Every Universal Monsters Dracula Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Dracula (1931) spawned Universal’s classic monster movie franchise. Here is every original Universal Dracula movie ranked from worst to best.

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Dracula (1931) was the film that spawned Universal’s classic monster movie productions for a 25 year period. While it also started a franchise of its own, the Dracula follow-ups were not as consistent or cohesive as some of its monster stablemates. Here is every original Universal Dracula movie ranked from worst to best.

Tod Browning’s Dracula was a huge success upon its original release in 1931. Based on the long-running Broadway play, which was, in turn, based on the famous Bram Stoker novel, it was Universal’s most profitable film of the year. After a long search for a lead, Bela Lugosi—the star of the Broadway version—was ultimately chosen to reprise his role. Co-producer Carl Laemmie Jr. was initially hesitant to cast Lugosi, who had no film credits to his name. After a long, fruitless search for a name actor, Lugosi successfully lobbied for the role. The film would make him a star, and subsequently created a long-running monster universe for the studio.

While Dracula proved to be a hit for Universal, they had a difficult time following it up with a sequel. James Whale’s Frankenstein—which was also released in 1931—had a much more successful line of sequels, beginning with Bride of Frankenstein in 1935. Rights issues with the Stoker estate held up a straightforward continuation, which ultimately informed the direction of Dracula’s Daughter five years later. In total, there were five films that included Dracula or his descendants in addition to a Spanish version that was filmed on the same sets and the same time as Browning’s production.

7. House of Dracula (1945)

This follow-up to the popular House of Frankenstein was one of the last classic Universal monster team-ups, and also one of the more convoluted entries. Dracula is played for the second time by John Carradine – who also played the vampire menace in House. The plot revolves around Dr. Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) who believes that vampirism can be cured by blood transfusions. He is visited by Dracula, using the pseudonym Baron Latos, who wants to be set free of his curse. Ironically, Edlemann is also visited by Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) on the same night, looking for a cure to his lycanthropy. Directed in a workman-like manner by Erle C. Kenton, it does Dracula a huge disservice by using him as a convenient secondary villain.

6. Son of Dracula (1943)

This late follow-up to the 1931 hit is an uninspired reworking of the original with Lon Chaney Jr. playing Count Alucard (Dracula). The mysterious vampire gets involved with the rich daughter of a plantation owner. Though his motives are vague, it seems the Count has set his sights on a new bride and her estate. A morbid love triangle of sorts is played out with the daughter (Louise Allbritton), her boyfriend (Robert Paige), and the Count. The prolific Robert Siodmak directed the film from a story created by his brother Curt. Whether Chaney’s character is the real Dracula, his son, or even a close relative is never made clear. The genuinely creepy Dracula’s Daughter from 1936 is disregarded altogether.

5. House of Frankenstein (1944)

Building on the success of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), this fun entry gets a lot of mileage out of its excellent cast. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine give solid performances in this second attempt at a monster match-up. Dr. Niemann (Karloff) escapes from prison and sets out on a mission to locate Dracula, The Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster for nefarious means. While Dracula (Carradine) is nearly superfluous, much of the film works as a slight follow-up to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. This was stunt man Glenn Strange’s first time playing Frankenstein’s Monster—a role he would repeat in the next two Universal monster outings.

Related: Every Actor Who Played The Mummy (Original Movies & Reboots)

4. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

This was the first of comedy team Abbott and Costello’s Universal monster films. It was also the last time that “the big three” monsters—Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Wolf Man—would appear in the same film. Of note would be Lugosi’s return to his iconic role—the only time he would appear again as Dracula. Completely abandoning any continuity with the previous entries, Charles Barton’s comedy is essentially a series of slapstick scenes that allow for the comedians to play off the threat of the monsters. Chick (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur (Costello) are two Florida baggage clerks who get involved with the local wax museum, which is a front for the monster’s resurrection. The film was hugely popular and inspired several more films where the duo met famous creatures.

3. Dracula’s Daughter (1936)

The only film with any true continuity to the original Dracula, this 1936 sequel picks up at the very end of the 1931 original. Just after Van Helsing—a returning Edward Van Sloan—has impaled Dracula with a stake, he is arrested and sent to Scotland Yard. At the same time, Countess Marya Zaleska, Dracula’s daughter (Gloria Holden), appears with the intention of burning her father’s body in order to free herself from vampirism. Holden’s character is much more sympathetic than the original Dracula, which adds a haunting, dramatic element to the story. Director Lambert Hillyer’s film is a more ambitious and adult follow-up than audiences were expecting, and did not perform to expectation. It has gained respect in recent years for its somber tone and, perhaps unintentional, sapphic subtext.

2. Dracula (1931)

Slow and poetic, the original Dracula is still an entertaining ride. Though not as visually impressive as Nosferatu, F.W. Murnau’s unauthorized version from 1922, it maintains a creepy melancholy throughout. Bela Lugosi’s iconic portrayal of the title character still has the power to unnerve. His version of the Count returning soon in a new graphic novel. Equally unsettling is Dwight Frye’s Renfield, a performance that set the template for the unhinged assistant for years to come. While the stage-bound aesthetics may not have aged as well as some of its contemporaries, it remains an engaging example of pre-code cinema. Browning would follow it up a year later with his horror masterpiece, Freaks.

1. Dracula – Spanish Language (1931)

Director George Melford’s Spanish language version of Dracula is a more engaging cinematic experience than Browning’s film. Shot in tandem with the English version, it uses the camera more boldly, telling more of the story through the lens. Carlos Villarias plays Dracula and delivers a more imposing performance than Lugosi. Shot in the evenings after the Browning crew left the set for the day, the creative team had the benefit of seeing dailies from their English counterpart. This allowed them to make changes for the better, including adjusting lighting and other technical aspects they felt were lacking in the American footage. This version is a beautiful, overlooked alternative to the English Dracula, and one of the best, if obscure, Universal monster films.

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