"It's the Most Scarriest Time...."

[Patti Feinberg]

Alright, this weekend and last weekend, watching some vampire-type movies.

Two weeks ago, it was the TNT 2004 re-do of Stephen King's "Salem's Lot". I hadn't seen it much on TV, so I bought it a few years ago. I have not seen the David Soul/Lance Kerwin version in over 20 years.

Funny, I believe it's Andre Braugher's (humminy humminy!) character that is in hospital and telling...someone? that a vamp cannot just enter someone's home....needs to be invited in. I swear that the very next scene was Rutger Hauer is just in ?Mark's house, climbing on ceiling; while Mark's mom is telling James Cromwell to get away from her son. No one invited RH in....lol

Anywho....this weekend was the 1931 Dracula. You know, where you NEVER see fangs.
I really thought the helper was RenFREW, not Renfield or something close. But, thanks to my friends on DS Boards, I knew Mina and Lucy.
I just looked on IMDb and it's Dwight Frye who plays Renfield. I don't believe I ever noticed him before; when he's playing 'nuts', he is fantastic (again, this is 1931, waaaaayyyy before method acting; only a couple of years into 'speaking films').
When I put this disc in, I was quite stunned (as in lmao) when the two options were "Dracula" or Spanish version "Dracula" (I swear, that's exactly what was printed on the beginning of DVD.)

After watching, I did the screenwriter/director (one in the same) listening....he mentions how far Brahm Stoker would have to stretch to recognize his not that old character.

When Renfield comes to 'Transylvania', he mentions to the Count that he hopes he brought enough shipping labels; Dracula replies he is only bringing three 'crates' with him.

These three are FILLED with the long ago mentioned 'vampires native soil'.
This of course made me try to remember; I remember when Barnabas dies, the few people who know treat it as a 'plague' type, because it was so sudden, nothing familiar about his symptoms.

Now, here's the FDSMS: did they put Barn's 'box' in the crypt which, behind it, is the 'hidden room' built to hide from Red Coats during Revolutionary War? I'm quite unclear.
I 'believe' after, we'll says bye Naomi....I know that Joshua cannot kill his dead son (yep, said that on purpose!!), he chains him I *thought* in the tower room, right????

I think all of us grew up on the vampire having like a handful of dirt in their 'habitation', but not three coffins full (I'm trying to remember the Hammer films etc.).

I cannnnnooooooooootttttttt S T A N D all the newer vamps, which can go in sun, don't mind garlic et. al.

Clarity please,

Patti

[Patti Feinberg]

from IMDb
In 1971, the original Alice Cooper Group, being greatly inspired by Frye's "Renfield" character in Dracula (1931), further immortalized him in their song "The Ballad of Dwight Fry" (without the "e"). The nearly seven-minute conceptual composition appears on their "Love It To Death" album.

I just read this after my above post....it's very timely, wouldn't you say??

[DarkLady]

Barnabas became a vampire in 1795/6, well after the Revolution. When Ben first shows Barnabas the secret room as a possible hiding place, he tells him that--to Ben's surprise--Joshua was a Patriot and originally had the secret room built as a place to hide weapons. Some time later, we find out that Joshua fought against the British and came home wounded, which frightened Barnabas, who was a boy at the time.

Joshua hid Barnabas in the Tower Room for a while, but eventually had his coffin moved to the secret room. When he couldn't bring himself to kill Barnabas, he had Ben put the chains around the coffin.

No fangs in the 1931 Dracula? I'll have to check it out again!

[Gerard]

Nope, no fangs in '31's Dracula.  From what I recall, none of the incarnations of The Count (whoever played him, from Bela Lugosi to Lon Chaney, Jr., to John Carridine (I do believe he played him) in the Universal franchise had fangs.  Fangs didn't enter the cinematic presentations until the Hammer versions.  They made up for it by having them big and bloody. 

Gerard

[DarkLady]

Sounds like Hammer all over!