Count Dracula

"Finally! The original version!"

1970 1h 38m DE

😐

5.9

MID

⭐

5.6

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 128★5.6IMDB · 4,680

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A faithful adaptation of the classic tale portrays Dracula as an old man who grows younger whenever he dines on the blood of young maidens.

“Finally! The original version!”

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Cast

Christopher Lee
Dracula
Klaus Kinski
Renfield
Herbert Lom
Van Helsing
Maria Rohm
Mina Harker
Soledad Miranda
Lucy Westenra
Fred Williams
Jonathan Harker
Paul Müller
Dr. John Seward
Jack Taylor
Quincey Morris

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jesús Franco
Writers: Augusto Finocchi, Erich Kröhnke, Jesús Franco
Languages: German, English
Countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Dracula & Frankenstein (Jesús Franco Collection)" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jesús Franco, shot by Manuel Merino. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bruno Nicolai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bruno Mattei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Christopher Lee and Klaus Kinski and Herbert Lom carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jesús Franco directs. Manuel Merino behind the camera. Bruno Nicolai scores. Bruno Mattei cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

156 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
3International production across 4 countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom.
4Part of the "Dracula & Frankenstein (Jesús Franco Collection)" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Jesús Franco, shot by Manuel Merino. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Bruno Nicolai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Bruno Mattei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Christopher Lee and Klaus Kinski and Herbert Lom carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Finally! The original version!".
10IMDB entry: tt0065569 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Manuel Merino
Original score: Bruno Nicolai
Editing: Bruno Mattei
Production design: Karl Schneider
Makeup / hair: Adela del Pino
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: DE
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Count Dracula (1970)
IMDB rating: 5.6/10 · 4,680 votes
MPAA: PG

Part of

Dracula & Frankenstein (Jesús Franco Collection)

Also by

Jesús Franco

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-06-07
★ 4/10
Not as good as the Hammer Dracula films Jonathan Harker (Fred Williams) travels to Transylvania to meet his client, Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), at his ominous castle. The horrific situation switches to London after Dracula acquires property there. The cast also includes Herbert Lom (Van Helsing), Klaus Kinski (Renfield), Maria Rohm (Mina) and Soledad Miranda (Lucy). “Count Dracula” (1970) is yet another retelling of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, this time with quickie Euro-filmmaker Jesús Franco at the helm. It starts as an interesting new take on the done-to-death story, but it lacks the lush colors of the Hammer series and the film starts to drag with dubious direction & camera work with too many zooms. A curious scene where taxidermied animals threaten the protagonists doesn’t help. Then there’s the sequence in the final act where Van Helsing & Harker push Styrofoam boulders over a castle wall to murder Drac’s helpers. Meanwhile Kinski is wasted in one-dimensional role. Yet the cast is great, as well as the authentic Euro locations with real-life castles and such. Plus the score by Bruno Nicolai is effective. Lee played Dracula ten times all-together. Seven times in the Hammer series, as follows: “Horror of Dracula” (1958); “Dracula: Prince of Darkness” (1966); “Dracula Has Risen from the Grave” (1968); “Taste the Blood of Dracula” (1969); “Scars of Dracula” (1970); “Dracula AD 1972” (1972) and “The Satanic Rites of Dracula” (1973). This movie is the only other time he seriously played the role while he also appeared as the Count in two comedies: uncredited in “One More Time” (1970) and in the title role of “Dracula and Son” (1976). The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes and was shot in Spain, Italy and Germany. GRADE: C/C-

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