I just watched the 1958 Hammer horror film "Horror of Dracula."
When it starts off you expect it to follow the "Dracula" story written by Bram Stoker. If that is the story you want you will be disappointed. Quite early in it veers from that. Without divulging the whole story it has elements of the original story but a lot of artistic license is taken.
For example Harker's fiance is Lucy. And he goes to castle Dracula knowing what Dracula is. His goal from the first moment is to kill Dracula.
While it diverges from the original novel it is a good movie.
The acting is good. Christopher Lee makes a great Dracula. This is actually his first performance as Dracula and sets the bar for any future Dracula. Peter Cushing as van Helsing is damn good too.
As long as you don't expect the novel or the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula"I recommend this movie. If you do you won't like it. The whole Lucy and her tomb take is different and interesting. All in all this is an interesting movie. It is an interesting version of a classic horror story.
What I liked best about the movie was Lee's performance, what little there was. He first appears as a menacing shadow at the top of the stairs, which turns out to be a quiet, cutured gentleman. It's only later on that we see him as a vampire, and he loses... something. He has no dialogue for the rest of the film. Dracula has some good lines in the novel, which they chose not to include in this film. It's too bad, because Lee has great delivery. It was sadly lacking in the sequel, too. "Dracula, Prince Of Darkness" gives Lee NOT ONE LINE OF DIALOGUE.
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