Inspired by the legend of Vlad the Impaler, Irish writer Bram Stoker wrote and published Dracula in 1897. A fictional horror based loosely on reality, Stoker's novel changed the literary world. What Stoker could never have foreseen was how his groundbreaking horror novel would influence the coming world of film. While all vampire films can be said to have been inspired by Dracula, some take more from the original tale than others do.
Black and White Dracula Films
Dracula's first appearance on the silver screen came in 1931, charming audiences with his mysterious appeal and dark beauty. Silently, he horrified and enticed filmgoers, giving birth to a genre of black and white Dracula films, several of which stared the infamous Bela Lugosi. Black and white Dracula films include:
- Dracula (1931)
- Dracula's Daughter (1936)
- Son of Dracula (1943)
- House of Dracula (1945)
Technicolor Vampire Films
Color brought new life to the old horror genre and particularly to Dracula films. Films inspired by the real life Vlad Tepes and by Bram Stoker's fictionalized accounting would be produced in more horrifying detail as film got better and color replaced black and white. While color has survived longer than did black and white, with increasing clarity, Dracula's progeny has yet to fatigue moviegoers and vampire enthusiasts. Most of the first color Dracula films were filmed in the United Kingdom. Dracula inspired color movies include:
- Horror of Dracula (1958)
- The Brides of Dracula (1960)
- Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
- Dracula Has Rise from the Grave (1968)
- Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
- Scars of Dracula (1970)
- Dracula A.D. 1927 (1972)
- Count Dracula and his Vampire Bride (1973)
- Dracula (1979)
Bram Stoker's Dracula
1979's Dracula was the last of a dying breed until the production of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992. Starring Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Gary Oldman, Bram Stoker's Dracula revived a dying genre. While the film was based upon the novel, it does not follow the novel's storyline completely. Diverging from the plot, this film is widely popular among vampire and literature fans alike.
Modern Day Dracula
Since his reemergence in the early 1990's, Dracula has been the subject of several vampire movies. While most of them are unconventional or Dracula is a marginal player, they fulfill our needs to indulge in one of the oldest, most seductive monsters.
- Dracula 2000 (2000)
- Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002)
- Blade: Trinity (2004) - as "Drake"
Those looking to feed their Dracula habit should rent (or buy!) these Dracula inspired vampire movies. Some of the oldest of these come in box sets, so check for box sets and collector's editions.
Kristyn Hammond - A freelance professional since 2007, Kristyn Hammond has both her BA & MA in English from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX.
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