Jack Palance is not among the very last of the actors I would consider to play Dracula, if only because he never would have been anywhere on the list of candidates, period.  I have found him to be very good in some movies, not so good in others, but he lacks many of the qualities I think would make him appropriate for the role.

To my considerable surprise, Palance is exceptional in a 1974 telefilm adaptation of Dracula.  He has the stature and, let’s face it, he has always had an intimidating stoicism.  Those qualities serve him well here.

I can imagine the snorts and eyerolls of anybody who might be reading this when I wrote this was made for television.  Those who immediately dismiss an entire form of media are missing out on some real diamonds, even if you do have to go through the rough to unearth them.  In this case, we have a telefilm directed by Dan Curtis and written by horror legend Richard Matheson, the team behind the also excellent The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler.

It was screened in theatres outside the US, including the UK, which was pretty common at the time.  And, honestly, given the solid photography and widescreen shot compositions, I would not have assumed this was made primarily with the intention of it being shown on the small screen.  Location shooting in very old locales in Yugoslavia and Croatia definitely makes the most of a budget that had to have been far less than that of a big studio feature film.

There have been considerable variations in the distance the assorted adaptations of Stoker’s novel have hewed to the source material.  This one is fairly faithful, though it is inevitably partly influenced by the Lugosi version and the Hammer series.  Other sources might have also been incorporated, but I am unconcerned about that.  I’m not a purist, and I don’t care which versions of, or elements thereof, the whole vampire mythology it sticks to.

In this take on the tale, we follow poor, doomed Jonathan Harker (Murray Brown) on his way to the count’s estate.  As always, I like it when we see this part of the story, though it never stops striking me as strange that we have a monster movie begin with somebody going to complete something so mundane as a real estate transaction. 

I like the scene where Palance looks at the photos Brown has brought with him of his fiancée and friends.  When he sees Lucy (Fiona Lewis), he snarls and contorts with face in a way that reveals a nature which is truly beastly.  Even better is his expression when Brown points out her boyfriend, as if he suddenly smelled something repulsive.

Once Brown is trapped in the mansion, he discovers a passage into a secret and rundown part of it.  I like how there are cobwebs all over everything, yet there are candles lit.  So, this area hasn’t fallen into disuse, but who is still using it, and for what purpose? 

Brown gets his answers in a moment that actually made me jump.  He’s looking at a very old painting of Palance, who somehow looks the same in the present age, only to turn around and discover creepy women standing stock-still at different places around the room.  Like some diabolical game of “red light / green light”, the brides of Dracula have entered without a sound and then stopped as soon as they are observed.

There’s another great moment shortly after, when Palance arrives in England.  All we are shown of how we traveled to England is the wrecked ship Demeter crashed on the shore, and a man lashed to the wheel, his arm locked outwards holding the crucifix that failed to save their life.  This isn’t a jump scare, unlike the scene with the brides, but the impact of this brief scene lasts long after the credits roll.

One element which is unique to this version, as far I can tell, is it becomes a police procedural for an extended period of time, as Simon Ward and Nigel Davenport trace the path of carriers to find the ultimate destination of boxes of earth reported on the docket of the Demeter.  I might have seen other versions with scenes like this, and simply forgot, but this one is noteworthy in how much time is devoted to the thread.

Even at the time it was made, everybody knew the basic story points of the Dan Curtis Dracula, as well as roughly how it will turn out.  No wheels are reinvented but, for fans of this particular niche of horror, it is quite satisfying simply to see it executed so well.  That Jack Palance makes such a surprisingly good Drac is icing on the cake.

Dir: Dan Curtis

Starring Jack Palance, Simon Ward

Watched on blu-ray