Dracula (Blu-ray + DVD) [1958]

For several decades, we had the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi. Hammer did the story well when they created the Horror of Dracula in 1958 with Peter Cushing & Christopher. Great cast, good story and fun to watch!

I'm a big fan of the Hammer films especially Horror of Dracula as it's known in the U.S.brilliantly written script, brilliantly Directed by Terence fisher and of course two of Hammers best actors Christopher Lee, Peter cushingso when i found out that Hammer's Dracula was being released on Blu-ray i knew i had to buy it immediately, and i didi bought it on March 18 the day it was releasedthis Blu-ray is a 3 Disc set, Blu-ray Disc plus 2 DVD'S, Disc 1 has both 2007 & 2012 versions, Disc 2 has all the special featuresit's the first time this film has been released on blu-ray so i watch the blu-ray first, the 2012 versionthe picture and audio is beautiful, perfect widescreen format, the 2 added scenes from the Japanese versioncomplete the film so well it was emotional watching itand then i watched the 2007 version i didn't understand the difference between the 2 versions so i watched with audio commentaryapparently the 2007 version is the U.S. version but the main title has been altered to the U.K. title that's the only differencecause back in 1958 when this movie was screening, Universal was still screening the original 1931 versionso warner bros changed the title to Horror of Dracula to avoid confusionapart from that, both 2007 and 2012 versions are pretty much the same in my opinion so i really couldn't tell the difference, you'll have to buy a copy to Judge for yourselfbut anyway the Distributors added both versions on Blu-ray and DVD for fansi also have the region 1 DVD U.S. release by Warner bros which is the same as the 2007 release except for the added footagenow to the special features.a brand new 30mins Documentary about the making of the film has been made, excellent Documentary aswell i've watched it more than once alreadyscreenwriter Jimmy sangster has been interview aswell as Janina faye who played Tania in the film plus film critics and other Hammer film Historiansit's Disapointing that Christopher Lee wasn't interviewed for some reason i would've like to hear his thoughts on the filmthe highlight of the Doco is Jimmy sangster he explains alot about the making of the film, the budget, how the script was written etca Great Documentary for any Hammer film fanthe 2nd Doco is about the film's restoration to blu-ray quality and about how the lost 2 scenes were intergrated in the filmvery interesting Documentarythe 3rd Doco is about the Censors of British cinema back in 1958 and how it effected Horror of Dracula filmthis was interesting aswell but i couldn't see the point, as a hammer film fan i've researched that info on the internet anywaybut for first time fans watching the blu-ray version it will be interesting for them.the special features are also on Disc 2 of this set, so if you don't have a blu-ray player the DVD'S are included anywaybut the Blu-ray version is much better quality than the DVD, the people involved really did clean the film up transfering to blu-ray qualitythis film is an absolute classic, still fresh today 45 years later, incredible, still one of the best ever Hammer films madethe scene where Christopher lee shows his closeup of his fangs and blood, still scary, hell of a Good thriller.so for any Hammer horror fan i definitely recommend buying this blu-ray/dvd set and watching the blu-ray versionand if not, then you can watch the 2 versions on standard DVD.

