Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was a silent unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula, directed by F. W. Murnau. Names and details were changed as the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel. For instance, "Count Dracula" became "Count Orlok." The story is similar to the novel but changes the names of the characters and drops many secondary characters. The setting was changed to Germany, while the original novel was set in Britain. The ending was also substantially different to the novel.
The film Dracula (1931) was directed by Tod Browning and starred Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and based on a stage play, which was based on Bram Stoker's original novel. Universal released the following films after the original: Dracula's Daughter (1936), Son of Dracula (1943). Dracula also featured alongside other Universal monsters in House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). Dracula later appeared alongside Abbott and Costello in their comic vehicles.
Hammer's first screen portrayal of Dracula was with the film Horror of Dracula in 1958. Its title was changed from Dracula to avoid confusion with the original film of the same name. Christopher Lee takes the eponymous role with Peter Cushing playing the vampire hunter, Professor Van Helsing. There are some differences from the original film, one of the most notable being that it takes place in a German-speaking town, whereas the original concluded in England. The film eschewed the black-and-white atmospherics and creepy castles of the original film for bold technicolour and lavish sets. The film has the feel of an action-adventure movie. Hammer returned to the theme of Dracula and vampires in eight subsequent films, The Brides of Dracula (1960), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Dracula has Risen from The Grave (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969), Scars of Dracula (1970), Dracula AD72 (1972), The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), and The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974).Video production in toronto
An up-to-date Dracula film was produced in 2000. Dracula (2000) starring Gerard Butler in the title role, Christopher Plummer playing Van Helsing was directed by Patrick Lussier. Substantially different from the previous films, but still containing its essential elements, it explained Dracula's true origin in its conclusion.
