Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (1970)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Bram Stoker (novel) and
Dietmar Behnke (dialogue: German version)

Release Date:

1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Jess Franco's version of the Bram Stoker classic has Count Dracula as an old man who grows younger whenever he dines on the blood of young maidens.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Dracula | Vampire | Child Murder | Infanticide

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Count Dracula
Herbert Lom	...	Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Klaus Kinski	...	R.M Renfield
Soledad Miranda	...	Lucy Westenra
Maria Rohm	...	Mina Murray
Fred Williams	...	Jonathan Harker
Paul Muller	...	Dr. John Seward (as Paul Müller)
Jack Taylor	...	Quincey Morris
Jesús Puente	...	Minister of Interior
José Martínez Blanco	...	Traveller / Dr. Seward (voice: Spanish version) (as J. Martinez Blanco)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Franco Castellani	...	?

Also Known As:

Count Dracula (UK) (USA)
Bram Stoker's Count Dracula
Dracula 71
El conde Drácula (Spain)
Il conte Dracula (Italy)
Il demone nero (Italy)
Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (West Germany)
The Nights of Dracula

Runtime:

98 min | UK:97 min | Sweden:91 min

Country:

Spain | West Germany | Italy | Liechtenstein

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Spain:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

Company:

Corona Filmproduktion

Trivia:

This is the first film in which, like in the novel, Dracula begins as an old man and becomes younger as he feeds.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: "Renfield" is misspelled in the end credits as "Reinferd".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cuadecuc, vampir (1970)

This film has the requisite quality of "creepiness."

Despite some relatively poor production values, this film has the requisite quality of "creepiness" that any good Dracula film really should have. Kinski is fine. This is also Christopher Lee's most accurate performance as the Count. Too bad the editing is so jumpy. It's almost like watching a documentary, or an antique silent film (but with sound). If they had just invested a little more money, this could have become "the" authentic film adaptation of the novel. As it stands, it is only for real devotees of the genre.