Dracula in popular culture Balderston (see below); it starred Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing, both of whom had originated their respective roles on the stage in the aforementioned play, along with Helen Chandler as Mina and Dwight Frye as Renfield. Directed by Tod Browning, it is one of the most famous versions of the story and is widely credited with initiating the Universal horror film series of the 1930s and ‘40s. The 1931 Dracula film was an inductee of the 2000 National Film Registry list. The films had music only during the opening (the famous main theme from
The Last Horror Movie that since they are watching the only copy of the film, that they will potentially become one of Max's victims. Richards stated that he was inspired to create "The Last Horror Movie" after reading Stephen King's "Danse Macabre". Richards was also inspired by "the idea of using horror fiction to help people explore their anxieties about difficult issues", as he has the main character of Max Parry using it as a way to "justify his crimes to the world". The movie was filmed with a small crew on a limited budget, with most of the film's issues stemming from the