After a ship is wrecked off the coast, its mysterious passenger (Frank Langella) is invited into the home of local asylum doctor, Seward (Donald Pleasance).
It turns out this stranger is Count Dracula, Seward’s new neighbour from Transylvania.
While the Count charms the doctor and his daughter Lucy (Kate Nelligan), misfortune begins to fall on the small coastal community - and it all seems to lead back to its new member…
This movie is like a painting.
There are many beautiful shots, production design and atmosphere, but the movie as a whole is a little bloodless. The version I saw was the desaturated version released after the theatrical release.
There is more of a romantic element to the central relationship between Dracula and Lucy (the filmmakers decided to swap the names of the female leads).
The production benefits from contemporary advances - the opening sequence on the ship is frenetic, and carries a real sense of tension. Dracula’s lizard crawl down the wall of Dr Seward’s home is fantastic, framed in an extended wide shot with fog billowing behind Langella as he glides down toward his prey.
While handsomely mounted, the film never finds a way to define itself.
And it is neither that scary nor romantic.
The film’s willingness to take narrative liberties with the familiar story is interesting at first, but they do not reveal anything or bring anything new to the story.
Related
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
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