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Vampires don’t get much more well-known or iconic than Dracula, the legendary vampiric count who was first introduced in the famed horror novel by Bram Stoker, released in 1897. It didn’t take too long for the character to make the jump to the silver screen, especially by the 1930s with the Universal series. Yet the silent era also had a pair of Dracula films – one from 1921 that’s now considered lost, and an unofficial adaptation in the form of the legendary 1922 film Nosferatu.
But when it comes to iconic series that tell some kind of overarching story involving Dracula and the novel’s other characters, few are as noteworthy as the series done by Hammer Film Productions. There were a total of nine films in this series released between 1958 and 1974, and though not all are absolute classics, they do form together to tell an interesting overall narrative, notably featuring actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing throughout most (not all) of the films. These nine Dracula movies are ranked below, roughly from worst to best.
9 ‘The Satanic Rites of Dracula’ (1973)
A middling farewell
The Satanic Rites of Dracula ended up being the penultimate entry in this Dracula series by Hammer Film Productions, and there was a sense of things feeling a bit played out by this stage. As was established by the previous entry, events now take place in (what was then) modern times, and so there is a certain novelty factor with seeing Dracula wreaking havoc outside his usual context (normally, the late 19th century).
The last film in this series took things in an even stranger direction, so there’s an argument to be made that The Satanic Rites of Dracula is the final “traditional” Hammer Dracula movie. It also stands out for being the last time Christopher Lee was featured in one of these movies, with his charismatic and iconic performance as Dracula being key to the series’ success. If you’ve come this far into the series, The Satanic Rites of Dracula is still probably worth watching, but it is ultimately far from great.
8 ‘Scars of Dracula’ (1970)
At least Christopher Lee’s here
Given this was the sixth film in the series, Scars of Dracula really made it clear that this iteration of Dracula was one keen on never staying truly dead. Though he’d previously been reduced to ashes, all it takes here is some bat’s blood making contact with said remains, and Dracula himself is resurrected with a vengeance, and this naturally throws the lives of a nearby village’s inhabitants into chaos.
Though the movie as a whole isn’t great, and can feel a bit convoluted narratively with a sense of repetition in other areas, at least Christopher Lee features in it a great deal. There are certainly better Dracula films that succeed even though they show Dracula himself less, but for having more scenes than expected where Lee gets to cut loose, Scars of Dracula is a fun – if not quite essential – watch for fans of this type of horror.
7 ‘Dracula A.D. 1972’ (1972)
A radical shift
The seventh movie in the Hammer Dracula series was one where those making it felt a genuine need to spice things up (this eventually happens for most long-running horror franchises). As such, the film makes the rather radical decision to set things – as the title would suggest – in 1972. Therefore, the titular character, who usually appears in stories set approximately 100 years earlier, is brought back to life in the 20th century, and treats this time period as a new playground of sorts.
Dracula A.D. 1972 has value for that premise alone, and for the fact that it sees Dracula battle descendants of his rival, Van Helsing, with Peter Cushing playing both Lawrence and Lorrimer Van Helsing, and Stephanie Beacham playing the latter’s granddaughter, Jessica Van Helsing. It’s goofy fun seeing Dracula in 1970s London, even if it’s blatantly high-concept and certainly lacking in subtlety (perhaps in genuine scares, too).
6 ‘The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires’ (1974)
The one that’s really bonkers
There’s no way to put it mildly: The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires is bizarre, and easily the wildest Hammer Dracula film. After two movies where Dracula rampaged through the 1970s, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires goes back decades with most of its story taking place in the early 20th century. It was also co-produced by Shaw Brothers Studio, which means that, yes, this film is both a horror movie and a gonzo martial arts flick at the same time.
Hammer Film Productions made much better horror movies, and Shaw Brothers Studio made much better martial arts movies, but seeing the two styles collide here violently is undoubtedly fascinating. While it’s unfortunate that Christopher Lee didn’t play Dracula in this one, at least Peter Cushing’s here as Van Helsing, with the plot following him teaming up with a band of martial arts warriors to stop Dracula’s undead forces from causing destruction in China. It’s weird and messy, but stands out for being a truly singular film.