Difficult not to use superlatives on this one. This is probably the perfect horror movie, forever impossible to duplicate. I guess a lot of the success of the film owes to his director Terence Fisher, who creates a mood of death and desolation. The first twenty minutes of the movie in this respect are extremely successful, in a hieratic, almost silent environment where there is very little dialog. As spectators, we are discovering, like Harker, the lair of the vampire. To be fair to Fisher though, he is helped by the amazing production values of the film, and the work of the genius production designer Bernard Robinson. Then there is Jimmy Sangster's very efficient screenplay...and of course, there is an amazing cast: Cushing, possessed and determined as the relentless vampire hunter, Michael Gough (unfairly badmouthed by everyone on the Blu-Ray!) as his help in the vampire quest and the legendary performance of Christopher Lee in the title role, who became an overnight legend thanks to this part. This cascade of compliments wouldn't be fair if one forgot the very effective music of James Bernard, the ground-breaking special effects by Phil Leakey and Sydney Pearson, and these very sexy "Hammer babes" appearing in full force here for the first time. I'll single out my favorite, the very sexy (albeit not for long) Valerie Gaunt, who was already haunting "The Curse of Frankenstein". Overall this is a classic film, one of the best Hammer movies ever made, and a triumph for Terence Fisher and the whole crew.The Blu-Ray almost brought tears to my eyes: I saw this movie first on the third channel in France more than 20 years ago, in the monthly TV show called "La Dernière Séance" where French rock singer Eddy Mitchell (not his real name!) presented two "popular" movies back to back (westerns, scifi, horror, thrillers) the bulk of them from the 1940s-1960s period. Seeing "Dracula" in 2012 is borderline unsettling, as Harker, Dracula, van Helsing, Minna have NEVER looked more "real": the restoration by Hammer is a real immersing experience and you will "live" this film the way you never thought you could before. Very moving as well to watch these legendary Japanese scenes, long believed to be lost, and who really emphasise the meaning of the film. A really great moment, the feeling of discovering a lost treasure.The extras are overall fine but Rigby was a bit overwhelming in the commentary - and Hearns had problems muscling his way through. Please note that the commentary offers different entries depending on whether one watches the 2007 BFI restoration of the 2012 Hammer one. The documentary was very good and it was great of Hearns to invite the whole gang of Janina Faye, Meikle, Newman, Sangster and Kinsey. I know Chris Lee is missing but it does not matter much. Film buffs all over the UK will relish reading the shooting script - somewhat different from the final result on screen but fascinating. But for me THE massive gem in this list of extra is the towering analysis of the movie by Christopher Frayling, giving here a lecture which is at the same time fascinating and insightful.Well, I guess that now that we have "Dracula" on B-Ray at that level of quality, we can safely die...

Magnifica película de la Hammer…un reparto espectacular de dos grandes actores de la época!!!

Tutto perfetto, prodotto come da descrizione

Ich denke, Ich gehe nicht zu weit, wenn Ich sage, dass der vorliegende Dracula aus dem Jahre 1958, damals produziert von den Hammer Film Studios, ein nahezu zeitloser Klassiker ist, der zwar der literarischen Vorlage auf dem ersten Blick nicht zu 100% treu bleibt, die Kern-DNA der Dracula-Erzählung jedoch gut beibejält und vor Allem auf atmosphärischer Ebene Das etabliert, was wir heute als Blaupause für jeden großartigen Vampirmythos kennen und lieben. Terence Fisher und sein Team haben, zusammen mit Peter Cushing und Christopher Lee, eine regelrechte Legende der Film- und Kulturgeschichte geschaffen, die sich bis heute behaupten kann und nicht umsonst zuletzt von Netflix in ihrer BBC-getragenen Dracula-Produktion vielfach rezitiert wurde. Lees Dracula und Cushings Van Helsing sind lebendiger denn je in unser aller Herzen. Und das will was heißen. Wer diesen vorliegenden Film noch nie gesehen hat, sollte es UNBEDINGT nachholen. Ein Klassiker des 50er Jahre Horrors und der künstlerischen Kulturhistorie schlechthin, der für Jeden Pflicht sein sollte. 💯🔥❤😎✌🏻

So many previous reviews already emphasize what I am about to say in a much shorter context. The restored film looks fantastic. Love the missing footage that was censored out before that has been restored in the 2012 print. Most of all, I love all the extras that come with the British blu-ray because they are not available on the Warners American version. The documentaries on the making of the classic are so detailed and rich with the history of Hammer. This is what I have been wanting to see for a long time and it is very satisfying. There are also commentaries which I have not had an opportunity to listen to yet but I know they will not disappoint. I recently purchased an all-region blu-ray player (only available online, not in the stores) and wish I had done it years ago. Dracula was my first (all-region) purchase and it won't be the last. Highly recommend this blu-ray. Price wise it's comparable to the price of the American version so I say go for it if you want the extras.

This Blu-Ray is an improvement over the US DVD (where is the US Blu-Ray?). The movie is absolutely one of the best entries in the Hammer horror movies. The second restoration gives us the COMPLETE original version. Buy it!! (of course if you can read Region B materuial.)