Defining Gothic Horror Films-The Actors that Made Dracula Famous
It is no secret that one of the most dynamic of all horror movie figures would have to be Dracula. The story and the history of the feared Count Dracula, stem from the mind of the Irish novelist Bram Stoker. It was in the year 1897 that Stoker released his vision of the Prince of Darkness. Dracula was believed to be immortal, furthermore he was said to be quite seductive and was able to lure women by his mere presence. Since the release of Stoker’s masterpiece, there have many movie and theater adaptations. All of the transfers from the novel to the theater and film have seen their relative share of success. It must be noted that not all of the concepts and ideas surrounding Dracula, are pure fiction. Believed to be set in Romania and with great detail, Dracula under his original name was Vlad The Impaler.
Vlad The Impaler was believed to be responsible for the deaths of between 20,000-40,000 European civilians, political rivals, criminals, and anyone else he considered useless to humanity. It is also believed that Vlad was responsible for the violent deaths of over 100,000 Turkish Muslims. Vlads trademark violence was to impale his victims on sharpened wooden stakes, hence his dubbed name Vlad the Impaler. It is a combination of fiction, where Dracula could shapeshift and drink blood for survival, and the folklore of this evil tyrant said to be a prince in Romainia. Never the less, Vlad or Dracula has carved a history of fear and story like enchantment for many years.
Considering the fact that this character has history on the silver screen and in theater, there obviously had to be the right person to portray this villain of the night. Many big name actors took on the role of this night walking moster. Some of these actors made this character memorable and some did not. Looking into the names that carried the lead role of Count Dracula, one big ticket name always seems to garner much attention. The name Bela Lugosi, seems to be synonymous with the silver screen version of Dracula. The performance that he did will forever be etched in the minds of those who saw the movie. Made in 1933, this movie had people in a fright, over the notion that there could possibly be this sort of monster roaming the earth. The movie that made Lugosi an instant star will forever be remembered as one of the all time great horror movies.
Another big name to grace the silver screen with the lead role of Dracula is Christopher Lee. There were actually a few movies that gave Lee the opportunity to be Count Dracula. Albeit the fact that Lee had a style and charisma all on his own, it was felt that he missed the charm and grace for the role the Lugosi put into it. Beginning in 1958, Lee did however manage to tackle the lead role of this seductive and elusive villain seven times. Many people however, may not remember many of the movies that Lee did in this role. For anyone who is interested in the history of this character, many of the video stores still carry a wide variety of these films. This will allow viewers to catch up on the whole Dracula scene, and give them the opportunity to compare actors as they showcase their talents.
Gary Oldman, is another wonderful actor that had the pleasure of playing the part of Count Dracula. Made in the year 1992, Bram Stoker’s Dracula tells the tale of this horror great, yet with a twist that involves a love affair and the reincarnation of Vlad’s lost love. This movie set between two different locations, Transylvania, and England, this movie tells the story of Vlad from the perspective of his sorrow. When it was believed by his lover that his life was taken during war, she eventually took her own life out of heartbreak, only for Vlad to return home, and find her. He vowed at that point to not serve God’s will, and made the black sacrifice of throwing his sword into the holy cross. By this, Vlad was imprisoned in hatred and evil. He did find however, a woman who he believed was the reincarnation of his love by the name of Mina Harker. Albeit the fact that this story was not in its entirety followed by way of the novel, it nonetheless was a wonderful story that became very popular amongst vampire fanatics.
