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
Son of Dracula (1943 film) The effects were the work of special-effects artist John P. Fulton. Fulton was Universal's chief special-effects artist, starting with 1933's "The Invisible Man". Son of Dracula (1943 film) Son of Dracula is a 1943 American horror film directed by Robert Siodmak – his first film for Universal Pictures – with a screenplay based on an original story by his brother Curt. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. and his frequent co-star Evelyn Ankers. Notably it is the first film where a vampire is actually shown physically transforming into a bat on screen. It is the third in Universal's Dracula trilogy,