9 Things Universal's Classic Monsters Reboot Needs To Do
8. Admit That Most Modern Versions Are Bloated
Maybe its the studios attempt to give audiences more bang for their buck, but the running time of each subsequent version of the same story usually creeps upwards despite filmmakers adding nothing worthwhile to the story. Tod Brownings Dracula (1931), with Bela Lugosis definitive portrayal of the Count (ditto Dwight Frye as Renfield), clocks in at a slender 75 minutes, while the considerably more lavish 1979 remake, with its trendy gimmicks and unnecessary story changes, bloats the length to 109 minutes. By the time the Count appeared in Van Helsing, audience members were required to remain in their seats for a bum-numbing 132 minutes that were long on razzle dazzle but short on coherence. At least when Lugosis vampire was staked, you knew the movie was over and that he wouldnt return for another effects-heavy confrontation.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
