| “ | To us was entrusted for centuries the guarding of our lands. The Lombard, the Bulgar, the Turk, poured their thousands against our frontiers – we drove them back! The Draculas have ever been the heart's blood, the brains, the sword of our people. One of my race crossed the Danube and destroyed the Turkish host. Though sometimes beaten back, he came again and again against the enemy, till at the end, he came alone from the bloody field, for he alone could triumph. THIS was a Dracula indeed! | „ |
| ~ Count Dracula reminiscing about his past to Jonathan, all while passing his past self off as someone else. |
| “ | Listen to them, the children of the night, what music they make. | „ |
| ~ Count Dracula |
Count Dracula is the titular main antagonist of the 1970 gothic horror film of the same name. He is based on the character of the same name from the Dracula novel, and portrayed much more faithfully to the source material.
He was portrayed by the late Sir Christopher Lee, who also portrayed his Hammer counterpart, Frankenstein's Monster in The Curse of Frankenstein, Count Dooku in the Star Wars franchise, Kato in Mio, My Son, Fu Manchu in Hammer's Fu Manchu series, Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, King Haggard in The Last Unicorn, Cushing Catheter in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Saruman in Sir Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, and The Jabberwock in Alice in Wonderland.
Biography[]
Background[]
Dracula is an evil vampire and sorcerer who rules Transylvania from his castle for centuries. He was once a mortal warlord of great descent from Attila the Hun, which he continues to speak proud of. His castle is interconnected with the Borgo Pass, deemed cursed with wickedness and horror, with his presence haunting the natives of the town of Bistritz. He has gypsy servants that carry his coffin in a dark ritual, and the ability to transform himself into a bat and control vicious animals like wolves.
At one point, Dracula took away R.M. Renfield's only daughter, driving the latter insane and rendering him mute. After sending Renfield to his institute under medical care, Van Helsing became aware of Dracula's evil and decided to study dark arts to bring him down once and for all.
Count Dracula[]
In 1897, Dracula purchases an estate known as Carfax in London. The real estate agent Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to guide his client, and the people of Bistritz look at him with horror and warn him of what awaits him beyond, making him begin to suspect something not normal, but he brushes this aside anyway. At Borgo Pass, Dracula disguises himself as a coachman and carries Jonathan to his castle. There, Dracula welcomes him, although some of the things surrounding the Count feel strange to Jonathan, such as how Dracula has canine teeth and no reflection in the mirror. At night, Jonathan has a nightmare where Dracula's three brides attempt to feed on his blood, but Dracula tells them Jonathan belongs to him and gives them a baby to feed instead. In fear and unable to find the exit, Jonathan jumps out of the window and finally learns of Dracula's true nature.
Once returning to London, a traumatized Jonathan is admitted to Van Helsing's institute and often screams about how Dracula follows him to the city. This later turns out to be true, as Dracula seeks shelter in Carfax, which is near the institute and infact right in front of Renfield's chamber, allowing Dracula to contact him and turn him into his servant. Dracula then slowly corrupts Lucy Westenra and turns her into a vampire, forcing her fiancé Quincey Morris, Dr. Seward and Van Helsing to kill her. Jonathan later returns to health and joins the group to kill Dracula.
Dracula later sets his eyes on Mina and eventually bites her at an opera, and makes Van Helsing suffer a fatal stroke that renders him unable to walk. Mina is saved in time while Dracula decides to return to Transylvania, but not before hexing and killing Renfield for revealing his location. Jonathan and Quincey follow him back while Van Helsing stays behind to defend Mina. Dracula comes to mock Van Helsing of his disability and attacks him, but Van Helsing manages to protect himself and Mina by pulling a crucifix in front of Dracula, forcing the vampire to transform into a fog and flee. As Dracula's gypsy servants are transporting him back to the castle, Jonathan and Quincey attack them with rocks. When they all either flee or are crushed to death, the two open Dracula's coffin and burn him to death, which Dracula cannot escape from due to the sunlight. Jonathan and Quincey then throw the coffin from the wall, ending Dracula's reign of terror once and for all.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Sir Christopher Lee stated that he enjoyed portraying this incarnation of Dracula as he felt it was the most faithful to the novel.
External Links[]
- Count Dracula on the Dracula Wiki
