Dracula (1931)
86%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: Won 3 Oscars
24 wins & 25 nominations total
Bela Lugosi’s timeless portrayal of Dracula in this creepy and atmospheric 1931 film has set the standard for major vampiric roles since
Dracula is a classic horror film that still manages to send shivers down your spine, even after all these years. The opening scenes in Dracula’s castle are hauntingly beautiful, but the film loses some of its momentum once the action moves to England. Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of the infamous vampire is iconic, and his makeup and gestures still hold up today. While it may not be a masterpiece, Dracula is a must-see for any horror fan looking to appreciate the genre’s roots. Plus, who doesn’t love a good cape?
Production Company(ies)
3ality Digital Entertainment,
Distributor
Realart Pictures Inc., Universal Pictures, Screen Gems, Universal Home Entertainment, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Universal Studios – 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexuality and horror violence
Year of Release
1992
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 15m
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Language(s):English, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Latin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 1931 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 21, 1999
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Bela Lugosi, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, David Manners, Herbert Bunston, Frances Dade, Helen Chandler, directed by Tod Browning, produced by Tod Browning, Carl Laemmle Jr., written by John L Balderston, Garrett Fort, Dudley Murphy, Bram Stoker, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Tom Milne, Mordaunt Hall, Angie Errigo, James Berardinelli, Stephanie Archer, Josh Larsen, Federico Furzan, Mike Massie, Bob Bloom, MPAA rating, Realart Pictures Inc., Universal Pictures, Screen Gems, Universal Home Entertainment, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Mono, Count Dracula, Prof Abraham Van Helsing, John Harker, Dr Jack Seward, Lucy Weston, Renfield, vampire, London, bloodlust, Bram Stoker adaptation, Gothic horror, iconic performance, classic, influence, creepy atmosphere, vampire hunter, young women, vampires, hypnotizing, mindless slave, old castle, blood, never-ending bloodlust, vampire tale, horror inductions, early introduction to sound films, Karl Freund, rubber bat, bugs crawling, Eastern European, gaunt bearded count, graphic nature, pre-Code film, Gothic terror, Puritan era, daffy solicitor Renfield, Jonathan Harker, low budget, early talkie parameters, otherworldly, shadowy backdrop, ominous tone, Universal Horror, bloodless bloodletter, iconic
Worldwide gross: $215,862,692
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $462,059,608
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 321
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,388,180
US/Canada gross: $82,522,790
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $176,642,141
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 424
US/Canada opening weekend: $30,521,679
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $65,332,434
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 151
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $40,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $85,621,022
Production budget ranking: 489
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $46,106,920
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $330,331,665
ROI to date (est.): 251%
ROI ranking: 531
Edward Van Sloan – Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Dwight Frye – Renfield
David Manners – John Harker
Herbert Bunston – Dr. Jack Seward
Frances Dade – Lucy Weston
Director(s)
Tod Browning
Writer(s)
John L. Balderston, Garrett Fort, Dudley Murphy, Bram Stoker
Producer(s)
Tod Browning, Carl Laemmle Jr.
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 3 Oscars
24 wins & 25 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (3)
A sublimated ghost story related with all surface seriousness and above all with a remarkably effective background of creepy atmosphere.
October 7, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The opening scenes, set in Dracula’s castle, are magnificent — grave, stately, and severe. But the film becomes unbearably static once the action moves to England.
September 25, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Not by any means the masterpiece of fond memory or reputation, although the first twenty minutes are astonishingly fluid and brilliantly shot by Karl Freund.
January 26, 2006
Tom Milne
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
With Mr. Browning’s imaginative direction and Mr. Lugosi’s makeup and weird gestures, this picture succeeds to some extent in its grand guignol intentions.
May 20, 2003
Mordaunt Hall
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
When Bela Lugosi died he was buried wearing one of his original silk capes. Forever cloaked, he casts his shadow still.
September 26, 2002 | Rating: 4/5
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Dracula deserves its status as a classic, although one might be tempted to append the word ‘lesser’ to that label.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
As a whole, Dracula balances out as a brilliant classic of an early introduction to sound films and early horror inductions.
April 17, 2022
Stephanie Archer
Film Inquiry
Gorgeous backdrops and gloomy, Gothic sets almost upstage one of cinema’s most notorious villains…
January 28, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Dracula from 1931 reflects limitations of its era but still contains eerie scenes and classic lines…
October 15, 2021
Robin Holabird
Robin Holabird
A fantastic affirmation of genre made over a century ago. The beginning of something grandious. [Full article in Spanish].
October 1, 2020
Federico Furzan
Cinelipsis
It’s more fantasy than horror, though it excels in crafting a forbidding atmosphere.
July 26, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The abundance of older features on Blu-rays and DVDs have helped give younger filmgoers an appreciation of classic movies. “They can learn so much more on how to pace and set a scene from Tod Browning over Michael Bay,” Mankiweicz said.
October 23, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)…
Plot
This version of Dracula is closely based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel. Young barrister Jonathan Harker is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker’s betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina’s closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy’s friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Dracula on Fresh Kernels.
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