Dracula - The Legacy Collection (Dracula / Dracula (1931 Spanish Version) / Dracula's Daughter / Son of Dracula / House of Dracula)

Bram Stoker's vampire novel has been remade dozens of times, but perhaps the best adaptation is the classic Bela Lugosi version. And "Dracula - The Legacy Collection" collects not only Lugosi's movie and the Spanish version, but three inferior sequels that are still moderately entertaining -- basically a vampire-lover's delight.

A solicitor, Renfield (Dwight Frye), is travelling to Count Dracula's castle for a real estate deal, despite the locals freaking out and crossing themselves whenever Dracula's mentioned. He soon finds out why -- the Count (Lugosi) is a vampire, who enslaves a mad Renfield to his will. Soon after, a ship with a dead crew (and Renfield and Dracula in the hold) arrives in England.

Soon Dracula has moved into his new home, Carfax Abbey, and is insinuating himself with the Seward family -- and especially with pretty Lucy Westenra, who dies of blood loss and is reborn as a vampire. Only the intervention of the mysterious Dr. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) can stop Dracula's attacks in London.

Then there's the Spanish-language one, which is virtually identical and was filmed on the exact same sets, during the hours when the English-language one was not being shot. It's incredibly good, and although it lacks that iconic intensity that Lugosi brought the English-language film, it's full of atmosphere and amazing acting.

And there's an immediate sequel, "Daughter of Dracula," about a beautiful Transylvanian vampire -- created by Dracula -- who comes to England seeking a way out of her eternal torment, now that her "father" has been permanently killed. But her sinister servant wants to keep her enslaved to her bloodlust.

Then there are two inferior sequels: "Son of Dracula," which is basically a whittled-down plot set in the early twentieth century, with an exceptionally wooden "Count Alucard" played by Lon Chaney Jr. He moves in next to an heiress's house, kills her father, and marries her, so it's up to her ex-boyfriend to save the day.

And finally there's "House of Dracula," in which the very popular Dr. Edelmen (Onslow Stevens) gets two requests for supernatural cures from some kind of miraculous mold: Count Dracula (John Carradine), and the wolfman Lawrence Talbot (Lon Cheney Jr). Talbot is suicidal over his transformations, and Dracula is secretly pursuing Edelman's vacuous nurse and driving the good doc insane. And they stumble across Frankenstein's monster too.

It's a mixed bag, vampirewise. The first two are among the best classic horror ever made, but the sequels deteriorate as they proceed -- "Daughter" is a very solid movie on its own, and "Son" is cliche and wooden. By "House," they've decided to just be silly and campy, and throw in as many fictional monsters as they can fit in.

The direction in the first three movies is quite solid, eerie and gothic, with plenty of memorably haunting moments ("I never drink... wine," Dracula says smilingly). Lots of cobwebbed castles, foggy London streets, bats and women drifting around in white dresses. The last two are strictly B-movie fare in terms of directorial skill, and some moments like the flaming mine are simply awful.

Lugosi is simply brilliant as Dracula. While not the stately, imposing figure that Stoker described, he has a blazing intensity that works just as well, as well as great charm. Carlos Villarías is not quite as good, but does an excellent and faithful job in the Spanish version. Carradine doesn't seem to be trying too hard, and Cheney just doesn't work as a vampire (though he's glorious as Talbot).

These actors are backed by casts that range from the sublime (creepy, bug-eating, cackling Frye) to the ridiculous (the dreamy-eyed, hammy nurses in "House"). Gloria Holden deserves special kudos for her tormented, bisexual vampiress torn between good and evil, and Edward Van Sloan as Dracula's nemesis, Van Helsing.

"Dracula - The Legacy Collection" has a dud and a campy monsterfest, but the first three movies are divinely dark horror/suspense movies. Definitely worth getting and enjoying.

