Day 1: In which Bela Lugosi establishes himself as THE screen vampire

Tod Browning's Dracula has permeated our culture to a point where it is almost impossible to analyze objectively. Everything that the modern American knows about vampires, or at least the very first things he learned about vampires, he learned from this film. For Joe Schmoe, Bela Lugosi's Count IS the archetypal vampire... "I vaaant to suuuck your bluuud."

The screenplay for Dracula was based on a British stage adaptation of the original novel. As such, the storyline is extremely barebones. Also, Browning, himself more accustommed to directing silent films, is responsible for the snail's pacing, wooden dialogue delivery, and the mind-numbingly static framing of most of the film.

What works, then? Obviously, Lugosi. His command of the role of Count Dracula is superb. A native Hungarian, he had the accent, the look, and the presence that would define Dracula for the rest of the century, and into the present. Dwight Frye as Renfield is also a gem as he manages to singlehandedly develop the classic henchman character as we know it. Unfortunately for both actors, they did such a great job in their respective roles that they would be typecast for the rest of their acting careers.

Dracula also managed to establish some pretty iconic scenes - Dracula enveloping Mina in his cape as he vampirizes her, the Count descending the staircase as we first meet him, etc. Again, these are scenes that have been imitated, or at least re-presented, in countless future Dracula films, and continue to serve as staple iconography in any incarnation.

All in all, Dracula is a deeply flawed classic. It is a technical disaster, but as a truly seminal work, it defined and established horror conventions that are still revered and appreciated to this day. Overall, 4 out of 5.

Tomorrow: The Last House on the Left.