Third Viewing: Dracula (1931)

Dracula really blows through it’s story, and that’s mostly a bad thing. I don’t mind Renfield being the guy that goes to Dracula’s castle before going crazy, of course, because that’s kind of the best stuff in the movie.

But after that, things just move so quickly, without much energy, somehow. The movie’s only about 70 minutes, so almost right after we meet Lucy, she’s killed. Almost right after we learn she’s dead, we’re on to the next scene.

And yet it’s not a bad movie overall, mostly due to two of the performances. While the supporting cast leaves a lot to be desired, Bela Lugosi is truly wonderful as Dracula. It’s such an iconic performance that I don’t think it matters if it’s truly traditionally good.

And the one I actually like a bit more is Dwight Frye as Renfield. The only other actor I can think of from this time that could have matched his chaotic energy is Peter Lorre, but he was busy working in Germany. So I’ll take Frye here, in the role that made him a horror icon.

Edward Van Sloan’s sort of boring as Van Helsing, though a few of the scenes he’s in are very good. But that’s really all I have to say about it. The last 15 minutes or so of the movie are not too exciting, and more than a little anticlimactic.

Rating: 7/10