Statuesque. Imperious. Cultured. Sophisticated. Seductive. Hypnotizing. Well-traveled. Immortal. Deadly. These are the characteristics that come to mind when you hear the nameDracula, the most infamous vampire in literature and the entertainment industry.
WhileDracula: Prince of Darkness(1966),Bram Stoker’s Dracula(1992), andDracula: Untold(2014) are undisputedly some of thebest films featuring this fascinating, black-caped character, there were other releases that were generally overlooked, dismissed, and forgotten. Their premises were intriguing enough, though, petting the dramatic count against a Wild West outlaw, a communist government, an ambitious Southern belle, a mere seamstress, Chinese kung-fu warriors, and even his own morally tortured son.
These are the Dracula movies you’ve hardly ever heard of and the reasons why they didn’t fare as well as the classics.
10Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966)
Directed by William Beaudine,Billy the Kid Versus Draculais a Western horror film that was released in 1966 as a double feature withJesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter. It stars Chuck Courtney as William “Billy the Kid” Bonney, John Carradine as Count Dracula/James Underhill, and Melinda Plowman as Elizabeth “Betty” Bentley. The plot centers on Dracula’s attempt to convert Betty, a ranch owner and Billy’s fiancée, into his vampire bride. He travels to the American West and poses as her uncle in order to win her trust, and then holds her captive at an abandoned mine. When Billy’s shooting skills turn out to be useless, a silver scalpel may be the only weapon against the vampire.
According to assistant director Howard Koch, filming wrapped in only five days, and over 10 minutes were cut from the final edit right before release, which certainly didn’t benefit the outcome. Carradine, who would later state in many interviews that this was his least favorite role, frequently left the set in his Dracula attire to take a break at a Melrose Avenue bar.Stream on Plex.
9Blood of Dracula’s Castle (1969)
Blood of Dracula’s Castleis directed by Al Adamson and features Alexander D’Arcy as Count Dracula/Charles Townsend; Paula Raymond as Countess Dracula; Robert Dix as their friend Johnny, a werewolf; and John Carradine as George, their butler. Set in a castle in Arizona, the plot centers on a vampire couple who kidnap young women and keep them locked in the dungeon to quench their thirst for blood and occasionally sacrifice one to their deity.
The film might have fared better if Jayne Mansfield, who had been cast as the countess, were able to star in it; sadly, she was killed in a car accident right before production began. As for the werewolf subplot, it seems to have been randomly inserted for good measure; not to mention that the theatrical release featured fewer scenes about him than the television version. Still, the film did generate a cult following, but, unfortunately, the DVD prints suffer from many emulsion scratches, thus affecting viewing quality.Stream on Plex.
8Count Dracula’s Great Love (1973)
Count Dracula’s Great Loveis a Spanish film helmed by Javier Aguirre and starring Paul Naschy as Dracula/Dr. Wendell Marlowe, Rosanna Yanni as Senta, Haydée Politoff as Karen, and Ingrid Garbo as Marlene. Five stranded passengers find refuge in a former sanatorium. Unfortunately for them, their host, Dr. Marlowe, turns out to be Dracula, hellbent on finding a virgin woman for his blood ritual to resurrect his daughter.
Related:The 10 Best Dracula Adaptations, According to Rotten Tomatoes
There are various truncated versions of this film, resulting in confusing plot holes for first-time viewers. Production was quite problematic, anyway. Naschy and Politoff reportedly didn’t get along, and the latter was injured in a car accident, which delayed shooting and resulted in Naschy leaving to film scenes forThe Hunchback of the Morgue. Not to mention that some of the special effects had a toxic chemical element that made the actors sick or queasy.Stream on Roku.
7Dracula and Son (1976)
Written and directed by Édouard Molinaro,Dracula and Sonis a French comedy horror flick starring the incomparableSir Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, now living in London and working as a movie actor; Bernard Ménez as Ferdinand, his reluctant son who runs off to Paris; and Marie-Hélène Breillat as Nicole, the Parisian woman who becomes the object of their desire.
The idea of a vampire as formidable and infamous as Dracula having a shy and good-natured offspring is certainly intriguing, but the extensively cut American version hurt the outcome; not to mention that the distributor replaced some of the original satirical jokes with badly-written gags.Stream on Tubi.
