In Search of Dracula

Entertaining but Dated Documentary
The fascination for vampires and the mythical character of Dracula has resulted in many cinematic outings over the last century. Ever since the creation of Bram Stoker's original novel, DRACULA, published in 1897, audiences have loved the experience of being frightened by this diabolical figure. Not many know however that Bram Stoker based his vampire lord on a historical figure: Vlad "Tepes" (pronounced Tseppesh) Drakula who lived in 15th Century Romania. Born in Sighisoara in 1431, he grew up in a very hostile environment. His father Vlad II had become a member of the Order of the Dragon, an equivalent to Knighthood, which was to serve the population and protect them from their enemies, the Turks. The title of Dragon, Drakul in Romanian, was hereditary; hence Drakula, meaning Son of the Dragon. When Vlad II was Prince of the Province of Wallachia, the Turkish Sultan invited him to his court for the purpose of peace talks. However, once there Vlad and his son found...

Both more and less; too much, but not enough
Among the many, and often duplicative, Dracula documentaries, this was probably the first and among the best. Although it is a bit dated now, it offers higher production values and more drama than most of the others, not to mention narration by Christopher Lee, who gets to play both Dracula and his historic inspriation, Vlad the Impaler. The DVD adds a number of scenes that were deleted when this film was aired by PBS some decades ago. Most of these, however, seem peripheral to the central theme and are somewhat repulsive, dealing mostly with disturbed individuals who imagine themselves to be vampires and who drink either their own blood or that of others. On the other hand, for some mind-boggling reason, other bits that were shown on national television have been cut from this print, including a brief bit of nudity. The DVD production team seems to have been far more sensitive about that than the antics of the blood-drinking individuals who are included. Still, a good overview of the...

A guilty pleasure in the form of a Drive-in documentary on Dracula.
"In Search of Dracula" is based on one of the most important books on vampires ever written. The groundbreaking, "In Search of Dracula" released in 1973, was one of the most talked about books that year and set into motion the parallels that still exist with the vampire created by Bram Stoker and his REAL LIFE sixteenth century counterpart, Vlad Tepes.
The international success of the book meant a movie was not far behind and director Calvin Floyd was up to the task.

Originally, the film was supposed to be a drive-in feature but due to poor publicity and the con-currency of the "In Search Of" television show with Leonard Nimoy, the film died at the box-office, along with any hopes of creating a series out of this. A Frankenstein follow-up was planned but was subsequently changed towards a more direct adaption of the Mary Shelly original story, which would prove to be the most faithful adaption in 1976 under the title, "Terror of Frankenstein".

"In Search of...

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