Christopher Lee as Dracula - The BEST!

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Are there any Hammer films fan here? If so, I am sure you would all agree with me that Christopher Lee was the BEST Dracula ever. He terrified me as a kid growing up in the late sixties, and whenever the blood came into his eyes, I had to look away. I have all the Lee Draculas on DVD, but cannot understand why the only one I need to complete my collection, The Satanic Rites, has never been released in the UK. Strange.

Loved all those gorgeous Hammer babes too. Veronica Carlson, the blonde girl, was my special favourite!

Truegho
www.trueghoststories.co.uk
www.horrorwriters.net

[Meso]

I loved Ingrid Pitt myself !
And Madeleine Smith ( I think that was her name )

[summer69]

Yup, I agree. Both of them did wonders to enhance Hammer's mass appeal in the glam stakes.

Truegho
www.trueghoststories.co.uk

[Drak O]

Totally agree here too. It was quite popular to *ahem* hammer the Hammer films in the 90's, hence why we ended up with the awful Coppola version. But the truth is, in spite of the odd blip, many of them were beautifully made. I was quite surprised not long ago watching Dracula Has Risen From The Grave. Still stunning to look at, and with some great performances.

Lee will always be Dracula for me.

[R.I.P my peter pan]

Warner released Satanic Rites of Dracula years ago but only on VHS and it was the same censored version as seen on the BBC.

The early American Anchor Bay dvd is the one to get .
It's uncut and widescreen although not anamorphic and its pristine quality mastered from Hammers own archival print and its also region free like all other early ABUS discs.

As the film seems to be in the Public Domain in the US there would seem to be some questions about who actually is the legal owner of the movie.

My fave Hammer Dracula films are Prince of Darkness and Taste the Blood.

Ironically the former gives Lee no dialogue whatsoever due to a contract dispute.
It was the first of his films I saw and when I caught the earlier one later and he actually spoke it spoilt it a bit at the time as I found his silence in POD to add to the eerie nature of the character

Some Hammer on Bluray is overdue

[Nich!]

I loved Christopher's Dracula, of course, but also Frank Langella's fang and red contact lens free romantic interpretation of Dracula.

[zxchyy.<3.you]

I know 4 good reasons why you liked them....

[skf]

There's one extra reason to like Ingrid Pitt but only if you got the R1 dvd of Vampire Lovers which has some additional shots compared to the UK one (although I'm unsure if the more recent re-release was restored)

[Nancy L]

Ah, those were the days. When Vampires were scary, not the loveydovey pussies they are now.

[imxfamousx101]

I totally agree. It is pathetic the way I have watered down the vampire scare factor now. Vampires should be pure demonic and EVIL, as were the Hammer vampires and Stoker's Dracula.