MovieChat Forums > Dracula (1931) Discussion > Best and Worst Dracula

Best and Worst Dracula

posted 12 years ago by mercury4
24 replies | jump to latest

In my opinion, Bela Lugosi was the best. I love Christopher Lee and I thought he was very scary, but I've always preferred Lugosi. Carlos Villar was a great Dracula in the Spanish version made in 1931. I also liked Jack Palance as the Count. I found him scary. He was surprisingly good and made Dracula sympathetic. The worst Dracula in my opinion was Richard Roxburgh in Van Helsing. Hated the way he looked and I hated the way he sounded. I thought Louis Jourdan was also one of the worst. Oh God, was Jourdan miscast. When I saw him on youtube in a Dracula movie, I couldn't believe that was who they got to play Dracula.

[–] Blackjack254 12 years ago

Christopher Lee is my favorite. he's ruthless and menacing, and he always appears to be one step ahead.

Lugosi did good with the material he had to work with, but I just can't take a Dracula who lets himself be exposed almost immediately and then not flee seriously.

Carlos Villar in the Spanish version is so bad he's good. He's actually pretty hilarious to watch in spots (the superior acting by everybody else over the English version, particularly Eva [Mina], Her father, and Harker makes it a better movie as a whole, though)

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[–] Skye_Reynolds 12 years ago

Bela Lugosi is my favorite. Christopher Lee is second after that. Lugosi had the look and the personality. Lee had the raw intensity. Both are great, but I still have to give Lugosi the edge.

My least favorite Dracula is probably Carlos Villarias. The goofy grin just detracts from how menacing the character is supposed to be. He still has a likable personality, and I would like to see him in other roles, but he certainly made for a less than intimidating Dracula.

[–] mercury4 12 years ago

Actually, I found when Carlos Villarias grinned it was creepy. I almost forgot to mention Max Schreck. That's if you can consider him Dracula in Nosferatu. I found him very scary. People have mentioned the way he moved in the movie. Not sure if it was him or the way it was filmed, but he moved like he wasn't even human. Getting back to Lugosi, I like him more than Lee because I liked that Dracula more. He had the charm and the commanding screen presence in every scene he was in. Lugosi was also scary without loads of make-up. With Christopher Lee there was blood dripping from his mouth, they worked on his eyes, and you saw the sharp teeth. I don't think you ever see Dracula's teeth in the Lugosi version. While Lugosi's was the tall dark and handsome Dracula, Lee's Dracula was tall, menacing, and attacked like an animal. Lugosi gave such an exceptional performance as Dracula. I'm so glad they got him to come back in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. It's a shame that such a fine actor like Bela Lugosi was wasted later on in so many movies.

[–] Skye_Reynolds 12 years ago

Nosferatu was certainly based off of the Dracula novel, but it's debatable whether Graf Orlok should be considered as his own character or not. Personally, I like to view him as a different vampire. He takes Dracula's ratlike qualities and plays them up until he's the physical embodiment of a human rodent. If he does count, I'd probably place him on an even level with Christopher Lee. It's really too close to call in that regard.

And yeah, it's a shame to see Bela Lugosi's career take a downward slide in later years. He still remained a professional to the end though.

[–] boxerrebellion 8 years ago

Bela, Leslie Nielson, and the The Count from Sesame Street.

[–] maxi13 8 years ago

Graf Orlok is obviously Graf Dracula,
so...

Max Schreck was the best Dracula
number2 is Klaus Kinski

[–] fritzfassbender 12 years ago

I'm not going to say it's a bad performance, but I have never understood how the same people who call Lugosi's Dracula 'hammy' will say with a straight face that Gary Oldman was a great Dracula.

I actually watched a compilation the other day which happened to show the moment where Lugosi quietly intones "I am..Dracula", and then Oldman wields a sword and yells "Eeet is no LAFFING Mahtaa!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWPZgR-5f2o

[–] mercury4 12 years ago

I really didn't like Gary Oldman as Dracula or that movie. People believe that movie is so close to Bram Stoker's novel, but there are better movies that were close to the novel. There was a Dracula with Jack Palance that was pretty good and Christopher Lee made a Dracula directed by Jesus Franco that was close to the novel.

[–] rhetoric2k 11 years ago

I despise John Carradine as Dracula, by far. He looks more like a doorman to me than Dracula. Why, why why didn't they bring Bela back? I thought he looked good in Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] MikePaul854 11 years ago

Gary Oldman will always be my favorite Dracula. His two vampiric personas (old and young) were seemless and completely different that I forgot he was playing both roles.

[–] phyl_lil 10 years ago

Bela will always be THE Dracula...Frank Langella was the sexiest Dracula but
Francis Lederer was the scariest for me - and the music didn't help.

[–] snickz 10 years ago

Bela Legosi was the best. He's what comes to mind, when you think of Dracula, and he really had the stare.

Max Schreck was the scariest Dracula.

Gary Oldman was more original then most, and unlike most of the others, didn't try to ride on Bela Legosi's coat tails.

[–] Rueiro 10 years ago

My favourites are, in this order:

Max Schreck: the creepiest and most repellent. Just one look at him
and you can tell this chap is not normal. You better
get the hell out of there and quick.

Christopher Lee: the one with the most intense physical presence.
He can be charming and aristocratic, but when he
is hungry he is a wild predator that can tear your
head off.

Bela Lugosi: the most debonair. He is sinister just through the way
he speaks, and then those piercing eyes when he stares
at the camera.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Cult_of_Kibner 10 years ago

The stand outs for me are Schreck, Lugosi, Lee, and Oldman. I'm never able to definitively make up my mind who I think is the best. The worst would probably be the guy from Dracula vs. Frankenstein. Then there's John Carradine, who I don't think was BAD but he just seemed like sort of a seat filler until they could find a better guy for the part.

I thought Louis Jourdan was also one of the worst.

What was so awful about him? I thought he did a pretty good job.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] telegonus 10 years ago

For my money, Lugosi owns Dracula. It's a combination of timing, his being European; of the correct nationality (or close enough); his refinement, which makes him credible as both a noble and a vampire; his having played the part on stage for so long; and his otherworldly qualities, hard to pin down, but they make him seem either of the undead or from another planet. It helps that Lugosi was also a skillful actor who possessed genuine talent and versatility, as his amazing, very different turn as Ygor in Son Of Frankenstein shows, especially for those who consider Bela a one trick pony.