Words almost fail me...where was Dracula or Bram Stoker in this? Oh yeah, right, the women character's names were taken from a book by Stoker.
There was no fantasy in this mess, nothing even particularly supernatural. What else was it missing? Let's see: No brides of Dracula; no live baby for Dracula's din-din; no Dracula castle wall-scaling; no Renfield; no insane asylum; no Bloofer Lady; no blood baptism and Host-scarred Mina; no night spent in a magic circle fending off the brides; no gypsies. Hell, where was Dracula? Did I miss something? They've just staked Lucy in this regrettable production as I write this, and all I can say is, "Thank you, Jesus!" Now if everyone else comprising the cast would just go up in flames in a good old fashioned Hammer conflagration, I'd be so happy.
Why call it Dracula when there is so little of Stoker's Dracula, save some character names, in it? Is this just to sucker folks in? Is it directorial arrogance presuming that its audience is unfamiliar with the source novel? When I sat down to watch this, particularly because it was broadcast on PBS as a Masterpiece Theatre offering, I expected something, somehow, approximating Stoker's work. Call it LORD BLOODYLONGHAIRANDDIRTYNAILS VS. THE WHINING YOUNG VICTORIANS and then it makes some sense, but don't call it Dracula.
I'm now watching it just to see how one of the most incoherent productions bearing the name Dracula will turn out. I guess I want a good laugh, or I can't stop watching the train wreck! And the ending is stunningly awful--why not just add a closing THE END? with shivery question mark? BLECH!
There was no fantasy in this mess, nothing even particularly supernatural. What else was it missing? Let's see: No brides of Dracula; no live baby for Dracula's din-din; no Dracula castle wall-scaling; no Renfield; no insane asylum; no Bloofer Lady; no blood baptism and Host-scarred Mina; no night spent in a magic circle fending off the brides; no gypsies. Hell, where was Dracula? Did I miss something? They've just staked Lucy in this regrettable production as I write this, and all I can say is, "Thank you, Jesus!" Now if everyone else comprising the cast would just go up in flames in a good old fashioned Hammer conflagration, I'd be so happy.
Why call it Dracula when there is so little of Stoker's Dracula, save some character names, in it? Is this just to sucker folks in? Is it directorial arrogance presuming that its audience is unfamiliar with the source novel? When I sat down to watch this, particularly because it was broadcast on PBS as a Masterpiece Theatre offering, I expected something, somehow, approximating Stoker's work. Call it LORD BLOODYLONGHAIRANDDIRTYNAILS VS. THE WHINING YOUNG VICTORIANS and then it makes some sense, but don't call it Dracula.
I'm now watching it just to see how one of the most incoherent productions bearing the name Dracula will turn out. I guess I want a good laugh, or I can't stop watching the train wreck! And the ending is stunningly awful--why not just add a closing THE END? with shivery question mark? BLECH!