6Love at First Bite (1979)
Directed by Stan Dragoti,Love at First Biteis a comedy horror featuring characters from the original Bram Stoker novel. After Count Vladimir Dracula (George Hamilton) is expelled from Communist Romania, he moves to New York City with hisbug-eating valet, Renfield(Arte Johnson). There, he tries to win the affection of fashion model Cindy Sondheim (Susan Saint James), believing her to be the reincarnation of his beloved Mina. As it turns out, she is already seeing Jeffrey (Richard Benjamin), the grandson of Dracula’s enemy, Fritz Van Helsing.
The film grossed $44 million and earned Hamilton a Saturn Award for Best Actor, but it divided the critics, who described it as a “Delightful little movie with a bang-up cast and no pretensions,” but also a “Hodgepodge of flat one-liners and graceless slapstick.”Stream on Roku.
5The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)
Also known asThe 7 Brothers Meet Dracula,The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampiresis amartial arts horror moviedirected by Roy Ward Baker and featuring Peter Cushing as Professor Lawrence Van Helsing, John Forbes-Robertson as Count Dracula, Julie Ege as Vanessa Buren, David Chiang as Hsi Ching/Hsi Tien-en, and Shih Szu as Mai Kwei. The plot follows Van Helsing who, while in China for a lecture, sets out to help kung-fu practitioners save their village from a group of vampires and their minions.
Related:20 Actors Who Haven’t Played Dracula Yet, but Should
Per IMDB, compared to the 89-minute British release, the U.S. version runs for 75 minutes, focuses extensively on exploitation elements, and features scenes re-edited and re-positioned in an incoherent manner. Reviews on the page range from “James Bernard’s musical score is rousing and eerie” and “A fun, gory time,” to “Boring dialogue,” “A chaotic mess,” and “Hardly classic Hammer.”Stream on Plex.
4Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary (2002)
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diaryis a silent Canadian film directed by Guy Maddin and featuring a dance adaptation of Stoker’s novel performedby the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. It stars Zhang Wei-Qiang as Dracula, Tara Birtwhistle as Lucy Westenra, David Moroni as Dr. Van Helsing, CindyMarie Small as Mina, and Brent Neale as Renfield. Because of its limited theatrical release, the film didn’t garner much public attention but was critically acclaimed, earning several awards and nominations at seven Canadian and European movie festivals. It’s one of the most formally interesting Dracula movies out there and deserves a lot more love.Stream on Tubi.
3The Return of Dracula (1958)
Helmed by Paul Landres,The Return of Draculaa.k.a.Curse of Draculaa.k.a.The Fantastic Disappearing Manfeatures Francis Lederer as Bellac Gordal/Count Dracula, Norma Eberhardt as Rachel Mayberry, Ray Stricklyn as Tim Hansen, and Virginia Vincent as Jennie Blake. The plot follows the titular lead on the run from a persistent investigator. He then murders a Czech artist, assumes his identity, and travels to the U.S. to stay with his unsuspecting relatives, the Mayberrys.Set in modern suburbia, the film was received with lukewarm reviews, and its theatrical release was eclipsed when Hammer’sHorror of Dracula, starring Peter Cushing as Van Helsing and Christopher Lee as Dracula, became all the rage in both the U.S. and the UK.Stream on Roku.
2Son of Dracula (1943)
Directed by Robert Siodmak,Son of Draculastars Lon Chaney Jr. as Count Alucard/Dracula; Louise Allbritton as Katherine Caldwell, a New Orleans plantation belle who is so obsessed with the occult and with immortality that she agrees to marry him; and Robert Paige as Frank Stanley, the latter’s former boyfriend who is desperately trying to save her. The film was thought to be acceptable and chilling enough at the time. However, WWII was raging, so its release was delayed in several countries. Still, ticket sales forSon of Draculawere 23% above average in 22 American cities, and it fared better thanThe Mummy’s Ghost.Stream on Plex.
1Dracula’s Death (1921/1923)
Dracula’s Deathis an Austrian-Hungarian silent film co-written and directed by Károly Lajthay that marks the very first appearance of the Count Dracula character from Stoker’s novel. The plot, however, is widely different: Mary (Margit Lux) is an engaged seamstress who, upon visiting her dying father in the asylum, stumbles upon an inmate (Paul Askonas) who claims to be the immortal Dracula and who later escapes and kidnaps her. Some sources report that the film premiered in 1921 in Vienna, while others insist it was in Hungary two years later. Either way, the prints are now considered lost, and the plot details survived in a short novella written by Lajos Pánczél.Unavailable to stream.
