Re-watched Bram Stoker's Dracula. I honestly think it's great and worth a watch.

By BookmarkBalance1999

I did a rewatch of Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula while I was going through my 31 days of horror, and I still can’t believe how much heat it gets. It feels like everyone just zeroes in on Keanu’s acting and then ignores a bunch of stuff the movie actually does really well. Honestly, I think it’s the most entertaining Dracula movie I’ve seen. The vibe in the directing is like that old school Universal/Hammer horror feel, but it’s also got these super technical effects those older films never really could pull off. The shadow stuff especially looks awesome. And the Harker and the concubines scene is really well put together. If you’re into practical effects, this is one of the best ones I’ve come across—creative ideas all over the place, not just the usual tricks. And yeah, Keanu gets talked about a lot, but there are still some great performances in here. Gary Oldman nails the whole role, and even with the ridiculous hair, the old-age makeup works way better than you’d expect. Tom Waits as Renfield is also a huge reason to watch—the guy is hilarious and fun in the best way. I like Hopkins as Van Helsing too. I’d lump it in with horror stuff like Suspiria, Neon Demon, and even Mandy. It’s super visual, kinda artsy, but also straight-up bloody and violent. Sure, it can be more style than substance, but a lot of classic horror is like that anyway, and in this case the style is enough to make it worth it. It still has plenty of creepy, inventive imagery. I also don’t get the complaints about Dracula not being “monster enough.” This one leans hard into the lost love/Mina side early on, and I get if people don’t care for the relationship, but I really disagree with the idea that Dracula isn’t terrifying. He’s creepy as hell toward Mina, both in how he looks and what he does. And come on—when was the last time you saw a Dracula movie where he’s basically a hairy wolf-man and it’s… you know… that with a hot red head? That’s absolutely part of why this thing is memorable. Overall, I think it’s great. A lot of people seem unfair to it, and to me it’s one of the best versions of the story, especially if you like practical effects and big, opulent, gross-out horror visuals.