Dracula: The Universal and Hammer Spectacular!

The Hammer Dracula Era

Now this is tricky. Because, you see, I really love Universal Monster movies. But I really love Hammer Horror films! But especially Universal! But especially Hammer!

Ugh! It’s a glorious conundrum. There are things in both studios that capture me. Hammer brings us gothic exteriors, amped up sexuality, and lots of blood! In comparison to Universal, Hammer pours out bucketfulls of blood! However, I love Hammer because it’s not all about the blood or bodies. They only accentuate the amazing stories told in each Hammer monster movie.

More from 1428 Elm

• Shudder Original Terrified: Poltergeist or Dimensional Beings?
• Godzilla Minus One makes the King of the Monsters terrifying again
• A Creature Was Stirring scares up yuletide frights
• Unwrapping the Unhappy Holidays collection on Shudder
• Holiday Horror viewing guide: 20+ movies to stream this Christmas

Hammer’s real knock-out success was interestingly also Christopher Lee’s smash hit too. Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars Episodes II-III, Hobbit trilogy) originally played Frankenstein’s monster in The Curse of Frankenstein. Remaking Frankenstein was a big gamble, but Hammer did it masterfully.  It only made since to then remake the other gothic monster story – Dracula.

After his success in Frankenstein,  Christopher Lee immediately became Count Dracula for a new generation with Horror of Dracula (1958). The studio made a very smart decision by not simply retelling the already established story of Dracula, but chose to change things up a bit.

In this movie we see young Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) enter Dracula’s mysterious castle, and right away we expect the same-old-same-old stuff we’re familiar with. That’s when the movie sucker punches us right in the face. This time around Jonathan is a vampire hunter sent by Van Helsing to kill Dracula. (Nice!)

As you’d expect Dracula proves to be more than he’s ready to handle. Dracula’s ire is then set against all whom Jonathan loves.

image via blumhouse

In one of the most dynamic roles in his whole career, Peter Cushing (Star Wars: A New Hope, Frankenstein series Hammer Studios) plays Van Helsing and it’s nothing like we’ve seen before. Cushing reprises the legendary role in further sequels and never is it a dull moment. We get a thrilling sense of good vs evil between Professor Van Helsing and his immortal enemy Count Dracula.

In one film Helsing is bitten on the neck. So does he give up? Heck no! Cushing’s Helsing is too awesome to give up. He takes red hot poker that’s shaped like a cross and brands his neck – right on the bite! Take that, Dracula! In another film Van Helsing chases Dracula down in an epic fight to the death. Dracula locks his fingers around Helsing’s neck. He breaks free then runs down the length a dining table, leaps in the air and tears down an elaborate curtain. The light of Day catches Dracula unaware and the Dark Prince turns to ashes. Van Helsing is a superhero in these movies.  The dynamics between these two actors alone is enough to keep us  glued to the screen.

Also, Christophe Lee’s Dracula gets mad – like really mad!  And that’s when there’s Hell to pay. When a lady vampire tries to bite Jonathan’s neck, Dracula rushes into the room, leaps over a table and throws the woman to the ground, hissing like a beast the entire time. There’s always murder in his red eyes as well.  Oh, and think a wooden stake is enough to kill him? He’ll pull it right out and use it against you. I love Hammer’s Dracula movies!

There are seven movies in the Christopher Lee saga:

Horror of Dracula

Dracula: Prince of Darkness

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave

Taste the Blood of Dracula

Scars of Dracula

Dracula A.D. 1972

The Satanic Rites of Dracula

Taste the Blood of Dracula is my favorite of them all. In this one four wealthy gentlemen – who have grown quite bored in life after exhausting all the lewdness and taboo pleasures it has to offer –  are talked into participating in the forbidden practice of demonic arts. With the combined artifacts of Dracula being brought together, the hellish ceremony is led by a devoted disciple of the deceased Lord of Darkness. They mix their blood with the red ashes of Dracula, and after the disciple drinks the lewd concoction, the Dark Prince is given new life.

I love it. Probably because I’m a big Castlevania fan, and of all the movies this one’s plot is so like one of the classic games.

So we’ve gone through the silent era and expanded way into Hammer era. Of the three roles we’ve explored, roles filled by three imperial gentlemen, not one of them copied the other and all three brought something fresh and new to the Vampire’s Lore. You can easily take a weekend and sit through Nosferatu, Universal’s Dracula,  and all seven of Hammer’s films and never once feel like you’re trapped in vain repetition. They manage to all tell the same story, but in a way that’s so extraordinary. They each prove Dracula never dies!

Next: Dracula: In the Shadow of the Nosferatu

We’re not done yet! It’s the 25^th anniversary of my all-time favorite movie! So This Dracula retrospective has all been leading up to that. There are four imperial Dracula actors, and so far we’ve covered three. Join me next time as we wade through the rivers of blood and revisit Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This has been Manic Exorcism, and I’ll be waiting for you at nightfall my friends.