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DRACULA
Dracula is a movie masterpiece, and one of the earliest classic American horror movies. Many modern
day horror films are legacies of Dracula as it was critically acclaimed as a timeless-classic of its genre and
era. The story of Dracula begins with sucking of the blood and turning a young woman by the name of
Lucy Weston into a vampire. Dracula then shifts his attention to her friend Mina Seward. Mina’s health
soon begins to deteriorate; her father Dr. Seward calls in specialist Dr. Van Helsing to diagnose the
cause. Van Helsing, after realizing that Dracula is a vampire, tries to prepare Mina's fiancé and father for
what is coming and the actions that will have to be taken to prevent Mina from becoming one of the
undead. Similarities, parallels, and allusions to Dracula are often noticed within horror films present day.
Among the most recognizable of these similarities is from the movie twilight, where Edward Cullen’s
nature was defined by watching his victim/love interest sleep.

HOW DOES DRACULA CONNECT TO “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD”
When six year old Scout and ten year old Jem met little seven year old dill, they made a long lasting
friend. When dill first met Jem and scout he tries to win their approval. Bragging about his literacy did
not impress them much since scout was able to read since he was born. However, since dill had access
to movie theatres in Mississippi, he catches hold of their attention when he mentions the cinema and
fascinates them with the story of Dracula. From that point forward, the three children were inseparable,
and played together the rest of the summer. More subtly however, Dracula in the movie “Dracula” was
killed for not being human and Tom in “to kill a mockingbird” was killed for not being white. Both
characters were murdered for being who they were and having something they could not control.

THE ADDITION OF SOUND TO MOVIES
Dracula was also the very first talking horror film ever attempted; nobody knew how to pitch the film
making it so the final product would be hair-raisingly grotesque enough to make people cringe in their
seats. Silent horror films just couldn’t accomplish this level of terror. This was such a successful movie
because sound adds a whole new dimension to picture, especially in horror films. Music builds suspense,
and to hear the screams, changes in pitch, and pauses in the actor’s voices gives a whole new perception
to the dialogue that is being said.

THE ADDITION OF COLOR TO FILMS
Even though cinema was a thriving business, inventions such as radio and television were threatening
theatre attendance and ticket sales. Technicolor was a vital selling tool to solve this problem, because it
provided the viewer with an optical experience which could not be achieved outside of the movie
theatre. The Technicolor process required a special camera that split the image and recorded on
three strips of black and white film simultaneously. Red, green, and blue filters were then used to
filter the light into the three strips respectively. A printing process translated the images from the
developed strips into the color prints projected in the theatres. Technicolor was an effective
technique, but was much more complex and expensive to produce than black and white. Color was
a luxury especially during the 30s when funds were scarce and money was not something to be
wasted. The color experience revitalized viewers cinema experience and helped attract more
people to the cinema and away from their competitors of television. One reason why Dracula was
re-issued many times was because of all the technology advancements in cinema, all of which
provided a new sensory viewing experience which made the film more realistic. Being able to hear
mina’s screams, then to be able to see the dark red color of her blood made the film more terrifying
each time.

MOTIVE TO WATCH MOVIES
People were fascinated by movies and by the glamorous lives of the actors and actresses who starred in
the films. Watching movies was an independent action and help people relieve their helplessness.
Musicals reflected America's growing need escapism. Having said that; the horror genre provided the
best escapism for the mere 10 cents it took to buy a cinema ticket. Movies gave Americans a favourable
pass-time, which distracted them from the ensuing depression. For an hour or so the viewers are
transported to a new world, with new possibilities unique to that movie. The grand formal theatres
and farfetched stories satisfied people as they escaped everyday life and forgot the depression. Hence
cinematography became a national obsession, approximately 65% of the population or 80 million people
from more urban areas attended theatres weekly. People in rural areas, watched movies much less
frequently. Rural-dwellers, at the most, watched free outdoor films or movies held by nearby churches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSCBvu_kijo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH2LFZbw8qk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiXEGG8rkyw
http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2000/10/dracula_1931_review.html
http://www.filmsite.org/drac.html
http://www.horrorfilmhistory.com/index.php?pageID=1930s

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Movies of 1930

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