British estate agent Renfield travels to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Dracula, who is interested in leasing a castle in London. After Dracula enslaves Renfield and drives him to insanity, the pair sail to London together and Dracula, a secret vampire, begins preying on London socialites.
A sublimated ghost story related with all surface seriousness and above all with a remarkably effective background of creepy atmosphere.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
7 Oct 2008
fresh:
The opening scenes, set in Dracula's castle, are magnificent -- grave, stately, and severe. But the film becomes unbearably static once the action moves to England.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
25 Sep 2007
fresh:
Not by any means the masterpiece of fond memory or reputation, although the first twenty minutes are astonishingly fluid and brilliantly shot by Karl Freund.
– Tom Milne,
Time Out,
26 Jan 2006
fresh:
With Mr. Browning's imaginative direction and Mr. Lugosi's makeup and weird gestures, this picture succeeds to some extent in its grand guignol intentions.
– Mordaunt Hall,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
Dracula deserves its status as a classic, although one might be tempted to append the word 'lesser' to that label.