Estate agent, Renfield, travels to Transylvania for a business meeting with Count Dracula to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London. Unbeknown to Renfield however, despite warnings of evil by some of the locals, Dracula is a vampire and the visitor is soon to become his unwilling servant. They travel by ship to England but by the time it makes port, an insane Renfield is the only living passenger left aboard. Count Dracula moves into Carfax Abbey and immediately sets out in search of potential victims by night. It's left to Professor Van Helsing, who knows exactly what Dracula is, to stop the spread of his evil and finish him once and for all. What a classic film! A true piece of history that's so enjoyable, even 90-plus years since it came out. Bela Lugosi's Dracula can easily be described as a timeless masterpiece. With so many versions of Dracula done over the years, I believe Bela Lugosi brought such character and elegance to the role of the most famous vampire. I would hold him in such high regard with Christopher Lee's depiction, although quite different, equally entertaining. To have become such an icon in pop culture history and have lasted nearly 100 years as one of the best adaptations from the numerous screen versions of Bram Stoker's classic tale, is such a tremendous feat. I loved the tone set in this film, which certainly gave a chilling atmosphere from the Count's castle to wandering the streets of London at night. Even the glaring stare of Dracula's piercing eyes is enough to send shivers down your spine, that is if Renfield's psychotic laughter doesn't first. I think my favourite character in the movie has to be Professor Van Helsing who had some fantastic scenes with the Count which I truly loved. The sequence where Helsing observes a small mirror in a cigarette box has no reflection of Count Dracula leads to his conclusion that he is not human and indeed a vampire. Helsing proceeds to ask Dracula, before he leaves, to be of help to him by looking at the box claiming that he had "stumbled upon a most amazing phenomenon" saying it is so incredible he mistrusts his own judgement. Van Helsing opens the box and as Dracula's eyes meet with the mirror inside, he smacks it out of Helsing's hands and his face is overcome with fear and hatred, which presents just how amazing of an actor Bela Lugosi really is. What's even better about this sequence is how he exposed Dracula in a room with two other people who saw his outburst, which worked to Helsing's advantage. To top it off, this scene has a brilliant line from Dracula as he leaves directed to Van Helsing: "For one who has not lived even a single lifetime, you're a wise man Van Helsing". Easily the best line and scene in the whole film, in my opinion. Even if you don't check this film out, definitely look up this scene. It is just phenomenal! However, this encounter between the two continues in a later scene that sees Dracula test Helsing discovering he has a strong will when he disobeys Dracula's powers and instructions. The film throughout is very well paced and for only being: 1 hour and 11 minutes long, it didn't feel at all rushed until the last few minutes, which felt a little quick in my opinion, as if trying to finish it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, it was perfect. Overall, this is a magnificent horror classic featuring one of cinema's most famous and beloved vampires with some outstanding acting from all involved and, for a film of the 1930s, it was above and beyond. I would even go as far as to say ahead of its time. A piece of classic film history, still engaging and entertaining today. Also, check out the Spanish iteration of this film of the same year in Drácula (1931), which features many of the same sets but uses other actors and is directed in a completely different way making it a very close competitor with this version. I would further recommend checking out the first of many Hammer Horror classic takes on the iconic vampire with the outstanding Christopher Lee in the leading role in Dracula (1958), which so happens to be my absolute favourite depiction of this story.
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