Bram Stokers Dracula - 4K Blu-ray

My favorite Dracula movie. Love Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman as Count Dracula is perfection. The costumes are gorgeous, the cinematography and set designs are beautifully done. And this was before a lot of the special effects and CGI today. Highly recommend Read more

This admirable and perhaps unparalleled vampire film brings us both the classic monster and star-crossed lover alike. Iconic horror atmosphere coupled with dark fantasy, romance and a major budget. Wow. To anyone casually strolling up to this film for the first time, I’d remind you that it’s approaching 30 years old and (among a divisive crowd) it should be regarded with respect. I remain pleased with the production to this day, but some of the impressively designed sets (e.g., the altar scene when Dracula drinks the blood of the cross) may strike some as “small.” I hadn’t seen this since my college years (maybe around 2001-2003). I recall loving it and, you know what? I still do—as Dracula did Elisabeta. The introduction to our famous monster’s origins paints suffering in Dracula’s war path to return to his love Elisabeta (Winona Ryder; Beetlejuice, Stranger Things, Heathers), with unsubtle brushstrokes reddening his berserk discovery of her death. Yell at a few priests, you go to confession. Drink the blood of Christ in an act against Christ… you forfeit your humanity. Gary Oldman is one of the silver screen’s great treasures. Manic in Sid and Nancy (1986), terrifying in Leon: The Professional (1994), and embracing cheeky villainy in The Fifth Element (1997; podcast), his range is broad and admirable. Oldman always brings his A-game, yet here things feel even a bit more intense than his oft-dire presence typically permits. Whether emotionally exploding in a cathedral imbibing the Lord’s blood in sacrilege, or questioning the fate of his love mid-blood baptisim, he is wonderful as our stylish Dracula! Director Francis Ford Coppola’s (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) undead adaptation was ambitious. This film really went for it! It may be regarded by some as “a bit much,” but I think its atmosphere conveyed a sense appropriate for horror-fantasy. The opening scene’s religious influences, the horrific mystique of Transylvania, Jonathan’s (Keanu Reeves; Constantine, Knock Knock, The Neon Demon, John Wick) letter-narrated journey to the foreign land, and Van Helsing’s (Anthony Hopkins; Westworld, The Wolfman, Silence of the Lambs) harrowing yet hammed-up accounts of Dracula’s oversea journey all pour over a sense of epic saga. Dracula’s incredibly long robe and almost impishly unmatching shadow, blood geysers bursting from the sides of the bedroom and the Raimi-esque blood vomit, his curiously demonic coachman, the hyper-erotic illness striking its victims and turning Keanu into a sexualized blood bag for the brides of Dracula (including Monica Bellucci; The Brothers Grimm, The Brotherhood of the Wolf, Matrix: Reloaded), and Van Helsing’s garish commentary regarding the mutilation of a corpse all contribute to this incredibly stylish, star-studded and ambitious endeavor. The wonderful make-up for Dracula’s hybrid wolf and bat forms, the skittish wall-crawling (reminiscent of 1990’s Exorcist III and 1988’s Fright Night part II), and the inclusive effort covering all of the classic folklore (e.g., mirrors, stakes, reflections, crucifixes, garlic) contribute to this admirable and perhaps unparalleled vampire film—bringing us both monster and star-crossed lover alike. This delivered a classic horror atmosphere coupled with dark fantasy, romance and a major budget. What can I say? I’m a fan. Read more

Great movie classic Read more

Disk was scratch less. Even had the inside pamphlet. Love the movie! I know buying used media is a gamble, but trust that Amazon would not allow these sellers to rip people off like that. If it's unplayable, they couldn't offer it. Enjoy! Read more

For months people have been complaining about the visual quality of this particular Blu-Ray title. I'm a Blu-Ray enthusiast and I do enjoy this film so I wanted to find out for myself if all the attacks about it's visual quality had merit. Here are my thoughts... I bought the Superbit Collection standard DVD of this movie and compared it to this Blu-Ray version. For me, it's a no-brainer, the Blu-Ray is superior. The Superbit version actually looks more garish and brighter than any version I've seen before, be it on TV or VHS. The overly bright colors give the movie a fantasy feel. Rarely did the night scenes in the castle look dark or disturbing. It was all very garish, color wise. In this Blu-Ray version, Coppola's people, acting on his instructions, toned down the color scheme and made it darker, far more sinister and realistic. I enjoyed the look of the film very much. Those night scenes in the castle are eerie and dangerous in comparison to the overly bright Superbit version. The movie has a more horror like atmosphere to it. In a couple of short scenes, the color is drained and the picture has a nearly black and white look to it. It's strikingly beautiful. On Blu-Ray, instead of the garish haze, the color of Dracula's wardrobe for instance, blood red, leaps off the screen unlike the Superbit DVD. Although most of the scenes don't have the sharpness or detail you've come to expect from Blu-Ray, I still say it's a very good purchase. Obviously this movie is not going to look like the Blu-Rays of Pixar's Cars or Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey. I didn't expect it to. The audio quality is just fine. Top notch. Some of the most hilarious features on this Blu-Ray are the multi-language tracks. They have Russian, Romanian and several others. I speak Russian and had a blast watching Dracula in Russian! It's goofy watching Keanu Reeves in Russian at first but soon enough you realize this is very high quality dubbing. Not done as some afterthought at all. Very nice. The special features have many documentaries and of course Coppola's commentary. This Blu-Ray certainly warrants a purchase for those who like the film. If you're unsure because of the controversy of the color scheme, I suggest buying the Superbit alongside the Blu-Ray and contrasting them for yourself. Perhaps you'll like the Superbit DVD better. Compare them on your widescreen TV in a dark room at night and I think you'll find the Blu-Ray is a better experience. Yes, there is grain and dirt and the picture is not perfect by any means. It's an older catalog title. If it doesn't get a full on restoration, it's not going to look any better than this. Now, as to the movie itself. I always enjoyed this Coppola treatment of Dracula. The atmosphere and art direction, the costumes, sets, music are all first class. The script, acting and pacing can be a bit stiff. That and Keanu Reeves hamper this movie. It's still about as good as "Interview with the Vampire" or any of the other big-budget Hollywood vampire spectacles. Don't forget that vampire movies are typically all exploitation and titillation with nothing remotely serious about them. I can point to dozens of examples. How about "John Carpenter's Vampires" for one? Or the abysmal "Blade" trilogy for another? The fact that Bram Stoker's Dracula and Interview with a Vampire take things a tad more seriously than 95% percent of vampire flicks counts for something. The ultimate vampire film is yet to be made but Gary Oldman's portrayal of Dracula makes him one interesting bloodsucker! Read more

My favorite Dracula film, wonderful cast, music, story. I recently watched part of Dracula A Love Tale, doesn’t look like my cup of tea. Saw it on pre-order here the other day, then it was gone. I’ll check it out in its entirety this weekend. I actually own this DVD already, with the slipcover, but the slipcover was bent, falling apart, so I bought this new version. I have it on 4K too, not sure if it has the special features like the DVD though, either way I have both. If you love Dracula, this is my personal favorite, and I’m sure a lot of other people feel the same way. A must own! Read more

Good atmospheric horror film. It arrived in perfect condition. I'd buy and watch it again... Read more

Great buy! Read more