Horror movie review 1: Dracula (1931)

Hello everyone! Decided to start my horror movie reviews tonight, since it's the first one I'm going with one of my favorites, Dracula with Bela Lugosi!!! 

Plot: 6/10

Although the Dracula movie does not follow the same plot in the book (Wich is much better in my opinion) it is still very interesting and fun and has become the story many people think of when they think of Dracula. Renfield travels to Dracula's Castle for the purchase of Carfax Abby, there Renfield is hypnotized and brought back with Dracula, the both of them wrecking havoc on the people there. Overall the plot to this one is much less interesting than the book (plz read the book I beg) but it is a classic for a reason. It has inspired countless horror movies and still remains relevant today. It follows a very basic but trustworthy plot structure.

Cinematography: 7/10 

the overall cinematography for the time is very nice, but it's nothing crazy. It being in black and white definitely adds to the feeling of the movie, and the framing on some scenes is very very nice making many memorable scenes (such as the scene when renfield falls down the stairs lolz)

Acting: 7.5/10

The acting is very good, but two people in particular make it worth it. Bela Lugosi (as Dracula) and Dwight Frye (as Reinfield) it's not the best acting I've ever seen, but it's certainly good for the time. Plus, the whole reason we think of vampires having the accent we do is because of Bela Lugosis portrayal of Dracula.

Atmosphere: 8/10

Definitely gothic and spooky, especially when viewed in black and white. The costumes are nice and the set design is also stunning. It's the most classic vampire movie ever, and I love it. However, my main issue with this movie is that there is no background music. In many ways this helps the film, silence is just as powerful as a tool as sound, but it feels lacking in some of the more suspenseful parts. A soundtrack was added in the 90's and executed horribly, but I feel like a good soundtrack could have added so much more to the film if done right.

Overall rating: 7.5

Absolutely amazing film and one of my favorites of all time. I love the Bela Lugosi Dracula and vampires and old films are a match made in heaven. It is very telling of its time and not one of the best movies I've seen (even this it's one of my favorites). I feel like many things could have been better, but this is just my opinion. Please check it out if you haven't already, like I said before, it's a classic for a reason. And PLEASEEEEE read the book. So many things were lost in the book that didn't carry over into the movies of today and it makes me very sad because it's just such an amazing book.