DRACULA (1931)
Bela Lugosi is one of those actors who just fascinates me endlessly. There’s something about the passion he brought to every role. Whether it was the iconic Count Dracula, a seductive yet terrifying figure, that set the standard for vampire portrayals or his unforgettable turn as Igor in Son of Frankenstein 1939. In The Black Cat (1934), playing Dr. Vitus Werdegast, Lugosi delivered one of his finest performances, showcasing a rare sympathetic side as the tortured psychiatrist seeking revenge against Karloff’s sinister Hjalmar Poelzig. Lugosi’s ability to balance tenderness with simmering rage made Ulmer’s classic horror film come alive with a refined edge.
Bela Lugosi possesses an enigmatic energy, the ability to command a scene with just a glance or the way he carries himself. It’s easy to overlook how nuanced his performances were because he became so closely tied to Dracula, but Lugosi was far more versatile than people give him credit for. Even when the roles weren’t glamorous, he gave them everything he had, and you can feel that commitment in every frame. To me, Lugosi isn’t just a horror icon; he was an artist who poured his soul into cinema, and that’s something I deeply admire.
Lugosi was a true talent with roots deeply planted in the theater. Born Béla Ferenc Dezs? Blaskó in Lugos, Hungary, he started acting in provincial theaters around 1901, where he quickly gained recognition for his performances in operettas and even Shakespearean plays. By 1913, he joined the National Theatre of Hungary, where he honed his craft. After serving as a lieutenant during World War I—earning a medal for his bravery—he transitioned to film in Hungary and Germany before making his way to the U.S. in 1921. Lugosi’s journey took him from small roles in theater – then rising to fame playing Dracula on stage in both London and Broadway productions. After the play premiered in England in 1924, Lugosi starred in the revised Broadway version at the Fulton Theatre in 1927, marking his first major English-speaking role. Followed by his iconic Count Dracula on the big screen – it’s a testament to his passion and determination, and it’s incredible how his work continues to resonate with so many of us.
Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931) still stands as a landmark in horror cinema. It artfully blends Bram Stoker’s gothic novel with the theatrical flair of the 1924 stage play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. Dracula wasn’t just a film—it was an event that redefined how audiences experienced fear mixed with sensuality on screen.
Browning left a lasting mark on cinema with his fascination for the macabre and the marginalized. His most daring film, Freaks (1932), is a hauntingly visceral masterpiece that shocked audiences with its raw portrayal of sideshow performers and their humanity, establishing Browning as a trailblazer who redefined horror and challenged social conventions.
Karl Freund was the cinematographer for Dracula (1931), and honestly, I think his work is a huge part of why the film is so unforgettable. Freund, a German-American cinematographer known for pushing boundaries with his innovative techniques, brought a distinct visual style to the movie, blending eerie, moody shadows and gothic atmosphere in a way that still feels haunting. What’s fascinating is that Freund didn’t just stick to camera work—he reportedly stepped in to direct parts of the film when Tod Browning’s approach got a little disorganized. So, in many ways, Freund’s impact went beyond the visuals; he helped shape the overall feel of Dracula. His ability to create unsettling compositions gave the movie its timeless sense of dread and mystery.
Lugosi’s Dracula wasn’t just a monster either; he was suave, seductive, and dangerous. It was the first sound adaptation of Stoker’s tale, though the absence of a musical score adds to the tension, making every silence feel ominous. Hearing Bela Lugosi’s deliberate, slow, transfixing delivery as Count Dracula added an entirely new layer of menace. And his languid, predatory body language as he glided into each scene was infused with such dark and unsettling charm that made him irresistible. Lugosi’s performance practically defined what we think of when we imagine a vampire.
His thick Hungarian accent and measured speech turned every line into something chillingly poetic. Every line he spoke felt like it was dipped in sensual peril. And let’s be honest: whenever someone does a Dracula impression, they’re channeling Lugosi, right? Making him the definitive Dracula that would haunt the screen for generations to come and install vampires as a cultural obsession.
Plus, Dracula didn’t just introduce audiences to a new kind of monster; it helped establish horror as a serious genre in Hollywood. Its success paved the way for Universal as a leader in horror filmmaking with its iconic monster series, ensuring that vampires and Gothic themes—and their many cultural interpretations would influence the genre for decades upon decades.
The film’s eerie atmosphere, with its long silences and shadowy sets inspired by German Expressionism, created a haunting world where horror lingered in what wasn’t shown as much as what was. The look of the film was led by set designer Charles D. Hall, who served as the film’s art director and was responsible for the iconic Gothic look of the sets, including Dracula’s castle and the eerie crypts. Hall was assisted by Herman Rosse and John Hoffman, both of whom contributed as set designers and production designers. Rosse, in particular, was noted for designing the spectacular facade of Castle Dracula.
The story follows the legendary vampire’s journey from his eerie Transylvanian castle to London, where he begins to prey on young women, including Mina Seward (Helen Chandler). The story begins with Renfield (Dwight Frye), a solicitor who becomes Dracula’s deranged, bug-eating servant after falling under his hypnotic spell. In London, Dracula’s reign of terror is countered by Dr. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), who ultimately destroys him to save Mina.
