298. 31 Days of Halloween 2026 - Day 2: DRACULA (1958) dir. Terence Fisher

Vampires can't be confined to just one day! Buffy may be the vampire slayer, but Count Dracula is the vampire layer. We're talking Christopher Lee in Terence Fisher's DRACULA, released in 1958. This is part of Hammer Studios' revitalizing of the classic Universal Monsters. But now, we have color popping, we have blood spurting, cleavage bursting. In the words of Wooderson: "Alright, alright, alright." This is a more lurid, sensual take on the Universal Monsters; I must imagine audiences at the time responded to these takes as their own kind of exploitation films. But when you've got powerhouse actors such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in the mix, there's no way you can dismiss these movies as mere "exploitation." This movie, streamlined by Jimmy Sangster's adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, carries itself lean and mean, full of vampires and hunters who don't fuck around. It's a classic for a reason. --- Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Throw a couple dollars in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tip jar!