Dracula (1931)

 Tod Browning's "Dracula"

In the new sound era of film at the start of the 1930s, Universal Studios attracted many Depression-era audiences to the thrills of the 'horror' genre. Films like "Frankenstein," "The Invisible Man," and "The Bride of Frankenstein" all had great success with audiences wanting a thrilling escape from the stress and uncertainty of modern life. The film that started this trend was Tod Browning's 1931 film "Dracula." The original source material, Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same name, had already been adapted to the stage by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston in 1927. The success of the stage play is what ignited the interest in turning the story into a full-length feature film. Universal Studios even hired the actor playing Dracula in the play version, Bela Lugosi, who would forever be iconic for portraying the vampire. There had been one other instance of Stoker's novel being adapted to a film, despite it being an unauthorized version. F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent masterpiece "Nosferatu" used the Dracula story, with the exception of the vampire's name. After Stoker's widow sued the 1922 production for plagiarism and copyright infringement, the courts ruled in her favor and demanded that every copy of "Nosferatu" be destroyed. As we know today, that didn't end up happening. Even so, the 1931 adaptation of Stoker's novel borrowed stylistically from Murnau's 1922 film and can even be said to be a 'commercial' version of the iconic story.

When Universal hired Browning to direct the film, they expected iconic silent actor Lon Chaney (Browning's longtime collaborator) to play Dracula. However, after Chaney's sudden death in 1930, they were forced to bring in Dracula stage actor, Bela Lugosi. Lugosi's performance as Dracula would end up being the blueprint for all subsequent performances of the iconic vampire, however. His accent, the way he moved very slowly, and his movements with his cape were all cemented as being the idiosyncrasies of the character. This, however, plagued Lugosi, who was typecast throughout his career in 'vampiric' roles. Despite playing a vampire in a handful of other films, Lugosi resented this. He grew tired of being likened to this iconic role and stopped accepting offers to play vampires at a certain point. 

The film debuted in New York City at the Roxy Theater on February 12, 1931. As a marketing ploy, newspapers reported that certain members of the audience fainted in shock at the horror presented on screen. The marketing worked and when the film opened nationwide two days later, it sold over 50,000 tickets. The film became Universal's largest profit earner in 1931. This largescale success created a market for the 'horror' genre. Within the next several years, horror films became a major Hollywood staple.