The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

How many adaptations have there been of Bram Stoker’s iconic horror novel about the most famous creatures of the night? Countless…to be honest. There are even so many famous versions of the story of Dracula that you have so many to choose from. There is the classic Universal Horror Universe film with Bela Lugosi. You also have the Hammer Horror version with Christopher Lee. You even have both Nosferatu films as well which are clear adaptations. But one adaptation that is available right now on Netflix for the Halloween season is Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

What is the biggest selling point of Coppola’s film? The central performance of Gary Oldman is an all timer. The varied physicality that Oldman must have throughout the film is quite impressive. You have the older, decrepit Count at the beginning of the film. White and ghoulish, Oldman sells this older and frailer version with the right amount of fragility while still being intimidating. His accent is so thick yet works perfectly for the wildly ornate count. The costuming at this point in the film and that wig…they are something special. But you also have a much younger (and sexier) Count that Oldman captures perfectly with his unique magnetism as a performer. You can feel this alluring and seductive nature oozing from Oldman’s performance. Honestly, this might be the most iconic and impressive turn as Count Dracula of any performer. Coppola’s film certainly has that going for it. A wildly over-the-top and intense Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing is another standout in this famous and talented cast.

What makes Dracula feel so engrossing? The world-building through the technical aspects of the film is so impressive. You have the opening sequence of the film that boasts some impressive visuals. The big bold castle. The striking red battle armor. All the production design and costumes in this film are quite impressive. They leave an image burned in your brain. This is an imperfect film with some glaring issues, but it is also a film that is quite hard to forget. Whether the are the more ancient elements of Count Dracula’s castle or the specific era of the “modern” sequences, it is all done so well. The cinematography in this film is quite exquisite too. Coppola and Michael Ballhaus craft something so haunting, eerie, striking, romantic, gothic, and bold. But most importantly, the striking visuals sit with you and echo throughout this cinematic experience. The make-up work in the film is next level impressive as Dracula morphs throughout the film in completely different ways (reinforcing the chameleonic work of Oldman as well).

What is the foundation for the whole experience? This is Dracula! This is an iconic tale and one that stands the test of time. Harrowing and haunting. Disturbing and tantalizing. Coppola balances so many conflicting and harmonizing feelings giving Bram Stoker’s Dracula such a distinct feel while still offering a classic tale like this one. If you love the story of Dracula, this one picks up Stoker’s work and runs with it. The unnerving and twisted lust from Dracula to young Mina is right there. Van Helsing is here to end this vampiric threat. Count Dracula is there to bring great danger and destruction. Coppola and screenwriter James V. Hart bring this classic text to life with such a vivid and rich vision of horror. 

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is streaming on Netflix.