What makes Dracula so captivating is how it balances its stage roots with cinematic innovation. The story of the vampire Count traveling from Transylvania to England unfolds like a nightmare. From Renfield’s descent into madness aboard a ghostly doomed ship to Dracula’s predatory charm in London, every scene is steeped in dread. Yet, it’s not just about sending chills up the audience’s spines—there’s a strange elegance to it all, from Dracula’s aristocratic demeanor to his poetic musings on life and death.
Karl Freund’s cinematography sharpens the focus of the film’s haunting atmosphere with shadowy lighting and expressionistic framing, transforming Dracula’s castle and the foggy streets of London into spaces of dread and mystery.
In the shadowed depths of the catacombs, Dracula’s brides emerge like specters from a fevered dream. Their pale forms rise slowly from coffins, shrouded in decay, as if the earth itself reluctantly releases them. Around them, the air stirs with life and death—rats scurry, bats flutter in restless circles, and armadillos (I love armadillos) creep like silent sentinels of the underworld. The brides move with an otherworldly grace, their flowing gowns trailing like whispers of the forgotten souls they are. Their eyes gleam with hunger and unnatural allure, beckoning the living to join them in eternal night. It is a tableau of Gothic horror—a dance of death beneath the castle’s crumbling bones.
In one of the most iconic moments in classic horror cinema, Bela glides into Mina’s bedroom, his cape billowing like a shadow coming to life. He enters through the open window, an otherworldly predator cloaked in elegance and menace. The room is bathed in soft moonlight, casting long shadows that seem to stretch toward the bed where Mina (Helen Chandler) lies, vulnerable and entranced. With a hypnotic gaze, he approaches her as if floating, his fingers outstretched, his movements deliberate and almost ritualistic. His enveloping cape becomes both a shroud and a sensual embrace as he leans in for the fateful kiss—a sensual yet deathly act that blurs the line between seduction and destruction. The earlier scenes linger in the mind, reinforcing the decay and corruption that Dracula brings with him. This deathly kiss is not just an attack but a transformation—an act that binds Mina to him while stripping her of her autonomy.
This scene, masterfully lit by cinematographer Karl Freund, captures the essence of Dracula’s duality: both lover and predator, his presence is magnetic yet terrifying. Lugosi’s commanding performance heightens the moment, his piercing eyes and deliberate gestures embodying the themes of Gothic horror: the collision of beauty and terror and a vampire who is as much a symbol of forbidden desire and doom as he is of death itself.
The film cemented Lugosi’s Dracula as the definitive vampire of cinema, a figure whose haunting allure continues to define the genre nearly a century later.
DRACULA’S DAUGHTER 1936
Directed by Lambert Hillyer, Dracula’s Daughter (1936) is a haunting sequel to Universal’s Dracula (1931), blending Gothic horror with psychological depth.
Picking up immediately after the original film, though the presence of Bela Lugosi is absent, the story follows Countess Marya Zaleska, played with icy elegance by Gloria Holden, as she attempts to free herself from her father’s vampiric curse. Believing that destroying Dracula’s body will release her, she performs a midnight ritual with the help of her brooding servant, Sandor (Irving Pichel). When this fails, she turns to modern psychiatry, seeking the help of Dr. Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger), a rationalist who becomes entangled in her dark world.
Cinematographer George Robinson creates a striking contrast between the Countess’s shadowy, Gothic surroundings and the sleek modernity of her London apartment, reflecting her inner conflict between ancient curses and contemporary desires. Heinz Roemheld’s atmospheric score underscores this tension, heightening the film’s eerie yet melancholic tone.
The supporting cast includes Edward Van Sloan, reprising his role as Van Helsing (now “Von Helsing”); Marguerite Churchill portraying Janet Blake, Garth’s assistant and love interest; Gilbert Emery as Sir Basil Humphrey; Nan Grey as the poor doomed Lili; (“Do you like jewels Lili?”) and E.E. Clive as Sergeant Wilkes.
The film explores themes of identity and repression through Marya’s struggle with her vampiric urges, which are subtly coded as queer desire—a daring subtext for its time. Her predatory interactions with young women, particularly the ill-fated model Lili (Nan Grey), highlight her inability to escape her nature despite her yearning for normalcy.
This psychological depth sets Dracula’s Daughter apart from other horror films of the era, offering a nuanced portrait of the monstrous feminine who is as much a victim of her own impulses as those she preys upon.
Though less celebrated than its predecessor, Gloria Holden’s performance inspired later depictions of conflicted vampires. Dracula’s Daughter 1936 with its innovative blend of Gothic horror and psychological drama, highlighted an important step forward for Universal’s monster films, offering one of the earliest explorations of the vampire mythos with deeper emotional and existential layers. It expanded the genre by delving into themes of inner conflict and identity, setting it apart from traditional horror narratives.
NOSFERATU 1922
F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) is a cinematic masterpiece that not only defined the horror genre but also exemplified the haunting beauty of German Expressionism. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the film transforms the vampire myth into a visual poem of dread and decay. Max Schreck’s unforgettable portrayal of Count Orlok—a gaunt, rat-like figure with elongated fingers and hollow eyes—remains one of the most terrifying depictions of a vampire in film history. Unlike the suave aristocrat of later adaptations, Orlok is a creature of pure menace, embodying disease, death, and a grotesqueness that makes your skin crawl.
