Episode 126: Birth of the Vampire

Vampires! These undead fiends have been a part of folklore for centuries, but they were born on the silver screen back in the age of the silent movie. In this episode, as an early Halloween treat, we explore three films based on the greatest vampire of them all: Dracula! The evil Count from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel was brought to life in a trio of films spanning from 1922 to 1931 that continue to enthrall viewers.

Bob will introduce us to Nosferatu, a silent film made in Germany and released in 1922. This adaptation did not have legal rights to Dracula and had to rename its characters, with Dracula getting a name change to "Count Orlok." This vampire is not at all an attractive gentleman but rather a pointy-eared, bald, and fanged freak. Nosferatu has generated some classic imagery, so even if you've never seen it, you've probably seen pictures from it.

We move on to the classic Dracula from 1931, with the legendary Bela Lugosi. This is the film most folks think of as "the original" Dracula. Certainly Lugosi put his stamp on the character (although you can definitely make an argument for Christopher Lee). Whenever you see a stereotypical portrayal of Dracula, it tends to be based on Lugosi. This version has wonderful atmosphere. Lugosi is what really sells it though; his Dracula is both charming and menacing. There's nothing sympathetic about this Universal monster though!

Our third and final Dracula is one that is seldom mentioned, except by true monster kids - it's the Spanish version of Universal's Dracula, filmed at the same time as the Lugosi version, but featuring a different cast, and made by a different crew. At that time, studios sometimes made Spanish-language versions of films to capitalize on foreign markets. This particular film was mostly a legend, until it was released in DVD and Blu Ray editions in recent years. Some viewers have stated an appreciation for this film, and even declare it better than the Lugosi film; you'll have to be the judge of that. Your Planet 8 crew has an opinion and we share it!

Moving on to our Sensor Sweep, we talk a little about what we're watching (Ahsoka!) and share a few goodies we recently bought, or may have just been looking at again. Bob has a new book called A Ring of Fear by Norman England, which collects his Fangoria articles on Japanese horror films. Karen shares a book she used to research this episode, Universal Horrors, by Tom Weaver and Michael and John Brunas. It's a great dive into the classic Universal horror films. Larry got a subscription to Scary Monsters magazine from his friend Dennis Brown! What a good friend. Larry also shared his Super 7 super soapies featuring the Universal Monsters.

We hope you enjoyed this look at early Dracula films, and maybe you're thirsty for more?? Good, because our Halloween episode will continue our look at vampires with more modern films!

Episode 126: Birth of the Vampire

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