You knew this one was going to be on the list.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula is one of the most influential Dracula movies ever made, by one of the most influential directors ever. And yet, it has all the makings of a delightful shitshow.
You can see what Coppola was going for. A stylish, stylized Dracula to capture the Victorian era with old-school movie magic and tricks, with a cast of of-the-moment rising stars, a melodramatic script, and a steadfast vision to see it through.
And wow, did it all come together, but maybe not exactly the way it was supposed to.
Don’t get me wrong, its a beautiful movie. The scenery, costumes, shot composition, and actors are all beautiful. The costume designs are some of the best in any movie ever made. Lucy’s wedding dress encompasses everything the movie was striving to be.
And yet…
It’s a silly movie. It’s so over the top it’s hard to take seriously even if you want to. Anthony Hopkins’ Van Helsing veers more toward hammy than the character should be. He’s not quite clownish, but he is a bit much in a movie where everyone is overacting their asses off. I adore Keanu Reeves in everything I’ve ever seen him in, but he’s a bit out of his depths here. Winona Ryder, the darling goth girl of the 90s, is perfect as Mina, although I don’t quite buy that she would willing go with Dracula after she found out what he did to Lucy. I mean, come on, girl. You don’t do your friends like that.
It’s still a modern classic and any aficionado of vampire movies should check it out, if only to see what the standard was when it was made. Like I said before, it’s a visually lush movie, and any students of costuming or set design could do a whole lot worse than study this film.