Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection [DVD]

The Classic Universal Dracula Series in Glorious Blu-Ray!
“Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection” collects the first six films in Universal Studios’ “Dracula” franchise. The original 1931 “Dracula,” directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi in the lead role, is perhaps the most well-known Dracula film. The movie was based on the 1924 stage play by Hamilton Deana and John L. Balderston and, though it hews fairly faithfully to Bram Stoker’s original novel, it does set the story in what was then the modern era, including electric lights, telephones, and automobiles. Producer Carl Laemmle, Jr. borrowed elements of the earlier (and unauthorized) “Nosferatu,” directed by F.W. Murnau. These include Dracula finding himself enticed by blood when Renfield pricks his finger, only to be repulsed by the sight of a crucifix. The film also includes the line, “I never drink… wine,” which was original to the film and later appeared in the sequel, “Dracula’s Daughter.”Next on this set is “Dracula’s Daughter” from 1936, directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Gloria Holden as Countess Marya Zaleska, Dracula’s daughter. The film begins immediately after the previous film, with a policeman arresting Professor Von Helsing (Edward Van Sloan, reprising his role from the first film) for murdering Dracula. When Von Helsing attempts to explain, the police commit him to a lunatic asylum instead. The Countess believes that, in destroying Dracula’s body, she will be free of her vampirism. When this fails, she tries modern psychiatry, only for it to fail again. In her failure, she tries to bind the psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffrey Garth, to her by kidnapping his beloved and fleeing to Transylvania. Though the filmmakers claimed the story was based on Bram Stoker’s short story, “Dracula’s Guest” (possibly a deleted first chapter of the later novel), the movie itself has no resemblance to that story. Though much of the horror elements fail to hold up today, what likely shocked audiences the most was the fairly over portrayal of lesbianism in 1936. It’s this subversion of gendered expectations of the 1930s (and the Production Code Administration) that makes “Dracula’s Daughter” particularly noteworthy today.“Son of Dracula” (1943, directed by Robert Siodmak) stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as Count Alucard as Dracula’s son, who arrives in the United States to visit a plantation. The film, like other Dracula stories, begins with the usual unknown illnesses plaguing the area. Also like other Dracula stories, the plot involves the count intruding on the romance of a young woman and a young man, in this case the plantation owner’s daughter, Katherine (Louise Allbritton), and her boyfriend, Frank Stanley (Robert Paige). A nice reference to Stoker’s work occurs when Dr. Brewser (Frank Craven) reads the novel in one scene which, coupled with his realization that Alucard is “Dracula” spelled backwards, leads him to suspect vampirism. The film also dates the original Count Dracula as having been destroyed in the 19th century, when the novel was set, despite the original film taking place when it was produced. At one point, Katherine tells Frank that Alucard “is Dracula,” so there remains some confusion. The most notable feature of this film is that it’s the first time Dracula transforms into a bat on-screen. Overall, less subversive than its predecessor, but fun in its own way.Both “House of Frankenstein” (1943, directed by Erle C. Kenton) and “House of Dracula” (1945, also directed by Kenton) star John Carradine as Dracula. The plots of the two films primarily serve to put the various Universal monsters together, with the first involving mad scientists, curses, and cures and the second beginning when Dracula and the Wolfman seek cures for their monstrous states. Though neither stars Bela Lugosi, the first includes Boris Karloff as the mad scientists Dr. Gustav Niemann and Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man. Glenn Strange portrays Frankenstein’s monster, rounding out the monster cast on the poster. The sequel also has Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man, though Glenn Strange plays Frankenstein’s Monster and Onslow Stevens plays a different mad scientist, Dr. Franz Edlemann. In the supporting cast, both films include Lionel Atwill as Inspector Arnz. These films begin to involve more humor than horror and primarily served to emphasize box office appeal over continuity. That said, they’re fun in their own way.The final film in this set, “Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948, directed by Charles Barton), sees Bela Lugosi reprise his role as Count Dracula alongside Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man and Glenn Strange as Frankenstein’s monster. Vincent Price makes an uncredited cameo as the voice of the Invisible Man. The film sees Abbott and Costello receive crates containing Dracula’s remains and the Frankenstein monster at a wax museum. Lawrence Talbot tries to warn him, but a rising full moon transforms him into the Wolf Man before he can finish. The monsters escape, leading Abbott and Costello to be suspected of theft. As a comedy, the film focuses on Abbott and Costello getting up to their classic antics while various classic horror stock types try to handle the situation of monsters on the loose. The film was enough of a success that Universal repeated the “Abbott and Costello Meet…” formula for four sequels. While Legosi had played other vampires or caped figures in horror films, this is only the second time he ever officially played Dracula. This is also the final time Dracula appeared in the Universal Classic Monster cycle.Also included on this set is the 1931 Spanish language version of “Dracula” starring Carlos Villarías as the Count. The film, shot at night on the same sets as the Universal film but using a different cast and crew, includes scenes the American film could not due to American film censorship policies. Though less familiar than the Bela Lugosi version of the same year, it’s a must-watch for fans of vampire films and the Count. This set does not include later Universal Dracula films, like the 1979 “Dracula” starring Frank Langella and based on the same play that served as the basis of the 1931 film. Naturally, it also leaves out Universal’s 2014 attempt to reboot their Dracula franchise, “Dracula Untold,” starring Luke Evans in the titular role. While there have been many other screen appearances of Dracula, including the Hammer Horror Films that began their Dracula franchise in 1958, this is the best way to get the original, classic Dracula films that continue to influence the character’s appearance in American cinema.

Horror flick
I love them. Excellent condition

A classic
A great movie from the past.

Very good quality and all that hisss and crackles have been removed.Worth the upgrade from dvd if you like old films?,But they’re dated now.

Der Dracula Film von 1931 ist großartig, und alleine dafür lohnt sich diese DVD. Die Doku zur Entstehung des Films und das Bonusmaterial über Hauptdarsteller Bela Lugosi und die Geschichte der “Universal” Horrofilme sind wunderbare Extras. Auch Dracula’s Daughter ist ein guter Film dank stimmiger Kameraführung und einer faszinierenden Gloria Holden. Alle anderen Filme auf der DVD sind wirklich zu vernachlässigen, aber dennoch ist das Produkt sein Geld Wert.

The remastering it’s truly beautiful… I’m really impressed by the quality of the picture. If you are into classic horror this is a obligatory purchase