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
Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula Nocturna (more commonly referred to by its promotional title Nocturna: Granddaughter of Dracula) is a 1979 film conceived by star Nai Bonet and written and directed by Harry Hurwitz, who was credited as "Harry Tampa." This was the fourth and final time John Carradine played Count Dracula; he had also played him in "House of Frankenstein", "House of Dracula" and "Billy the Kid vs. Dracula". It premiered in France at the Paris Festival of Fantastic Films on March 1, 1979 to coincide with its U.S. release. The movie is copyrighted 1978 in the opening and ending