MovieChat Forums > Dracula (1958) Discussion > Best scene in the movie

Best scene in the movie

posted 12 years ago by mclaughlinconnor338
27 replies | jump to latest

This is exceptionally hard to pick , as this film is filled with awesome and iconic scenes. However I believe there is something truly magical when Van Helsing backs Lucy off, and comforts the little girl. It was an amazing moment, one minute he was dead serious and intense and at the drop of the hat gave a truly heartwarming performance as a paternal figure. Cushing has proven time and time again that his talents were off the chart, and yet he remains relatively ignored since he passed nearly 20 years ago. I do not get it, and this film is a classic.

[–] lunar11 12 years ago

Saw the movie again today.
The best scene for me is when Peter Cushing forms the cross with the candle sticks and when he pulls the curtains down.
The sequel took a long time coming (8 years)

I don't think its the fact that Peter Cushing has been ignored. It was just a different era. Hammer films use to come on every week when I watched it in the 70s, but how many viewers would it attract now.

[–] mclaughlinconnor338 12 years ago

You do have a good point that hammer movies don't really have a big audience now. It is a shame though because some of them, like this one are still quite good. Maybe they are not that shocking or scary anymore, but there are some high quality pictures nonetheless. I guess that goes for many other older horror movies as well.

[–] jakholman 11 years ago

The most creepy part to me is when Harker is in the cellar, just after he stake'd the girl. Dracula opens his eyes, he looks frightened, then he sees the that the sun is nearly down, then his expression changes. This is a great movie.

[–] scockery 11 years ago

Easy pick for me, Cushing slapping the hysterical German housekeeper, like he should've done when she confessed to removing the garlic and opening the windows earlier in the movie.

(Reminds me of the scene in AIRPLANE.)

[–] DracTarashV 11 years ago

I really love the first shot of Dracula's wife. She was real nice.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

[–] ElectricWarlock 11 years ago

For me, the best scene is when Jonathan puts the stake through the heart of the female vampire, and then his look of terror once he looks over and realizes that Dracula is no longer in his coffin.

Death lives in the Vault of Horror!

[–] Trippetta10 11 years ago

My favorite scene is when Lucy, who had seemed so demure with her pigtails and prim nightgown, tosses aside her crucifix and lets Dracula into her bedroom as soon as she's alone--it's obvious she can't wait for what's going to happen next. It's funny yet romantic and erotic at the same time.

[–] Prichards12345 11 years ago

I can assure you that Peter Cushing is extremely highly rated today - at least among fans of the genre. With Vincent Price and Christopher Lee he forms an iconic trilogy of horror film actors of his generation.

The problem of course is that not everyone watches horror movies, so Cushing would not get the same recognition as say, Alec Guinness and even Guinness today is better known for playing Obi Wan Kenobi than the wonderful performances he gave in Ealing films. So all actors will suffer this fate to some extent as time goes on. But for me Cushing was one of the finest actors ever to come out of the UK.

And to answer your question, the final battle bewteen Cushing and Lee - a tour de force of cinema.

"Pardon me my ear is full of milk."

[–] dennisvest30 10 years ago

I love the old Hammer films (many I own on DVDs or various collections). Cushing is overlooked by many of the younger generation. During the Hammer era there were no cheesy CGI or special effects. The casting, writing and directing were all top notch. They aren't scary in the Alien or The Exorcist vein but the atmospherics, the sets, the wonderful Cushing & Lee played off each other so brilliantly. Something about being trapped in a huge, mysterious castle (with no neighbors) is still frightening, especially since Dracula will stop at nothing to enslave those whim he desires. And nothing on Earth, aside from faith can stop the horrid creature!

I still watch these every year (especially around Halloween). Besides Horror of Dracula I love Dracula: Prince of Darkness with Father Sandor.

[–] ChristianeK 10 years ago

My favorite is when Lucy prepares herself to meet Dracula and the autumn leaves dance at the door - I want that bedroom in full of it´s cozy Technicolor glory!

[–] ElectricWarlock 10 years ago

My favorite scene has changed since the last time I watched the film. Now it is the scene where Van Helsing tells Gerda to get a bottle of wine out of the cellar, and she says she doesn't want to because she remembers the last time she disobeyed Lucy's orders. The look on Van Helsing's face when he realizes that the wine cellar is where Dracula was hiding and Mina ordered Gerda not to go there in order to protect him is a truly great moment.

[–] sillyspaghetti 10 years ago

The scene where Arthur and Van Helsing bribe the man with the coach records.

[–] 10 years ago

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