History Film / Dracula1931

''[Martin slowly backs away]''

->''"I am...Dracula."\\
"I bid you...welcome."\\

"[[IDoNotDrinkWine I never drink...wine.]]"''
-->-- Some of '''Dracula's''' quotable lines

Being bored with Transylvania, Count Dracula (Lugosi) decides to move to London for some fresh blood. After making the preliminary arrangements with the English solicitor Renfield (Creator/DwightFrye), Dracula makes him his thrall and travels to England by sea, killing the crew of his ship in the process. When he finally arrives in London, he turns Carfax Abbey (the property he bought with Renfield's help) into his base of operations. He then takes special interest in Mina Seward (Creator/HelenChandler), who lives at the neighboring sanitarium owned by her father, Dr. Seward (Creator/HerbertBunston), and is engaged to John Harker (Creator/DavidManners). As victims turn up and Mina begins to act strangely, Professor Van Helsing (Creator/EdwardVanSloan) comes to help...

* AdaptationalWimp: Harker. His role in the film is limited to Mina's LoveInterest and [[AgentScully the skeptic]] to Van Helsing's advice.
** Mina even more severely, reduced to a complete DistressedDamsel as opposed to the TeamMom she was in the original book, among other things.

* BadassCape: Dracula. His cape certainly looks badass when he's stretching his arms out right before getting to bloodsucking. Lugosi's badassery in his long cape is probably the TropeMaker.

** This film's Dracula is a largely emotionless, bloodthirsty [[HumanoidAbomination abomination]] that passes itself off as human, and there are plenty of cracks in that [[TheMasquerade masquerade]] that make him seem more than merely eccentric to ordinary people; for example, Castle Dracula looks as though it's been abandoned for centuries, with Renfield surprised that anyone actually ''lives'' there; Carfax Abbey is in a similar state of disrepair, and he bluntly informs his bewildered neighbors that he has no intention of fixing it up. He also doesn't seem to like (or be able to) keep up his facade of normalcy for long periods of time, and he will either leave, enslave, or kill you within minutes of any meeting. In addition, his idiosyncratic speech patterns make it seem like he hasn't used his mouth for speaking in a long, long time. He's less like a cursed man than some kind of malevolent, primitive, pre-programmed robot that doesn't fully understand how it should interact with human beings. Quite creepy indeed.

** Dracula is a largely emotionless bloodthirsty [[HumanoidAbomination abomination]] that passes itself off as human, and there are plenty of cracks in that [[TheMasquerade masquerade]] that make him seem more than merely eccentric to ordinary people; for example, Castle Dracula looks as though it's been abandoned for centuries, with Renfield surprised that anyone actually ''lives'' there; Carfax Abbey is in a similar state of disrepair, and he bluntly informs his bewildered neighbors that he has no intention of fixing it up. He also doesn't seem to like or be able to keep up his facade of normalcy for long periods of time, and he will leave, enslave, or kill you within minutes of any meeting. In addition, his idiosyncratic speech patterns make it seem like he hasn't used his mouth for speaking in a long, long time. He's less like a cursed man than some kind of malevolent, primitive, pre-programmed robot that doesn't fully understand how it should interact with human beings. Quite creepy indeed.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Apart from making the disgusting, murderous and old Dracula from the book into a sex symbol, the 60-year-old Renfield is played by the 31-year-old, [[StupidSexyFlanders stunningly handsome]] Creator/DwightFrye. (Admittedly, he's capable of some [[NightmareFace truly disturbing facial expressions]], but still.)
* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the novel Dr.Seward is one of Lucy Westenra's suitors. In the movie he is middle-aged man and the father of Mina.

The film was originally planned to be a high-budget adaptation of [[Literature/{{Dracula}} Bram Stoker's original novel]], but due to TheGreatDepression, it was instead adapted from [[Theatre/Dracula1924 a popular stage play of the time]] (written by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, and starring Lugosi in its Broadway production) on a fairly low budget. However, the producers did manage to collect enough money to film some of the early Transylvania scenes. Tod Browning, known for his silent-film collaborations with Creator/LonChaney (and his cult classic ''Film/{{Freaks}}'', released the following year), directed the film.

* TokenEvilTeammate: In crossovers with other Universal monsters, Dracula alone has no good intentions
whatsoever.

