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.
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) While trying to exorciseCastle 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 andJohn 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) dispatches 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 ofbubonic plague.
As Count Dracula, Lee fixed the image of the fanged vampire in popular culture.[10]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."[11] Lee also introduced a dark, brooding sexuality to the character, withTim Stanley stating, "Lee's sensuality was subversive in that it hinted that women might quite like having their neck chewed on by a stud".[12]
Upon publishing extracts of their screenplay forAnno Dracula in an updated version of the first book in the series, authorKim Newman revealed the film would use the likeness ofPeter Cushing to represent the severed head of the deceasedVan Helsing, establishing elements of the Hammer ProductionsDracula film series as the backdrop for the film adaptation's events, specifically an imaginedalternate ending to the1958Dracula film. The fourth book in the series, subtitledJohnny Alucard, follows the character of the same name originally introduced inDracula A.D. 1972.[13]
In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics forTime Out magazine sawDracula ranked the 65th-best British film ever.[14]Empire magazine ranked Lee's portrayal as Count Dracula the 7th-greatest horror movie character of all time.[15]
^Calhoun, Dave; Huddleston, Tom; Jenkins, David; Adams, Derek; Andrew, Geoff; Davies, Adam Lee; Fairclough, Paul; Hammond, Wally (17 February 2017)."The 100 best British films".Time Out London. Time Out Group. Retrieved24 October 2017.
