Dracula (1979)

Over the years there have been hundreds of movies made about vampires and dozens of those that use the character of Dracula. There have even been successful plays about Bram Stoker's most famous vampire and in the mid to late 70s a version starring Frank Langella hit the stage to rave reviews. And of course anything that is successful Hollywood jumps right in and turns it into a movie as fast as possible. Bringing this version to the screen, Universal was able to create an eerie and suspenseful story that at times draws the audience so far into the tale that you yourself can feel the terror and desire of the characters.
The mysterious Count Dracula moves from Romania to a deserted Abbey in England and begins his reign of terror on the local populace. The music for this film was done by the great John Williams and sets the mood from the opening scenes to the closing credits. With Langella as Dracula, the sexuality of his character with that of Lucy and Mina just drips off the screen and you can't help but see the love story that Stoker imbedded in the original. The other strong performance in this film is that of Sir Laurence Olivier as Van Helsing, his portrayal of Dracula's nemesis is by far one of the best.
I have always loved this version of the Dracula mythos and there are parts of the film that were done for suspense, that to this day have not been repeated on film for this story. Langella is a very good Dracula and brings that human side of the character to the film that has been lost over the years in other versions. With the examination of the character here, you feel the loneliness and the desperation of the long stagnant life that he is forced to live. If you love the vampire stories and have never seen this version, you are truly missing out on an adaptation that is well worth the time.