* TokenEvilTeammate: In crossovers with other Universal monsters, Dracula alone has no good intentions whatsoever.

* {{Fainting}}: A maid rushes into the room where Van Helsing, Seward, Harker and Renfield are discussing the situation to announce that she has found Mina unconscious, possibly dead, following a second attack by Dracula. Van Helsing, Seward, and Harker rush off to Mina's aid, leaving the maid alone with the madman Renfield; this is too much for her, and she faints.

* ClassicalMovieVampire: Dracula, with his aristocratic demeanor/attire, and his feigned pleasantries, is the TropeCodifier.

* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: The wine Count Dracula serves Renfield is drugged, so the latter will fall asleep at the castle.

Being bored with Transylvania, Count Dracula (Lugosi) decides to move to London for some fresh blood. After making the preliminary arrangements with the English solicitor Renfield (Creator/DwightFrye), Dracula makes him his thrall and travels to England by sea, killing the crew of his ship in the process. When he finally arrives in London, he turns Carfax Abbey (the property he bought with Renfield's help) into his base of operations. He then takes special interest in Mina Seward (Creator/HelenChandler), who lives at the neighboring sanitarium owned by her father, Dr. Seward (Creator/HerbertBunston), and is engaged to John Harker (David Manners). As victims turn up and Mina begins to act strangely, Professor Van Helsing (Creator/EdwardVanSloan) comes to help...

Being bored with Transylvania, Count Dracula (Lugosi) decides to move to London for some fresh blood. After making the preliminary arrangements with the English solicitor Renfield (Creator/DwightFrye), Dracula makes him his thrall and travels to England by sea, killing the crew of his ship in the process. When he finally arrives in London, he turns Carfax Abbey (the property he bought with Renfield's help) into his base of operations. He then takes special interest in Mina Seward (Helen Chandler), who lives at the neighboring sanitarium owned by her father, Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston), and is engaged to John Harker (David Manners). As victims turn up and Mina begins to act strangely, Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) comes to help...

Being bored with Transylvania, Count Dracula (Lugosi) decides to move to London for some fresh blood. After making the preliminary arrangements with the English solicitor Renfield (Creator/DwightFrye), Dracula makes him his thrall and travels to England by sea, killing the crew of his ship in the process. When he finally arrives in London, he turns Carfax Abbey (the property he bought with Renfield's help) into his base of operations. He then takes special interest in Mina Seward (Helen Chandler), who lives at the neighboring sanitarium owned by her father, Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston). As victims turn up and Mina begins to act strangely, Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) comes to help...

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dracula_1931_poster.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"To die... to be '''really''' dead... that must be glorious!''"]]

A Franchise/UniversalHorror film from 1931, which made Creator/BelaLugosi famous as ''the'' ClassicalMovieVampire. His portrayal of {{Dracula}} is the one that most people think of when they hear the character's name (or even just the word "vampire"), whether or not they've actually seen the movie.

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In the novel, Quincey Morris kills Dracula by stickin a Bowie knife in his heart. In the film, Van Helsing drives a wooden stake through his heart.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Renfield is an odd case, being something of a CompositeCharacter. At the start of the movie, Renfield fills the role of Jonathan Harker in the book; a skeptical young solicitor sent to take documents to Count Dracula. Unlike Harker, Renfield is fed upon by Dracula and apparently is largely under his control or possibly even part-cursed with vampirism. The actual Harker in the movie, [[DemotedToExtra is a supporting character]] mostly serving as assistant to Dr. Stewart or Dr. Van Helsing, and being properly concerned when Mina is preyed upon by Dracula.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dracula1931poster.jpg]]

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Mina and Harker... seriously? All he does is bully her, and when she tearfully tries to tell him about how Dracula forced her to drink his blood, Harker only talks about his (Harker's) right to know what the Count did to Mina. Honestly, she probably would have been better off a vampire.

* ClassicalMovieVampire: Dracula, with his aristocratic demeanor, and his feigned pleasantries, is the TropeCodifier.

* ClassicalMovieVampire: The TropeCodifier.

* AffablyEvil: As Lugosi plays him, Dracula is always quite polite and cordial, with only his eyes showing when he's pissed.