8mm Forum: Terror of Dracula (Perry's (?))

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Posted by John Armer (Member # 4655) on August 31, 2017, 05:22 PM:

I got hold of a copy of Terror of Dracula recently. For those who don't know, Terror of Dracula is a cut down of Nosferatu put out by, I think, Perry's movies. It's on standard 8mm and is on a very full 400ft reel; when I checked it out before projecting there was a splice in the middle so it's two pretty full 200ft joined together. I'd estimate it's about 450ft.

The cut down has English title cards and changes the continuity a bit, but it works well. The film starts with Jonathan Harker travelling to the Inn (It's set in Transylvania in 1871 we are told) where he reads a book on Vampires. After journeying to the castle via Nosferatu and his sped up, jerky and negative coach he meets 'Boris the Manservant' in Nosferatu's castle (Boris was actually Nosferatu in the original film). Following his meeting with Nosferatu and being bitten by him, we are back to Boris signing Jonathan's property deed. Jonathan eventually finds Nosferatu in his coffin and escapes, but not before he sees Nosferatu loading up his coffins onto a raft.

We cut to Nosferatu on the ship on his way to London, where he eventually terrorises and kills the crew; we are treated to the terrifying image of Nosferatu rising in his coffin and escaping from he ship accompanied by rats.

In the meantime Jonathan arrives back to his house in London; exhausted and with a strange illness he dies just as Nosferatu arrives to take up residence opposite Jonathan's house. Jonathan's widow finds Jonathan's 'Book of Vampires'. She reads it; vampires can only be killed by a woman pure of heart and she realises she has to tempt Nosferatu to visit her. He does so and we see his shadow creeping up the steps to her room. He bites her but lingers too long. The cock crows summons the dawn and he realises he's stayed too long and dissolves in the sunlight in a puff of smoke.

What an experience watching this on the Bolex 18-5; talk about atmospheric! I watched it with the soundtrack from the recent Blu-ray playing, so the music was authentic too. When I got my print (it was GBP 8) the first minute or two had been subject to some sort of spillage or damage... it looked like nitrate films I have seen with severe decomposition. I was expecting to just put it in the bin, but I checked it on the rewinds and gave it a clean. There was no smell with the film and it didn't seem shrunken so I wonder if some liquid had got onto the first part of the film and damaged the emulsion. Anyway it cleared up very soon so no problem. The print is actually pretty good with quite good contrast and not too dark. There were plenty of lines and specs but it all added to the atmosphere.

The cut down itself was very professionally done, with dissolves to move the story on quickly. Intertitles were via title cards and not subtitles. A few of the additional characters - the Renfield and Van Helsing characters and Harker's friends - do not appear at all but you do get lots of Nosferatu - just what you want to see in a half hour digest.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching full colour sound features, but there was just something about this cut-down that really summed up what film collecting is about: Nosferatu was genuinely chilling seen this way.

Any info on this release - or correction or confirmation as to who released it - would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by Dave Ruth (Member # 4596) on August 31, 2017, 08:52 PM:

Found a copy of this for $2 at my local flea market last month. I think the most astonishing thing about the cut down is that they changed the ending! They make it seem as if the happy couple gets reunited. And THEN there's an epilogue that is very reminiscent of modern horror where they show footage of nosferatu walking towards the camera and say he can't truly die and will be back!

Posted by John Armer (Member # 4655) on September 01, 2017, 04:26 PM:

Hi Dave, I think you have a different version to me! In my version Jonathan dies after he arrives back in London, just as Nosferatu gets off the ship, so no happy reunion. Yours sounds intriguing though. Is it on regular 8mm? Do you know who released it?

Posted by Dave Ruth (Member # 4596) on September 02, 2017, 05:52 AM:

It was released by Entertainment films on 8mm.

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