I can't believe that no-one has picked up on this before, either here or on moviemistakes.com. At the beginning of the movie during the scene of Dracula's 'resurrection' - how can the priest see Dracula's reflection in the water, when Dracula himself does not (or should not) cast a reflection, either on a mirror or on water!
shareI can't believe that no-one has picked up on this before, either here or on moviemistakes.com. At the beginning of the movie during the scene of Dracula's 'resurrection' - how can the priest see Dracula's reflection in the water, when Dracula himself does not (or should not) cast a reflection, either on a mirror or on water!
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The issue of Dracula/Vampires casting reflections in mirrors/water has been raised in other films including Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein (Dracula's reflection being seen in a mirror when he is "biting" Sandra up in the bedroom before the costume party and also in Dracula (1979 version). In the Langella '79 version, Mina's reflection appears in the water after her father Van Helsing (Laurence Oliver)while in the underground tunnel, drops his cross in the water and is desperately searching for it. Mina appears standing over him casting a very visible reflection in the water. This especially becomes problematic in this particular film since later on, there is a major scene between Van Helsing and Dracula, where the absence of a reflection in a mirror becomes key to exposing Dracula as a vampire. I have read the explanation offered for this by the director. Its interesting. He allows for it by explaining that by dropping the cross in the water- the water has become, like the cross itself, a purified vessel that reveals the vampire for what he/she is. In this instance, the forces of Good use the presence of a reflection, rather than an absence of one, as a protection against the vampire. Good enough. If one accepts that explanation, I suppose it could be expanded to include the possibilty that before he becomes Dracula's unwitting slave, the priest, being a holy vessal of sorts himself, is able to see Dracula's reflection in the water while the average person could not. Perhaps.
shareMaybe because it was "running water" and thus its physical properties would not be corrupted by Dracula's powers? I have always thought that the vampire not casting a reflection thing had to do with how a mirror "reflects the soul" and since a vampire has none there is no reflection.
Perhaps the same does not hold true to all reflective surfaces?
Probably not what the filmmakers intended, but I always like to believe that the vampires in Hammer films CAN cast a reflection in water or any reflective surface other than a mirror. Mirrors are made of silver, supposedly a "holy metal", hence vampires cannot be seen in them, despite being able to reflect in other surfaces. I like the "running water" theory that another poster suggested as well.
I also like to believe that the reason Baron Meinster cannot turn into a bat to escape the chain in Brides of Dracula, is because the chain is made of silver and prohibits him from using his supernatural powers. These explanations are farfetched, sure, but I think they tend to work within the rules established by the movies.