The vampire count leaves his Transylvanian home to wreak havoc across the world.
For those familiar with Bram Stoker's novel, this adaptation follows the book quite closely in most respects. Jonathan Harker visits the Count in Transylvania to help him with preparations to move to England. Harker becomes Dracula's prisoner and discovers Dracula's true nature. After Dracula makes his way to England, Harker becomes involved in an effort to track down and destroy the Count, eventually chasing the vampire back to his castle.—Cameron Fairchild <[email protected]>
An English solicitor, Jonathan Harker, travels to meet Count Dracula in Transylvania as Dracula has purchased a house in London. Dracula imprisons him in his castle and then moves to London to pursue Harker's fiancée and sister. It is left to Dr. Van Helsing to try to save them.—grantss
When Jonathan Harker, a London-based solicitor, visits Count Dracula to complete the purchase of a house he has made in London, the mysterious Count takes a definite interest in a photo of Harker's fiancée Mina and her sister Lucy. Imprisoning Harker in the castle, the Count moves to London where he sets his sights on both of the young women. It is left to Dr. Van Helsing, an expert in strange and obscure diseases, to save at least one of them.—garykmcd
Jonathan Harker (Bosco Hogan) is on his way to Transylvania with some documentsconcerning the purchase of a property in England for Count Dracula tosign. When his fellow travelers find out where Harker is headed, they beghim not to go. Count Dracula (Louis Jourdan) turns out to be handsome and cultured,although he sleeps during the day, has hairy palms and sharp fingernails,casts no reflection in a mirror, crawls head first down the castle walls,does not eat, and his eyes and mouth glow red when he sees blood.
Dracula requires that Harker remain at the castle for a month, duringwhich time fiancée Mina Westenra (Judi Bowker) worries about Harker and Harker worriesthat he's going mad. Meanwhile, the Westenras -- Mina, sister Lucy (Susan Penhaligon),and their Mother (Ann Queensberry) move to their summer home inWhitby. Three weeks pass, and Dracula prepares for his trip to England. Herequests that Harker write a letter saying that he has already left thecastle and is on his way home. Unable to tolerate being imprisoned anylonger in the castle, Harker attempts to escape but stumbles into thecrypt where he finds the three vampiresses and Dracula lying in theircoffin. His attempt to behead the count fails.
Back in London, at Dr John Seward (Mark Burns)'s sanitarium, zoophagist patientRenfield (Jack Shepherd) is busy collecting flies and spiders while awaiting "theMaster's" arrival. In Whitby, a fierce storm is brewing. In the middle ofthe lightning, thunder, torrential rain, and raging seas, a ship isbeached in Whitby harbor. The next day Skipper Swales is found dead nearthe grave of a suicide. Shortly thereafter, Lucy starts sleepwalking. Onone of Lucy's sojourns into the cemetery, Mina sees her being embraced bya man who promptly disappears when Mina calls out Lucy's name. When Minanotices two punctures on Lucy's throat, she blames it on the brooch sheused to fasten Lucy's shawl the night that Lucy was found sleepwalking.
Quincey P. Holmwood (Richard Barnes) comes to Whitby to visit Lucy, his fiancee, who islooking pale and growing long canines. Mina learns that Jonathan is in ahospital in Budapest and goes to join him. As Lucy is not improving,Quincey and the Westenras return to London to consult with Dr Seward,whose sanitarium is next to Carfax Abbey, the property purchased by andnow inhabited by Count Dracula. Unable to make a proper diagnosis, Sewardsends for Abraham Van Helsing (Frank Finlay) to travel from Amsterdam and have a look atLucy. Van Helsing immediately recognizes Lucy's symptoms as those of avampire in the making. He treats her by making a necklace of garlic andsealing the doors and windows of her bedroom with garlic. Unfortunately,they don't tell Mrs Westenra what they are doing, and she removes thegarlic from around Lucy's neck. When a wolf jumps through Lucy's window,Mrs Westenra dies of shock, and Dracula enters the room.
Lucy is dying. Quincey is called. As he holds her hand, Lucycompletes her transformation as a vampire and attempts to bite him.Moments later, Lucy is dead. Of course, Van Helsing knows that this isjust the beginning.
Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mina, now Mr and Mrs Harker, return to Londononly to find the Westenra house in mourning and Lucy buried in her tomb.That night, Van Helsing and Seward visit her tomb but find her coffinempty. While walking from the cemetery, they encounter a small child whoclaims to have seen a "bloofer lady" and who has puncture wounds on hisneck similar to those on Lucy's. Van Helsing and Seward collect Quincey,and the three of them return to the cemetery where they find a snarlingLucy with blood on her lips. After Lucy returns to her coffin, Quinceydrives a stake through her heart and Van Helsing fills her mouth withgarlic and cuts off her head.
When Jonathan recognizes the new owner of Carfax Abbey as CountDracula, they send Mina away and make plans to search the Abbey where 50boxes of earth were known to be delivered. With a consecrated host, VanHelsing sterilizes the boxes, but they find only 29 of them and no Dracula(as he is currently paying a visit to Mina's bedroom). The next day Mina comes to see Renfield, who recognizes Mina'schanged status. Renfield begs to be taken away from the sanitarium, butSeward refuses. That night, Dracula comes to Renfield and accuses him ofthwarting the gift (Mina) that he sent. Dracula kills Renfield and thengoes to the Harkers' bedroom. While Jonathan lies in a trance, Minaaccepts Dracula's "kiss." Dracula opens a gash in his chest and makes Minadrink. It is at that moment that Van Helsing and Seward enter the bedroomand send the Count packing. Mina awakens covered with blood and realizesthat she is "unclean" when a consecrated host burns her forehead.
Van Helsing and Harker track down two deliveries of earthboxes toaddresses in Purfleet and Mayfair. While they sterilize the boxes, Draculaenters. He taunts them, but their crosses and bullets are useless. Draculaleaves them speechless when he leaps from a window and escapes. Aftercounting the boxes they have sterilized, they realize there is one boxstill missing. Mina tells them that Dracula has taken this box and isreturning to Transylvania. The fearless vampire hunters follow.
Jonathan, Dr Seward, and Quincey follow the river route to thecastle, while Mina and Van Helsing camp near the castle awaiting theirarrival. During the night, Mina and Van Helsing are visited by threevampiresses. Van Helsing draws a circle around Mina and sprinkles it withconsecrated hosts to keep the vampiresses out and Mina in. When morning comes, VanHelsing goes to the castle and destroys the three vampiresses while Minasleeps in the circle.
Along the river, four gypsies load Dracula's last earthbox (with himin it) onto a wagon and race toward the castle, Jonathan, Seward, andQuincey in hot pursuit. A gunfight breaks out. Quincey is wounded. Threeof the gypsies are shot, but the fourth manages to drive the wagon therest of the way to the castle, Jonathan, Seward, and Quincey again inpursuit. They catch up to the wagon in the castle courtyard and are joinedby Van Helsing and Mina. As the sun sets, Dracula awakens. But before hecan rise, Van Helsing stakes him through the heart. A great cloud of dustis released, leaving nothing more of Dracula than his clothes. At thatmoment, the burn on Mina's forehead disappears. Dracula is destroyed.[Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.]