Max Schreck’s performance as Count Orlok in Nosferatu (1922) is nothing short of mesmerizing. He embodies the grotesque, inhuman nature of the vampire with unnerving precision, from his elongated fingers and rat-like teeth to his slow, calculated steps and raptorial stare. Schreck’s portrayal is so hauntingly effective that it not only defined the visual language of cinematic vampires but also sparked rumors that he might have been a real vampire himself—a testament to the chilling authenticity he brought to the role.
The story follows Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim), who travels to Orlok’s eerie castle to finalize a real estate deal, only to discover that his host is one of the undead. Meanwhile, Hutter’s wife, Ellen (Greta Schröder), becomes psychically linked to Orlok, sensing his growing presence as he journeys to their town of Wisborg aboard a ghostly ship. The film’s climax sees Ellen sacrificing herself—offering her blood freely to keep Orlok distracted until dawn when sunlight destroys him in one of cinema’s most iconic moments.
Cinematographers Fritz Arno Wagner and Günther Krampf use light and shadow to extraordinary effect, crafting a world where darkness seems animated. The interplay of jagged shadows and stark lighting creates an atmosphere that feels dreamlike and oppressive. The infamous scene where Orlok’s shadow stretches up a staircase, his clawed hand reaching for Ellen, is a masterclass in visual storytelling—capturing terror without a single word spoken. The film’s use of cross-cutting between Orlok’s predatory movements and Ellen’s somnambulism suggests an almost supernatural connection between the victim and the monster. Murnau’s direction elevates Nosferatu beyond mere horror, infusing it with allegorical weight.
The plague that follows Orlok to Wisborg reflects fears of disease and societal collapse in post-World War I Germany, while Ellen’s self-sacrifice serves as a poignant metaphor for purity overcoming darkness. The film also introduced now-iconic vampire lore—most notably, the idea that sunlight is fatal to vampires.
Some of the key moments in the film are Hutter’s arrival at the castle. Hutter’s journey to Count Orlok’s castle is shrouded in dread and mystery as he ventures through misty woods and shadowed paths where light seems afraid to follow. When he arrives, the castle gates swing open as if moved by an unseen spectral hand, and Orlok himself emerges—an obscene, nightmarish figure with a hunched, bat-like frame that radiates an unsettling presence that beckons. There’s something deeply unnatural about him, a silent wraith whose very existence feels like a violation of the natural world. It’s no wonder Hutter begins to feel the weight of fear as he steps into a realm where mortal men dare not tread. Then there’s the moment when Orlok’s shadow appears in the chamber where no soul belongs.
The candle quivers as shadows stretch unnaturally long, casting an air of unease through the room. Orlok’s silhouette appears – a specter with creeping ascension rises up the staircase with an eerie, deliberate motion, his clawed hand reaching out through stagnant air as if to grasp something unseen in the still, heavy air. Meanwhile, Ellen, far away, is haunted by restless dreams where Orlok’s dark presence looms over her, an ominous force that seems to bind her spirit to his cursed existence. The connection between them feels inescapable, as though his darkness is reaching across time and space to claim her, binding her to his cursed tomb.
Another monumental moment in the film is when Ellen waits in her bedroom, a space that feels almost sacred, knowing what she must do to end Count Orlok’s reign of terror. Her love for her husband and her city becomes a beacon to lure her dark fate, drawing Orlok into her home for their final confrontation. She opens the window, inviting him in, fully aware of the despair and danger she’s welcoming. As Orlok feeds on her blood, the first rays of dawn begin to creep into the room. Ellen holds him close, urging him to continue, keeping him trapped in his desire until the sunlight overtakes him. The vampire writhes in agony as the light obliterates him, his monstrous form crumbling away. Ellen’s sacrifice is complete—she has given everything to save her husband and her city, her face calm and peaceful as she finally finds rest.
And Orlok’s end as he’s caught in the relentless, merciless glare of the sunbeam, Count Orlok succumbs to his ultimate weakness, his grotesque form crumbling into smoke and air. The vampire’s reign of terror ends as dawn breaks, erasing his shadow from the world forever. This climactic moment not only serves as a striking visual but also underscores Nosferatu’s eerie brilliance, with its poetic interplay between light and shadow, life and death—a haunting conclusion to one of horror cinema’s most enduring tales.
Despite legal battles with Stoker’s estate that nearly led to its destruction, Nosferatu survived and became a foundational text for horror cinema. Its influence can be seen in everything from Universal’s Dracula (1931) to modern films like the extraordinary Let the Right One In 2008. Murnau’s creation remains a haunting exploration of fear, desire, and the shadows that linger at the edges of human existence— Nosferatu 1922 is a poetic nightmare and a true symphony of horror.
The French actress Haydée Politoff during the filming of the movie El gran amor del Conte Dracula’, directed by Javier Aguirre, 1972, Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gianni Ferrari/Cover/Getty Images).
