A darker, more gothic take on the Classic Monsters that Universal Studios made popular, British movie Studio Hammer Films has always held a place in my heart for making scarier versions of my favorite characters. Here I made it a point to watch all of their Dracula films, most of which star Christopher Lee in the title role. The atmosphere of these movies plays a huge role, and while they are more sensual than the Universal films, they are not as lurid as my memories made them.. So here are all 9 films ranked in order.
9-The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires - 1974
This was a sad end for the franchise as it's a kung-fu movie, little to do with Dracula, who, in the movie, is not Christopher Lee; what was Peter Cushing thinking? Julie Ege was underutilized in this movie.
8- Satanic Rites of Dracula -1973
I appreciate the concept here, but the execution was off, and it felt too much like a true crime thriller at times. Dracula as a CEO worked for me, but too little Dracula and too much buildup.
7-Bride's of Dracula-1960
Nothing really to do with Dracula at all, more focused on Van Helsing; the vampire's a goof in this one, but the sets are great.
6-Dracula- 1958
Was pretty solid, though Cushing's Van Helsing steals the show, as Lee was just getting used to the cape. Cool mood that separates this film from Universal, though Lee might have been too British here. Closer to the book than Bela Lugosi's.
5-Dracula AD -1972-
Modern Day Dracula works better than many of the films, though it suffers from too much build-up and not enough Dracula until the final 20 minutes of the movie. Stephanie Beacham stands out in this one.
4-Dracula Has Risen From the Grave-1968
Prince of Darkness just edged this one out; Barbara Eden from I Dream of Jeannie is in this one. The rooftop scenes are darker in this movie and set the mood. The end is another ridiculous death for him.
3-Dracula Prince of Darkness -1966
Lee is more settled into his role, though he plays a more feral version of the resurrected title character. Not just throwing candlesticks at people, but has more power, making him scarier. A greater sense of dread runs throughout the movie; however, it does have one of the silliest endings.
2-Taste the Blood of Dracula-1970
The more occult elements in this were ahead of its time, and it is clear this movie was getting an R-rating; he has a marginally less silly death, and it's a more violent film than the previous ones with a sense of dread creeping up from its shadows. But it does follow the formula the Hammer uses for these films, where it's the first half of the movie establishing the why of what is going on.
1-Scars of Dracula- 1970
All of these have a bit of silliness here; it's the bat. But the cast and vibes work well. Perhap the tension was not as high as it's the looking for a lost brother thing, and Dracula is less invested and rightfully feels less threatened, though he is more allergic to crosses in this one. In some way more accurate in his power set, though, and Lee feels most at home in the role here, as he has played him differently in almost every movie. Jenny Lanely is great in this one and puts her step toward the top tier of Hammer Girls.
