# Dracula (Hammer film series)

Dracula is a British horror film series produced by Hammer Film Productions. The films are centered on Count Dracula, bringing with him a plague of vampirism, and the ensuing efforts of the heroic Van Helsing family to stop him. The original series of films consisted of nine installments, which starred iconic horror actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as Count Dracula and Doctor Van Helsing, respectively. The series is part of the larger Hammer horror oeuvre.

## List of films

* Dracula (1958) Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) begets the ire of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) after he accepts a job at the vampire's castle under false pretenses, forcing his colleague Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) to destroy the predatory villain when he targets Harker's loved ones.
* The Brides of Dracula (1960) Following the death of Count Dracula, the film continues the adventures of Dr. Van Helsing as he faces a different set of vampires, Baron (David Peel) and Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) of Transylvania.
* Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) The Kents (Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer and Charles Tingwell), after arriving at a tiny hamlet in the Carpathian Mountains, are diverted to the former castle of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), where his former manservant Klove (Philip Latham) seeks to use their blood to allow his master to rise from the grave once more.
* Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) While trying to exorcise Castle Dracula, the Monsignor (Rupert Davies) inadvertently brings Count Dracula back from the dead. Once awakened, Dracula follows the Monsignor back to his hometown, preying on the holy man's beautiful niece Maria (Veronica Carlson) and her friend (Barry Andrews).
* Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) After three distinguished English gentlemen (Geoffrey Keen, Peter Sallis and John Carson) accidentally resurrect Count Dracula, unknowingly killing a disciple of his (Ralph Bates) in the process, the Count seeks to avenge his dead servant by making the trio die at the hands of their own children.
* Scars of Dracula (1970) After a huge vampire bat drops blood on his ashes, Dracula rises again to trouble Simon (Dennis Waterman) and Sarah (Jenny Hanley), a couple on a lookout for Paul (Christopher Matthews), who had mysteriously disappeared a while back.
* Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) After Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) despatches Dracula to his grave in 1872, the Dark Lord is raised by Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame) 100 years later in modern London. Dracula preys on a group of young partygoers that includes the descendant of his nemesis, Jessica Van Helsing (Stephanie Beacham).
* The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) After one of their agents is brutally murdered by a Satanic cult that includes high-ranking members of the government, the British Secret Service ask a Special Branch inspector (Michael Coles) for assistance. The inspector reunites with Lorrimer (Peter Cushing) and Jessica Van Helsing (Joanna Lumley) to unmask the cult’s mysterious leader and his plot involving a new strain of bubonic plague.
* The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) Professor Van Helsing and his son (Robin Stewart) are hired later in 1904 after giving a lecture at a Chinese university to take on a group of seven sword-wielding vampires wearing gold masks, resurrected by Count Dracula (John Forbes-Robertson and David de Keyser).

## Reception

| Film | Rotten Tomatoes |
| Dracula | 89% (44 reviews) |
| The Brides of Dracula | 79% (19 reviews) |
| Dracula: Prince of Darkness | 81% (21 reviews) |
| Dracula Has Risen from the Grave | 81% (16 reviews) |
| Taste the Blood of Dracula | 54% (13 reviews) |
| Scars of Dracula | 50% (8 reviews) |
| Dracula A.D. 1972 | 20% (10 reviews) |
| The Satanic Rites of Dracula | 33% (6 reviews) |
| The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires | 50% (6 reviews) |

## Cast and characters

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the series.
* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
* $^A$ indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
* $^U$ indicates an uncredited appearance.
* $^V$ indicates a voice-only role.
* $^Y$ indicates a younger version of the character.
* $^H$ indicates an appearance as a host of another character.
| Character | Dracula | The Brides of Dracula | Dracula: Prince of Darkness | Dracula Has Risen from the Grave | Taste the Blood of Dracula | Scars of Dracula | Dracula A.D. 1972 | The Satanic Rites of Dracula | The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires |
| Character | 1958 | 1960 | 1966 | 1968 | 1970 | 1970 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 |
| Count Dracula | Christopher Lee | | Christopher Lee | Christopher Lee | Christopher Lee | Christopher Lee | Christopher Lee | Christopher Lee | John Forbes-RobertsonDavid de KeyserChan Shen |
| Dr. Lawrence Van HelsingDr. Lorrimer Van Helsing | Peter Cushing | Peter Cushing | Peter Cushing | | | | Peter Cushing | Peter Cushing | Peter Cushing |
| The Landlord | George Woodbridge | Norman Pierce | George Woodbridge | George A. Cooper | | Michael Ripper | | | |
| Mina Harker | Melissa Stribling | | | | | | | | |
| Lucy Westenra | Carol Marsh | | | | | | | | |
| Jonathan Harker | John Van Eyssen | | | | | | | | |
| Dr. John "Jack" Seward | Charles Lloyd-Pack | | | | | | | | |
| Tania | Janina Faye | | | | | Anouska Hempel | | | |
| Arthur Holmwood | Michael Gough | | | | | | | | |
| Vampire Woman | Valerie Gaunt | | | | | | | | |
| The Priest | | Fred Johnson | Philip Ray | Ewan Hooper | Reginald Barratt | Michael Gwynn | | | |
| Klove | | | Philip Latham | | | Patrick Troughton | | | |
| Paul Paxton Carlson | | | | Barry Andrews | Anthony Corlan | Christopher Matthews | | | |
| Alice Hargood | | | | | Linda Hayden | Delia Lindsay | | | |
| Jessica Van Helsing | | | | | | | Stephanie Beacham | Joanna Lumley | |

