Dracula (1958 film)

Dracula
Dracula
	UK theatrical release poster by Bill Wiggins
Directed by	Terence Fisher
Screenplay by	Jimmy Sangster
Based on	Dracula; by Bram Stoker
Produced by	Anthony Hinds
Starring	Peter Cushing; Michael Gough; Melissa Stribling; Christopher Lee;
Cinematography	Jack Asher
Edited by	Bill Lenny
Music by	James Bernard
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Hammer Film Productions
Distributed by	Rank Film Distributors (UK); Universal-International (International);
Release dates	7 May 1958 (Milwaukee); 21 May 1958 (London);
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£81,412
Box office	$3.5 million (worldwide rentals)

Dracula is a 1958 British gothic horror film directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same name. The first in the series of Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the film also features Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing, along with Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, and John Van Eyssen. In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.

Production began at Bray Studios on 17 November 1957 with an investment of £81,000.^[4] As Count Dracula, Lee fixed the image of the fanged vampire in popular culture.^[7] Christopher Frayling writes, "Dracula introduced fangs, red contact lenses, décolletage, ready-prepared wooden stakes and – in the celebrated credits sequence – blood being spattered from off-screen over the Count's coffin."^[8] Lee also introduced a dark, brooding sexuality to the character, with Tim Stanley stating, "Lee's sensuality was subversive in that it hinted that women might quite like having their neck chewed on by a stud".^[9]

In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw Dracula ranked the 65th best British film ever.^[10] Empire magazine ranked Lee's portrayal as Count Dracula the 7th Greatest Horror Movie Character of All Time.^[11]

^ Cite error: The named reference preem was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference london was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "DRACULA (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 6 August 2013. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b * Rigby, Jonathan (2000). English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema. Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. p. 256. ISBN 9781903111017. OCLC 45576395.
^ Vincent L. Barnett (2014) Hammering out a Deal: The Contractual and Commercial Contexts of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 34:2, 231–252, DOI: 10.1080/01439685.2013.847650
^ "Hammer: Five-a-Year for Columbia". Variety. 18 March 1959. p. 19. Retrieved 23 June 2019 – via Archive.org.
^ Jackson, Kevin (31 October 2009). "Fangs for the memories: The A-Z of vampires". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
^ "Hallowe'en: Why Dracula just won't die". The Telegraph (London). 31 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^ "Why Christopher Lee's Dracula didn't suck". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^ Calhoun, Dave; Huddleston, Tom; Jenkins, David; Adams, Derek; Andrew, Geoff; Davies, Adam Lee; Fairclough, Paul; Hammond, Wally (17 February 2017). "The 100 best British films". Time Out London. Time Out Group. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
^ "The 100 best horror movie characters" Archived 3 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Empire. Retrieved 2 December 2017

[preem-1] Cite error: The named reference preem was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[london-2] Cite error: The named reference london was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] "DRACULA (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 6 August 2013. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2015.

[rigby-4] * Rigby, Jonathan (2000). English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema. Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. p. 256. ISBN 9781903111017. OCLC 45576395.

[5] Vincent L. Barnett (2014) Hammering out a Deal: The Contractual and Commercial Contexts of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 34:2, 231–252, DOI: 10.1080/01439685.2013.847650

[rentals-6] "Hammer: Five-a-Year for Columbia". Variety. 18 March 1959. p. 19. Retrieved 23 June 2019 – via Archive.org.

[7] Jackson, Kevin (31 October 2009). "Fangs for the memories: The A-Z of vampires". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.

[8] "Hallowe'en: Why Dracula just won't die". The Telegraph (London). 31 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2019.

[9] "Why Christopher Lee's Dracula didn't suck". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2019.

[10] Calhoun, Dave; Huddleston, Tom; Jenkins, David; Adams, Derek; Andrew, Geoff; Davies, Adam Lee; Fairclough, Paul; Hammond, Wally (17 February 2017). "The 100 best British films". Time Out London. Time Out Group. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2017.

[11] "The 100 best horror movie characters" Archived 3 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Empire. Retrieved 2 December 2017

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]