Dracula (1931, USA) Review
Universal Studios had delved into horror filmmaking with silent films The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), but Dracula (1931) was Universal’s first “talking picture” in the horror genre. Directed by Tod Browning and an uncredited Karl Freund, Dracula was based on the 1924 stage play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston; adapted from the 1897 novel of the same name by Bram Stoker. After Carl Laemmle, Jr. was able to legally secure the novel’s film rights, screenwriter Garrett Fort began work on adapting Dracula for the movie theater.
