Universal Pictures released Dracula on 14 December 1931.

I think of Dracula as the first of the Universal horror films. But it isn’t. It isn’t even close. Lon Cheney was making Universal horror iconic during the silent era! But it was definitely the first of what we think of as the Universal monster movies. It is iconic.

But I’ll admit something. I’m not a huge fan of Dracula. And it isn’t just that I’m not a big fan of vampire films. I prefer the Spanish-language Drácula. And you can trust me! It’s way longer than the English-language version. And if you know anything about me, it’s that I think films are usually too long. And the Spanish-language film is 70 percent longer!

But it was a huge hit. And it justified later big-budget horror films. And for that reason, I love the film.

Then there is Bela Lugosi. Most people only think of Dracula when he comes up. I don’t. I tend to like his later films. When I was younger, I made the mistake of reading Robert Cremer’s Béla Lugosi: The Man Behind the Cape. And I came away thinking that the man was much too full of himself in those early years. He needed a fall. And his work got better — even if the films didn’t!

I do think it is a shame that Universal didn’t produce a series of films like Hammer. Not that Legosi would have starred in them. Universal lost interest in him immediately. And as I’ve noted, he was largely to blame. But it wasn’t like Universal treated Boris Karloff well either!

Having said all that, I fear that not enough people have seen Dracula. And it is important to do so. You really can’t understand modern horror without understanding this film. The film stays pretty close to the novel. And most Dracula films since are pretty close.

So let’s watch it! But if you’ve already seen it, I recommend watching the Spanish-language version. I think you will like it!

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Dracula (1931) poster via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.