Count Dracula, a vampire who regains his youth by drinking the blood of maidens, is pursued in London and Transylvania by Professor Van Helsing, Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris.
This is Franco's version of Bram Stoker's Dracula and a non Hammer production film to star Christopher Lee as the Count once again. An English lawyer travels to Transylvania to meet his client Count Dracula for property matters. While staying in a lodge at Bistritz for the night, he is warned by the caretaker's wife against continuing his journey the following day. The lawyer ignores her warning as pure superstitious beliefs n sets off for the rest of his journey and arrives at the Borgo Pass where he's picked up by the Count's mysterious coachman. After reaching the Count's castle, he is welcomed by a thin, tall, gaunt old man who introduces himself as Count Dracula.—[email protected]
Prologue: "Over 50 years ago, Bram Stoker wrote the greatest of all horror stories. Now, for the first time, we retell exactly as he wrote, one of the first--and still the best--tales of the macabre."
Transylvania May 1897: On the way to Castle Dracula, Jonathan Harker (Fred Williams) boards the train to Bistritz. A passenger warns him about Dracula. Harker arrives at an inn for the night. The innkeeper's wife warns him that tomorrow is St George's Night. Harker leaves next morning for the Borgo Pass. At nightfall, he is met by Dracula's coach. On the ride to castle, Dracula ()chases off wolves. After retiring for the night, Harker hears a woman outside the castle walls crying for her baby. Three vampiresses find Harker, but Dracula chases them away and gives them the baby for dinner. Harker awakens, finds bites on his neck, climbs out window to Dracula's crypt; opens a coffin to see Dracula inside, and leaps out the window.
At a Sanitarium outside London: Harker awakens in bed with Dr John Seward (Paul Muller) at his side. Harker was found floating in a river near Budapest. Lucy (Soledad Miranda) and Mina (Maria Rohm) come to tend him. Renfield (Klaus Kinski) is also a patient here. Lucy is called by Dracula who leads her to neighboring building and drinks her blood. Mina sees it happen. Lucy receives transfusion from Quincy Morris (Jack Taylor), but Dracula drinks again and again; eventually Lucy dies. Professor Abraham van Helsing (Herbert Lom) educates them on vampire lore. Lucy is buried. Lucy attacks a child in the park; Van Helsing, Morris and Harker go to her grave and stake her. Harker recalls sale of Carfax Abbey (next door) to Dracula; Harker, Morris and Seward investigate and are attacked by stuffed animals guarding the coffins. Dracula's coffin is gone. Van Helsing has a stroke. Mina talks with Renfield who tries to strangle her on Dracula's order. On the way to meeting with a 'secretary', Harker sees Dracula in London streets. Harker receives word that Mina is at the opera. Dracula goes to the opera and helps himself to a bit of Mina's blood. Dracula books passage to Varna. Dracula goes to drink from Mina and meets Van Helsing who saves Mina by carving a flaming cross in the carpet with a hot poker.
Transylvania October/November 1897: Dracula leaves for Varna by sea; Harker and Morris go by a quicker route, arriving first at the castle where they stake the three vampiresses, sanctify Dracula's tomb, intercept his coffin as it arrives at castle, and finally burn Dracula in his coffin outside the castle walls. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]
