The British Film Institute marks the 50th anniversary of Hammer Horror by re-releasing a new restoration of the studio’s most celebrated film, Terence Fisher’s classic Dracula, starring Christopher Lee in his first ever outing as the vampire Count.
The film’s international success established Lee as the new superstar of British horror and Hammer as the horror studio par excellence. The story, only loosely adhering to Bram Stoker’s plot, has vampire hunter Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) going in search of Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), who has infiltrated Dracula’s castle in order to destroy him but has instead fallen victim to the devilish villain’s curse. This was the first Dracula to be filmed in colour and Jack Asher’s lush cinematography makes the most of Dracula’s bloodshot eyes and fangs dripping with blood. Suave, debonair and an accomplished seducer, Lee’s Dracula is less a stylised monster than a nineteenth century James Bond.