Dracula: Dead And Loving It
His cape is bigger on the inside
I love to laugh and make people laugh.
Nothing makes me happier than having a room full of people laugh at a
smart, thoughtful, well-timed joke. Some of my favorite funny people
include George Carlin, Lewis Black, Patton Oswalt, Demetri Martin,
and good friend/former roommate Drew Mayer (follow him at
@mayercomedy). My all-time most favorite funnyman, though, has to be
Mel Brooks. He always manages to make me laugh, even if it's with a
funny look or a goofy voice. His movies have greatly influenced my
own sense of humor throughout the years. His combination for smart
jokes, slapstick, and visual humor makes for a thoroughly enjoyable
watch. You may be wondering why I'm heaping huge praise on a comedian
when this is a horror review blog. Well, Mel Brooks is no stranger to
horror. His movie Young Frankenstein has become immensely popular
over the years and was even made into a Broadway musical. Everyone
knows and loves that movie. I'd like to focus on a not-so-beloved Mel
Brooks movie featuring another funny man, Leslie Nielsen.
Dracula: Dead And Loving It is a 1995
horror comedy starring Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun, Creepshow) as
Dracula and Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles, Robin Hood: Men In Tights)
as Abraham van Helsing. The movie spoofs the classic 1931 Dracula
film, following the story relatively closely. Solicitor Thomas
Renfield (Peter MacNicol, Ghostbusters II, Ally McBeal) travels to
Transylvania to meet with Count Dracula to finalize his purchase of
Carfax Abbey in England. When he reaches a nearby village, the
villagers (Anne Bancroft and Chuck McCann) warn Renfield that Count
Dracula is actually a vampire and with the sun setting, they will not
take him to the castle. Unconcerned and with a schedule (pronounced
“shedule” by Renfield) to keep, Renfield proceeds on foot to
Dracula's Castle. Dracula puts Renfield under a hypnotic spell,
turning him into a slave that subsists only on bugs. They travel to
England and when the boat docks, all the crew have vanished except
for Renfield. He is committed to an insane asylum run by Doctor
Seward (Harvey Korman, Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety). That night,
Dracula visits the opera where he introduces himself to Dr. Seward
who happens to be his new neighbor. He also meets Dr. Seward's
daughter Mina (Amy Yasbeck, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, The Mask) and
her friend Lucy (Lysette Anthony, Krull, The Advocate). That night,
Dracula goes to Lucy's room and bites her. The next day, she is
inexplicably exhausted and sick, so Dr. Seward calls on Dr. Abraham
van Helsing, an expert on obscure diseases. Van Helsing explains that
she has been bitten by a vampire and covers her room with garlic.
That night, Dracula breaks Renfield out of his asylum to remove the
garlic. He is captured and returned to the asylum while Dracula bites
Lucy again and turns her into a vampire. Van Helsing and Mina's
fiance Jonathan Harker (Steven Weber, Wings, Farm House) kill Lucy
with a stake to the heart while Dracula eventually bites Mina. Will
Jonathan and van Helsing be able to stop Dracula before it's too
late?
I make the same face when I find out the deli is out of knishes
If this movie sounds just like the 1931
Dracula, it's not a coincidence. Other spoofs by Brooks, such as
Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs, had managed to create their own
stories while poking fun at the originals. Dracula: Dead And Loving
It is more faithful to the source material with just a few little
asides here and there. It's perfectly fine because the focus of the
movie is more to make you laugh than to make you enjoy the story. For
those that have seen Dracula, it may be slightly boring to have to
sit through a story you already know. The jokes come quickly, with a
mixture of physical comedy, word play, clever asides and all the
other hallmarks of Mel Brooks' work. There's even the usual
sprinkling of Jewish and Yiddish humor which no doubt will leave some
gentiles scratching their heads. For those aware of that type of
humor, it's highly enjoyable, as always. Still, the jokes are fairly
“by the book”. Those accustomed to Brooks' wackiness in movies
like History Of The World Part I and Silent Movie may be a little
disappointed with Dracula: Dead And Loving It's straightforward
nature.
While the story is nothing special and
there's no scares to speak of, the performances from the cast help
move the film along. Leslie Nielsen is fun and occasionally hammy,
but in a good way. Fans of his Naked Gun movies will enjoy him
immensely. Mel Brooks is his usual funny self while never hogging the
spotlight. Amy Yasbeck is good as well, though I would have liked her
to have a bigger role. She was great as Maid Marian, so it's not like
she wasn't capable of having a larger role. The same could be said
for Steven Weber as Jonathan Harker. Despite being a comedy, there is
one scene that contains more blood than many horror movies. When
Jonathan kills Lucy, blood literally explodes all over him multiple
times. Other than that, there isn't much action of violence to speak
of. There are some pratfalls and physical comedy thrown around for
good measure just to keep the audience visually stimulated. The sets
look OK, but tend to have a fakeness to them that takes away from the
overall movie.
"Uhhhhh...she tripped!"
Dracula: Dead And Loving It may not be
the best Mel Brooks movie, but it's still very funny. There are many
negative reviews out there, but I feel that the movie has gotten
better with age. The jokes are still capable of making people laugh
which is more than what most new movies can do. I would take this
movie over any of those Date Movie, Superhero Movie, Meet The
Spartans crapfests. There isn't much story to speak of and if you've
seen the 1931 Dracula, you already know what is going to happen. If
you need something fun to watch, but still want a touch of
traditional horror, Dracula: Dead And Loving It is worth your time.
7.5/10
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