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 Return of Dracula "Low-budget flick about the Count (Lederer) killing a European man, taking his papers, and coming to America to stay with small-town family. Lederer thwarted by mediocre script." On October 27, 1971, Lederer reprised his role of Count Dracula on an episode of "Night Gallery" titled "The Devil Is Not Mocked". In this story, Dracula tells his grandson how he fought the Nazis during World War II. The Return of Dracula The Return of Dracula (a.k.a. Curse of Dracula on US television and The Fantastic Disappearing Man in the UK) is a 1958 horror film starring Francis Lederer as Count Dracula.