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The Horror of Dracula
In 1958 Hammer Films of England began their 'now classic' remakes of the Classic Universal Monster Films. Today the remakes themselves are considered Classics, revived in full Technicolor and wide screen. With full canine fangs and Technicolor blood Christopher Lee gave us a more horrific and brutal version of Count Dracula which delighted the audiences and continues to do so today. The shooting script, Pressbook and many photographs Production background by Ronald V. Borst. Also THE VAMPYRE by John Polidori, 1819 the complete text to the original Gothic Vampire Story With an introduction by Michael Hartley
- GenresHorror
180 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 30, 2025
THE HORROR OF DRACULA was a curious mix of the wonderful and the careless. On the wonderful side, the photographs from the production were well-worth the cost of the book on their own. It was fascinating to read the original screenplay done by Jimmy Sangster (and to realize how the changes incorporated by the filmmakers had significantly enhanced the production). And the bonus inclusion of “The Vampyre” by John Polidori allowed me to finally read and enjoy “the other notable work” that came from that same 1816 sojourn when Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (soon to be Shelley) conjured the beginnings of FRANKENSTEIN OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS.
On the careless side, the section containing the production background from Ronald V. Borst contained quite a few typographical errors. After a while, it began to feel as if the book’s publisher thought, “Oh, they won’t matter to the people who buy something like this.” Well, it did. Also, unlike other professional commentators, I was surprised by Borst’s “asides” regarding the lack of quality of other specific films. Even if he is correct, the quality of those other films are not the subject of this text.
When the BFI restoration was released, it incorporated the film’s original title, DRACULA. When it was originally released in the United States, the American distributor decided to change the title to HORROR OF DRACULA (which is how I grew up knowing it). Often, these American “retitles” made no sense regarding the film’s content. In particular, I recall 1964’s MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA being released Stateside as GODZILLA VS. THE THING. However, I think that the distributors “got it right” this time. Yes, HORROR OF DRACULA is more wonderfully lurid for marketing purposes, but it also follows the title pattern established by THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN.
I’m pleased to have THE HORROR OF DRACULA in my book collection. It is surprising how many “facts” from that period about the production history fall into a gray area with multiple major participants remembering key events differently. Still, the film itself is remarkably well-crafted, and the book encouraged me to watch it again.
On the careless side, the section containing the production background from Ronald V. Borst contained quite a few typographical errors. After a while, it began to feel as if the book’s publisher thought, “Oh, they won’t matter to the people who buy something like this.” Well, it did. Also, unlike other professional commentators, I was surprised by Borst’s “asides” regarding the lack of quality of other specific films. Even if he is correct, the quality of those other films are not the subject of this text.
When the BFI restoration was released, it incorporated the film’s original title, DRACULA. When it was originally released in the United States, the American distributor decided to change the title to HORROR OF DRACULA (which is how I grew up knowing it). Often, these American “retitles” made no sense regarding the film’s content. In particular, I recall 1964’s MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA being released Stateside as GODZILLA VS. THE THING. However, I think that the distributors “got it right” this time. Yes, HORROR OF DRACULA is more wonderfully lurid for marketing purposes, but it also follows the title pattern established by THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN.
I’m pleased to have THE HORROR OF DRACULA in my book collection. It is surprising how many “facts” from that period about the production history fall into a gray area with multiple major participants remembering key events differently. Still, the film itself is remarkably well-crafted, and the book encouraged me to watch it again.
November 14, 2021
The editing and formatting leaves a lot to be desired, but Sangster's script proves to be very readable, even 60+ years on.
March 25, 2020
These MagicImage film books are great, though of late, there are a distracting number of typos (almost every page, and sometimes more than one to a page). A little proofreading prior to publishing would do wonders! Other than that, the production background is loaded with information. Reading Jimmy Sangster’s script while watching the film, it’s possible to see how it was improved upon during production, and how huge a contribution director Terrence Fisher made to it.
July 6, 2014
In 1957, Hammer Films released THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, simultaneously reinvigorating the Horror genre and crowning Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as the new Kings of Horror. To follow up on their success, the studio turned to Dracula, creating one of the most definitive and fondly remembered versions of the Bram Stoker classic.
Collected here is the original shooting script for Terence Fisher’s DRACULA (known as HORROR OF DRACULA in the United States) written by Jimmy Sangster, production background and still photos, and the original pressbook, providing an interesting trail of how the script gradually evolved into the movie it is revered as today. Many of the changes were made for the better, including the presentation of certain scenes, the costume selection for Dracula, the portrayal of Van Helsing, and the climactic confrontation between the vampire hunter and the Lord of the Undead, which still ranks as one of the most exciting and spectacular finales in the canon of Hammer Horror. However, it’s equally true that without the script to draw upon, those changes would not have been possible. Terence Fisher may have built the house, but Jimmy Sangster first laid the foundation.
The quality of the film book is marred slightly by a number of editorial errors making their way into the final print. The effect is sometimes distracting, although not to the extent that it detracts from the overall enjoyment one gets from reading it.
An appropriately added bonus is the complete text of THE VAMPYRE by John Polidori. Conceived on the same fateful night as Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN at the Villa Diodati, this eerie tale is the first English-written gothic vampire novel, and a precursor to Bram Stoker’s DRACULA.
Philip J. Riley delivers with yet another outstanding piece of Horror movie history, with another classic, THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, next to come.
Collected here is the original shooting script for Terence Fisher’s DRACULA (known as HORROR OF DRACULA in the United States) written by Jimmy Sangster, production background and still photos, and the original pressbook, providing an interesting trail of how the script gradually evolved into the movie it is revered as today. Many of the changes were made for the better, including the presentation of certain scenes, the costume selection for Dracula, the portrayal of Van Helsing, and the climactic confrontation between the vampire hunter and the Lord of the Undead, which still ranks as one of the most exciting and spectacular finales in the canon of Hammer Horror. However, it’s equally true that without the script to draw upon, those changes would not have been possible. Terence Fisher may have built the house, but Jimmy Sangster first laid the foundation.
The quality of the film book is marred slightly by a number of editorial errors making their way into the final print. The effect is sometimes distracting, although not to the extent that it detracts from the overall enjoyment one gets from reading it.
An appropriately added bonus is the complete text of THE VAMPYRE by John Polidori. Conceived on the same fateful night as Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN at the Villa Diodati, this eerie tale is the first English-written gothic vampire novel, and a precursor to Bram Stoker’s DRACULA.
Philip J. Riley delivers with yet another outstanding piece of Horror movie history, with another classic, THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, next to come.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews