10 Scariest Horror Movie Vampires
7. Dracula 1931
While not the first depiction of the count on screen, this image of Bela Lugosi's Count Dracula would inspire almost every imitation for the rest of the 20th Century on film. The high collared, slicked haired and well-dressed Vampire would spawn dozens of imitators, all trying to be what Lugosi managed on his first take.
Lugosi had previously taken on the role in the 1927 stage play, adapted by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. Based on this, he would secure the role of Dracula in the Tod Browning film, cementing himself as one of the original Universal Monsters.
It was the first sound film adaptation of the novel, with actors cast in speaking roles. Lugosi's lobbied hard for the role, being cast both out of circumstance, in that he was in the right place at the right time and for financial reasons. Lugosi agreed to work for a tiny amount, meaning that one of the most iconic images of Hollywood history came about for a very cheap price.
Lugosi's contribution though cannot be overstated. His accented English has become the go-to Vampiric voice, something which would later leave him typecast. His performance was well received both by his contemporaries and by critics looking back on the film. He would however only return to the role on screen once more in 1948, for Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein. He did however gift cinema with the now immortal line, original to this film:
'I never drink....wine.'