Dracula (1931 English-language film) the screen. With this mesmerizing performance, Dracula became Bela Lugosi's signature role, his Dracula a cultural icon, and he himself a legend in the classic Universal Horror film series. However, Dracula would ultimately become a role which would prove to be both a blessing and a curse. Despite his earlier stage successes in a variety of roles, from the moment Lugosi donned the cape on screen, it would forever see him typecast as the Count. Browning would go on to direct Lugosi once more in another vampire thriller, "Mark of the Vampire", a 1935 remake of his lost silent film
Dracula in popular culture Dracula on film for the second and final time.) The Universal Studios films in which Dracula (or a relative) appeared (and the actor portraying the character) were: In 1958, Hammer Films produced "Dracula", a newer, more cinematic Gothic version of the story, starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula and Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing. In 2004 it was named by "Total Film" magazine as the 30th-greatest British film of all time. Although it takes many liberties with the novel's plot, the creepy atmosphere and charismatic performances of Lee and Cushing make it memorable. It was released in the United