Tod Browning's 1931 DRACULA is certainly a film classic.  Bela Legosi might be the oft parodied Dracula with his creepy hand gestures and thick Hungarian accent, but he's also the Dracula that has been indelibly imprinted on the world's psyche when it comes to the most famous of vampires. 

On the flip side, there's also much to make fun of in this film.  Jump ahead in the video clip to about 1:40 to get a gander at some of Dracula's Transylvanian pets...it's okay, I'll wait for ya...

...Are you going what the f*ck, too?  Armadillos???? In Transylvania???? And in Dracula's castle??? Seriously Tod Browning?  Did you really think the movie-going public would mistake them for giant rats?  You'd have been better off hiring a possum wrangler for that scene.  At least the Virginia opossum looks like a giant rat.  Armadillos look sorta like a mutant rat/kangaroo wearing armor. 

Maybe the possum people were on strike when this movie was filmed.  Maybe Tod Browing told his props people to get him giant Norway rats and someone misread his scribble for Texas armadillo. I mean the words rat and armadillo look so much alike.  Who the heck knows?  It's one of those movie-making mysteries for will forever plague me.

Happy Day of the Dead!

An hour later: okay, a writer friend of mine just told me that Universal Studios used armadillos in this scene because they thoughts rats would be too creepy.

Huh? 

As if a movie about a dead guy who sucks the blood of the living isn't creepy?  And what about vampire bats (which are obviously fake)?  I mean, why stop with substituting armadillos for rats?  Why not pigeons for bats?  Maybe poodles for wolves?  And maybe reindeer to pull Dracula's coach?  Hey, why not just scrap the whole horror movie idea altogether.  Lordy, lordy, lordy.

I've recently become a big fan of the TV show THE BIG BANG THEORY which revolves around four nerdy scientists who revel in the minutia of their favorite spec fiction movies, books, and TV shows.

In keeping with the spirit of fellow geekdom, here are the Top Five Dracula movies of all time (in my opinion, of course.)

1. BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992) starring Gary Oldman as the Count (pictured above with Winona Ryder as Mina Murray Harker) and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  The most faithful adaptation to the novel.  Although historical details about the real-life Vlad Tepes of Transylvania were added to the screenplay, I thought this was a good use of creative license.  Oldman has acting chops and turns in a marvelous performance as the famous count who never drinks wine.

2. DRACULA (1979) starring Frank Langella.  Directed by John Badman of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER fame.  Langella sizzles with sex appeal in this film based on the stage play.  Ooh la la!  Put the bite on me, baby!

3. TERROR OF DRACULA (1958) starring Christopter Lee.  A Britsh Hammer Films Production. I find Lee a bit wooden in this role, but his character's malevolence comes across forcefully.  Peter Cushing (Governor Tarkin in STAR WARS) as Van Helsing and Michael Gough (Alfred the Butler in the BATMAN movies) as Jonathon Harker round out the cast.

4. DRACULA (1932) starring Bela Lugosi.  A Universal Pictures Production.  Lugosi is the most parodied of all the Draculas, yet his performance is beautiful to behold and he was actually Hungarian, so his accent is real. 

5. NOSFERATU (silent movie era) starring Max Shreck as Count Orlock.  A truly frightening film where the Count is not portrayed as a romantic figure in the least.  Bram Stoker's widow sued the film makers for copyright infringement and won. 

So, who is your favorite Dracula of all time?