1. Isle of the Dead (1945)
2a. The Vampire Bat (1933)
2b. The Body Snatcher (1945)
3a. The Thing (1982)
3b. The Old Dark House (1932)
3c. Freaked (1993)
4. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
5. Wishmaster (1997)
6. Jason X (2001)
7. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

8a. Dracula (Spanish version) (1931)
8b. Count Dracula (1977)



I got onto a Dracula kick and checked out an adaptation I've never seen and one I haven't seen in a while.

For anyone who doesn't know, the Spanish version of Dracula was filmed on the same sets as the Lugosi movie, and using the same script. The Spanish cast and crew would come in and shoot at night after their English counterparts finished for the day. What's really interesting about it is that, between the different sensibilities of the two directors and the slightly more permissive nature of the Spanish market, this version of the movie is often thought of as the superior of the two. At least from a story perspective. The last act in particular is hugely improved, but the whole thing just makes a little more sense in this version.

Count Dracula was a BBC movie. Its claim to fame, if it has one, is that it's the closest to the book of all the Dracula film adaptations. And it really is, there's no denying it...but it's also dull as dishwater. Which is not to say I equate the two. Coppola's Dracula was also extremely faithful to the book (minus one glaring exception), and that movie was never boring. The BBC version had all the right ingredients, it just had none of the flavor. It looked as flat as a daytime soap opera, and none of the performances or dialogue ever rose above that comparison. Still, it's free on Amazon Prime at the moment, if anyone is curious.