*****  2007-03-04 E. A Solinas

Finally, DRACULA is put into a serious collection! Here we have not only the original classic DRACULA (w/ the incomparable Bela Lugosi), but four more toothy vampire thrillers! DRACULA concerns the Transylvanian Count and his trip to his new digs, where he quickly takes a big bite out of his neighbors. Can Von Helsing stop this evil undead plague, or will Dracula win the night? DRACULA- THE SPANISH VERSION was filmed simultaniously with Bela's feature. It is quite good on it's own merit, with actors that took pride in their work. Some things are different in nuance as well as some actual (subtle) changes to the props, dialogue, action, etc. It's fun to watch! DRACULA'S DAUGHTER is about a woman who seeks the aid of a psychiatrist in dealing with her vampirism. Can a supernatural curse be broken by scientific / psychological means? Hmmm. SON OF DRACULA has Lon Chaney jr. as the returning nosferatu. Posing as Count Alucard, he terrorizes the countryside! HOUSE OF DRACULA has Lon jr. back as the wolfman, looking for a cure for his canine affliction. John Carradine is along for the ride as Count Dracula (w/ a snappy moustache). Frankenstein's monster doesn't get much screen time, just sort of lumbering around aimlessly. Not a bad monster bash though! This collection is superb and should be bought before Universal re-seals their rusty old vaults once more...

*****  2004-07-14 Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein

As other people have said the audio on this DVD release of Dracula is the 1931 censored version. In this version you don't hear Renfield scream when Dracula kills him and Dracula screams only once when he dies. WHY Unverisal deemed these screams too intense or scary for 2004 viewers is a mystery to me. It doesn't distract from the film too much, but the overall quality of the audio in this DVD release is very bad. But it's better than nothing. If you have the first DVD release of Dracula KEEP IT because it is the uncensored version and the audio is much more clear. Would have given this 5 stars because it's a very good deal (5 movies), but it's obvious flaws made me bump that amount down to a 4.

*****  2004-07-01

What can I say about this one that I did not already say in my review of the Frankenstein collection. Long OVERDUE UNIVERSAL! God bless the Laemmle's! They must be looking down with sheer joy to see their productions in all of this digital glory! The Count(and Countess Zaleska) does his thing to ladies of the evening until he meets his match in good ol' Edward Van"WE MUST DESTROY IT!!" Sloan. They might as well have included the 1932 Karl Fruend Mummy on here because it is essentially the same story as the very stagy 1931 Dracula with 2 of the actors reprising characters under different names(Manners and Sloan as the romantic and scientist respectively), but I feel that the Mummy collection is coming so lets move on.
Superior(maybe technically) Spanish version is on here and so is English version with the Kronos score. I, personally, can do without the Kronos score but there are those who were enchanted by this addition. Son of Dracula was a cut above the other WW2 era Universal monster vehicles as was Frank Meets Wolf!
Dracula's daughter could have been a Whale. One does wonder what James Whale would have done to this one. Actually, I feel that Dracula's Daughter(1936), which by the way was the last of its type from Universal before the slick assembly line productions came into being(starting with Son of Frank), is superior to the original. The score is superb, the acting far above the 1931 film, and well, lets face it how do you top Vampire lesbianism in the 1930's post flapper era??
House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein almost seem to resemble what would become the staple of the blood-curdling technicolor productions from Hammer, and that was the BRAIN TRANSPLANTS. A deady body here and there, a brain pickled in a jar , a transplant to this one and this one, a suspicous burgomaster, a little decay and blood, you know the deal!
By the way, do you know how to tell when the first era of Universal horror ended?
ANSWER:Dracula's Daughter was the last Universal horror flick to utilize the pre-titles Earth-Globe with the old bi-plane circling. The slicker assembly line Universal horror began with the orbiting black and transluscent Earth-Globe to the 'Buy Bonds-support the troops' music in the background.

*****  2004-06-02 BRENT BEEN

I very much enjoyed this movie. My problem isn't the movie it self. It's the DVD transfer.
I thought that they could have done a much better job, then what was represented.
The reason I say that is because there are so many great ways they have now. So that they can clean up an old movie. Even something like Dracula and I could tell that they really didn't try to do so.
Also the movie comes in a beautiful DVD package. However, I find it difficult to open.
Not only that but the defects on both discs are rather annoying. I was disappointed that my computer got infected with the DVD for a while. So I had to restart it and start from were I was last off.
I was kind of ticked off to because I was enjoying the movie very much.
I almost hop that they will rerelease the movie to a better set.
However, the movie it self was great to watch, and I really enjoyed it.

*****  2004-05-30 lovemebad