## Crew

| Crew/detail | Dracula | The Brides of Dracula | Dracula: Prince of Darkness | Dracula Has Risen from the Grave | Taste the Blood of Dracula | Scars of Dracula | Dracula A.D. 1972 | The Satanic Rites of Dracula | The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires |
| Crew/detail | 1958 | 1960 | 1966 | 1968 | 1970 | 1970 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 |
| Director(s) | Terence Fisher | Terence Fisher | Terence Fisher | Freddie Francis | Peter Sasdy | Roy Ward Baker | Alan Gibson | Alan Gibson | Roy Ward BakerChang Cheh |
| Producer(s) | Anthony Hinds | Anthony Hinds | Anthony Nelson Keys | Aida Young | Aida Young | Aida Young | Michael CarrerasJosephine Douglas | Roy Skeggs | Don HoughtonVee King Shaw |
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Sangster | Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bryan & Edward PercyAnthony Hinds (uncredited) | Screenplay: Jimmy Sangster (as John Sansom)Story: Anthony Hinds (as John Elder) | Anthony Hinds | Anthony Hinds (as John Elder) | Anthony Hinds | Don Houghton | Don Houghton | Don Houghton |
| Composer(s) | James Bernard | Malcolm Williamson | James Bernard | James Bernard | James Bernard | James Bernard | Mike Vickers | John Cacavas | James Bernard |
| Editor(s) | Bill Lenny | Alfred Cox | Chris Barnes | Spencer Reeve | Chris Barnes | James Needs | James Needs | Chris Barnes | Chris Barnes |
| Cinematographer | Jack Asher | Jack Asher | Michael Reed | Arthur Grant | Arthur Grant | Moray Grant | Dick Bush | Brian Probyn | John WilcoxRoy Ford |
| Production companies | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film Productions | Hammer Film ProductionsShaw Brothers Studio |
| Distributor(s) | Rank Film Distributors (UK) | Rank Film Distributors (UK) | Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) | Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) | Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) | MGM-EMI Distributors (UK) | Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK) | Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK) | Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK) |
| Distributor(s) | Universal International (US & Worldwide) | Universal International (US & Worldwide) | 20th Century Fox (US & Worldwide) | Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (US & Worldwide) | Warner Bros. Pictures (US & Worldwide) | Continental Films (US) | Warner Bros. Pictures (US & Worldwide) | Dynamite Entertainment (US)Warner Bros. Pictures (Worldwide) | Shaw Brothers Studio (Hong Kong)Dynamite Entertainment (US)Warner Bros. Pictures (Worldwide) |
| Runtime | 82 minutes | 85 minutes | 90 minutes | 92 minutes | 91 minutes (cut, US)95 minutes (uncut, UK) | 91 minutes | 96 minutes | 87 minutes | 83 minutes |
| Release date | May 7, 1958 | July 7, 1960 | January 9, 1966 | November 7, 1968 | May 7, 1970 | November 8, 1970 | September 28, 1972 | November 3, 1973 | July 11, 1974 |

## Legacy

As Count Dracula, Lee fixed the image of the fanged vampire in popular culture. Christopher Frayling writes, "Dracula introduced fangs, red contact lenses, décolletage, ready-prepared wooden stakes and—in the celebrated credits sequence—blood being spattered from off-screen over the Count's coffin." Lee also introduced a dark, brooding sexuality to the character, with Tim Stanley stating, "Lee's sensuality was subversive in that it hinted that women might quite like having their neck chewed on by a stud".
Upon publishing extracts of their screenplay for Anno Dracula in an updated version of the first book in the series, author Kim Newman revealed the film would use the likeness of Peter Cushing to represent the severed head of the deceased Van Helsing, establishing elements of the Hammer Productions Dracula film series as the backdrop for the film adaptation's events, specifically an imagined alternate ending to the 1958 Dracula film. The fourth book in the series, subtitled Johnny Alucard, follows the character of the same name originally introduced in Dracula A.D. 1972.
In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw Dracula ranked the 65th-best British film ever. Empire magazine ranked Lee's portrayal as Count Dracula the 7th-greatest horror movie character of all time.