Count Dracula Goes to the Movies: Stoker's Novel Adapted

Bram Stoker's most famous novel, Dracula, first published in 1897, has never been out of print, but it's possible most people are more familiar with the title character from the movies. Count Dracula is one of the most-filmed characters in all fiction, but has he, or the novel, ever been filmed accurately? Here is a look at eighteen adaptations of the novel, from 1922 to 2012. They're compared to a synopsis of the novel and to each other, so the reader can determine how faithfully a given film captures the novel and how accurately it portrays the Count. Interestingly, fidelity to the novel doesn't always guarantee a good movie; conversely, some of the better film versions are among the more freely adapted. Here is the third edition of this exploration of Stoker on film. Included for the first time are Hrabe Drakula (1971), a Czech TV movie; Dracula (2006), from BBC-TV; and Dario Argento's Dracula (2012). The Universal and Hammer sequels are also searched for traces of Stoker, along with several other films that clearly borrow from the novel. And we conclude with a brief look at four latter-day projects that are best dismissed, or viewed for ironic laughs.