 Orlock
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 04:04 by conradthebarbarian2
Yeah, if you mention Kinski you MUST mention Max Schreck (thems the rules). From 1925, doesn't say a word, and no stupid cape. The only Dracula to channel a rat instead of a bat. Although Oldman does channel a wolf. Read More

15
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 01:48 by bentgaga
I also love Dead & Loving It, I own it on VHS Read More

16 No Murnau?
Posted on Friday January 29, 2010, 01:04 by simon2006
Surely Nosferatu has to get a mention? Read More

17 Vampire in Venice
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 20:52 by John Firth
I wish Kinski's other vampire film was available on DVD. I only ever saw it once on TV, and I can only find a long-deleted VHS looking on-line. Bah. Read More

18 Shadow of the Vampire
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 20:30 by bobyoung1978
Would've liked a mention of (a totally unrecognisable) Willem Dafoe's turn in the above as Max Shreck/Orlok/Dracula. Great film, recommend it especially for enthusiasts of F.W. Murnau's original. Read More

19 Shadow of the Vampire
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 20:13 by bobyoung1978
Would've liked a mention of (a totally unrecognisable) Willem Dafoe's turn in the above as Max Shreck/Orlok/Dracula. Great film, recommend it especially for enthusiasts of F.W. Murnau's original. Read More

20 Dead And Loving It
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 17:29 by Whistler
"Dead And Loving It" is funny damnit. It's so annoying how empire just lay into it so much. It's definately better than a lot of films that empire have given better reviews to, I don't understand why people think it's so terrible. Read More

21 Count Dracula '77
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 15:46 by annienonamous
Why no Louis Jourdan? He played the role with great sexuality, and isn't that the basis of our attraction to vampire lore and what all the fuss - generations long - is about? Read More

22
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 15:41 by paul.mccluskey
Christopher Lee is the best Dracula in my eyes. Untouchable! And I can't be the only one who thinks Coppola's version is a masterpiece surely? Read More

23 And....
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 14:52 by bdmrmapf
What about Salems Lot? Seems Barlow was a better "Nosferatu". And I think a mention of Fright Night was in order as well. And if Leslie Neilson is mentioned, how about Duckula!!! Poor poor Donald. Read More

24 A load of fanny.
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 14:49 by steveg66
There's at least 3 actors in that list who played the Count where you could remove the letter "O"! Read More

25 Nosferatu
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 13:54 by Sinfonic
Dracula Dead and Loving It was pretty terrible but it was worth watching just for that classic Nosferatu gag. Read More

26 The children of the night
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 13:09 by dutchSith
As a vampire lover, I was interested to see who or what made the list. Well, for me, Gary Oldman is the best Dracula ever. His intense performance, the beautiful costumes, make-up, the athmospheric soundtrack and the many delicate effects, make all the minor faults of the movie go away ( keanu and winona, the inballanced storytelling). From a nostalgia point of view I would have to go for Christopher Lee, as my dad used to watch his dracula movies all the time. I don't even want to talk about the Van Helsing, Blade, George Hamilton or Leslie Nielsen dracula. they make me want to puke blood. Read More

27 faithful?
Posted on Thursday January 28, 2010, 11:35 by Nalfeshnee
perhaps my memory is off, but i was always sure that in the book dracula cast no shadow. now, while i love FFC's dracula, and i think the playing with shadows is great (part of the films wonderful atmosphere) i do thnk its somewhat unfaithful to the book, though i still love it. Read More


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