Notes on…

Dracula(1931)

Dir. Directed by Tod Browning

Feels incredibly subtle for such an early film; the filmmakers trust the audience is sophisticated enough to understand unsaid and unseen things. A question: what exactly does Van Helsing go back for?

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British estate agent Renfield travels to Transylvania to meet with the mysterious Count Dracula, who is interested in leasing a castle in London and is, unbeknownst to Renfield, a vampire. After Dracula enslaves Renfield and drives him to insanity, the pair sail to London together, and as Dracula begins preying on London socialites, the two become the subject of study for a supernaturalist professor, Abraham Van Helsing.