67
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Washington PostGary ArnoldWashington PostGary ArnoldThe new Dracula is a dazzler, a classic retelling of a classic text. From opening wolf howls through ominous, ambiguous concluding images, it sustains an exciting, witty, erotically compelling illusion of supernatural mystery and terror. [13 Jul 1979, p.E1]
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertWhat an elegantly seen Dracula this is, all shadows and blood and vapors and Frank Langella stalking through with the grace of a cat. The film is a triumph of performance, art direction and mood over materials that can lend themselves so easily to self-satire
- 88The Associated PressBob ThomasThe Associated PressBob ThomasA splendidly mounted and impressively acted version of the Bram Stoker classic. [09 Jul 1979]
- 75The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottDracula may not be as big a success as it should be - we don't like our myths dissected, after all, and there is an uneasy (but workable) truce in the film between subtle stylization and the demands of the contemporary horror audience for gore. [14 Jul 1979]
- 60TimeRichard SchickelTimeRichard SchickelThere is no point in retelling this tale if you are going to be stuffy about it.
- 60EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanSome interesting creative choices make this more a curio than a great film.
- 60Time OutTime OutLangella offers the best interpretation of Stoker's villain since Christopher Lee, and Badham's film, shot in England, gives him a classy environment to devastate. But the decision to create such a sympathetic vampire (especially alongside Olivier's hammy Van Helsing) leaves the film short of suspense, and so romance has to take most of the weight. As a result, it begins to drift badly at the climax.
- 60NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenViolence belongs in Dracula - the problem is simply that Badham is not good at it. Virtually every big action scene is confusingly staged and clumsily edited. It is particularly sad to report that Olivier is terribly misused. [23 Jul 1979, p.70]
- 50The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinBy no means lacking in stylishness; if anything, it's got style to spare. But so many of its sequences are at fever pitch, and the mood varies so drastically from episode to episode, that the pace becomes pointless, even taxing, after a while.
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThe sight of Dracula climbing down a wall headfirst is the highlight of the entire movie; the rest of the film is just another plodding remake. The familiar story is given no new twists, save for an updated Edwardian setting and a few automobiles.