Langella starred as Dracula in a hit Broadway revival of the stage play--distinguished by the black-and-white sets by Edward Gorey that made the sight of blood very dramatic indeed--and the idea here, as when Universal made the Lugosi version in 1931, was to capitalize on the play's
popularity and transfer that success to the screen. It worked in 1931, but not this time. Gorey's striking sets--deemed not cinematic enough for this production, in which the often effective director John Badham seems uninspired--are replaced by the next best thing, namely state-of-the-art special
effects. The sight of Dracula climbing down a wall headfirst is the highlight of the entir...
Released:
1979
Rated:
R
Length:
109 mins