5 ‘Taste the Blood of Dracula’ (1970)
A revenge tale with bite
The Hammer Dracula movies were really being pumped out by this stage, with Taste the Blood of Dracula being the fifth one made overall. At least the plot here is a novel one, even if it does involve Count Dracula being once again resurrected. Here, it’s because three older men are bored and arrange the ceremony with an old servant of the count… but they also commit a misdeed which Dracula then considers worth punishing by death.
In that way, Taste the Blood of Dracula is centered on revenge, and though it’s a somewhat far-fetched premise, it’s undeniably entertaining and interesting. A new decade also seemed to allow a little more gruesome violence and racier sequences. It’s not that previous films lacked those, but Taste the Blood of Dracula does indeed up the ante in some of those areas, which makes it feel a little less old-fashioned than other classic Hammer Dracula movies.
4 ‘Dracula Has Risen from the Grave’ (1968)
If the formula works…
Well, you know what you’re getting in for narratively when a film is called Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. Then again, many of the great films featuring the character of Dracula could well have this title, but formulas can be okay if the formula stays fun and/or gets tweaked enough. Unlike Scars of Dracula, where the blood of a bat resurrected the titular character, in Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, it’s the blood of a priest that gets the job done.
The ultimate message of these movies might be to keep wounds away from resting places at all costs, given how these resurrections just keep happening. Still, at least in this case, the accident gives horror fans another fun outing with Christopher Lee as Dracula, and once he’s risen again, he stalks and torments the people in a nearby town, focusing his attention on two young people in particular.
3 ‘The Brides of Dracula’ (1960)
Van Helsing front-and-center
The Brides of Dracula is a novel entry in the Hammer Dracula series, as the focus here is entirely on Peter Cushing’s Van Helsing, and Christopher Lee doesn’t appear. It’s also the only film of the nine where Dracula himself doesn’t appear at all, with Van Helsing’s story here instead revolving around his attempts to defeat new undead foes: principally, one known as Baron Meinster.
Dracula’s name was snuck into the title to indicate that this was a sequel to the 1958 original, but anyone hoping to actually see the character might be disappointed. Thankfully, though, this is an all-time great Van Helsing movie and does still contain him battling vampires, and ultimately, The Brides of Dracula was an interesting way to make a sequel to Dracula (and certainly stands out from all the sequels where Dracula is simply raised from the dead… again and again).
2 ‘Dracula: Prince of Darkness’ (1966)
An excellent, surprising sequel
The third film in the series overall, there was a notable gap of six years between Dracula: Prince of Darkness and the previous film in the series, The Brides of Dracula. Blood is used to resurrect him again here, but it’s consciously done by a servant of Dracula who kills a man and uses the blood to complete a ritual that reawakens the titular villain. Typical gothic horror chaos and murder ensues.
The depiction of Dracula here is more of a feral monster than a man who just so happens to be undead, and Christopher Lee really relishes playing such a wild version of the iconic character. It can be strange seeing an animalistic Dracula who really doesn’t speak, but that also makes the entire thing feel exciting and a little less predictable, making this a very good sequel, and one that shows a different side to the iconic vampire.
1 ‘Dracula’ (1958)
Don’t mess with the original
When it comes to the Hammer Dracula films, the original can’t be beaten. The first movie in the series was released all the way back in 1958, and kicked off the entire series and established Christopher Lee as someone who could rival Bela Lugosi when it came to playing the title character. It’s based on the original Bram Stoker story, too, and so has a strong focus on the intense rivalry between Dracula and Van Helsing.
1958’s Dracula has plenty of atmosphere, style, and – for its time – rather alarming violence and scenes of horror. It’s proven influential to numerous vampire movies as the decades have gone on (Nicolas Cage himself was inspired by the Dracula depiction here), and so regardless of whether one tends to like Hammer horror movies or not, this first Dracula is an essential watch.
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