Dracula (1931)

Director:  Tod Browning
Cast:  Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye, Edward van Sloan, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Herbert Bunston, Frances Dade

(Before I begin, I must post a disclaimer:  12-year-old girls and my 28-year-old sister and 57-year-old mom may find this review offensive.)

All right, now we're talking!  (no offense, Jack, but classic horror is pretty super-ooper!)

Dracula is based on the novel by Bram Stoker, written in 1897.  We all know what it's about, so I'm not going to waste my time telling you.  If you've been living under a rock your whole life, too bad.  This is one of the most classic horror stories of all time (funny, because when the novel was first published, many considered it a psychological thriller).

I'll point out the negatives first and save the best thing about this film for last.

The two biggest negatives about this film besides Helen Chandler's (Mina Harker) incredibly annoying voice and David Manners' (Jonathan "John" Harker) incredibly stale acting, is the fact that Browning establishes a type of backstory.  In the novel, it's Harker who makes the journey to Dracula's (Bela Lugosi) castle, not Renfield (Dwight Frye in the film).  I understand what Browning was trying to do, but the English major in me says, "No, this is not right."  I suppose what makes classic horror films so terrific and fun to watch is the inaccuracies.  Of course, the accuracies make them even better, as in F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922 - review coming soon).

Another less important negative is that Browning leaves out Quincy and Arthur and the whole love story between Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston) and Lucy (Frances Dade).  There is one scene where Lucy accompanies Seward to the theater with John and Mina, however, nothing happens.  It isn't as important because the owner of a insane asylum should not be wasting time with women when you've got a deranged schizo like Renfield around.

Speaking of Renfield, the moment you've all been waiting for...I reveal the best part of the movie!

I believe this part of the film, beginning at 5:16, explains it all perfectly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWk8SzooWBo&feature=related

Despite his untimely death in 1943 and the fact that the complete idiots who run Hollywood nowadays seem to have forgotten him, Dwight Frye made a lasting impression on all horror films, not just at Universal, where he did most of his work.  He was well known for playing stark-raving mad lunatics, and playing them incredibly well.  After his role in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931 - review coming soon), he was sadly typecast for the rest of his career, despite his burning desire to play comedy again, as he did on Broadway.  His role as Renfield in Dracula is probably his best performance (probably because everyone else except for Edward van Sloan and Lugosi does a terrible job of acting).  His performance is so good that even the first twenty minutes of the film where he is sane look like he's crazy.  In fact, his interaction with the villager who warns him and insists he stays made me think a little bit of the type of character that Don Knotts used to play ("W-w-well, that's all superstition!").  And who can forget that blood-curdling laugh of his?  It really does sound like a mad scientist's laugh.  It's another ingredient in the recipe that makes this film a success.  It's haunting.  It's chilling.  It's Dwight Frye. 

It still sends a chill down my spine, even after seeing this movie for the billionth time.  However, it doesn't come nearly as close to when we first meet Renfield after he has been bitten.  After a few scenes starring the aforementioned incredibly boring people (except Lugosi, of course), the scene cuts to a Cuckoo's Nest-ish shot of some loonies chillin' on the grounds of the sanitarium, when suddenly, we hear a blood-curdling scream.  The laugh and the scream are heard throughout the film and add to the stunning character that Dwight Frye brings to the table.  He was one of those actors that didn't need a script to make him a success (not to mention the man is fucking delicious).  

Frye's Renfield is what makes this film so special, and Lugosi's Dracula does NOT sparkle, and as a proud Twilight hater, I could not ask for anything better.  I give it 4 stars out of 5.  Brilliant film, but like I said, it is swimming with inaccuracies and it also seems too short.   There is little to no music in the film, and Swan Lake, the opening credit music, is not suitable for a horror film, albeit it is close.

The full movie is on YouTube in eight parts, so I will post the parts here:
Part 1 
Part 2
Part 3 (the laugh is in this part)
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6 
Part 7 (the most classic scene in vampire film history as Van Helsing wards off Dracula with a crucifix)
Part 8  (another scene where Dwight Frye's brilliance is at work)

Twilight fans, congratulations!  By reading this review, you've gained +10 Intelligence!