Jonathan Harker is invited by Dracula (Jack Palance) to his castle. He's looking to buy a property in England. He spots Lucy Westenra in one of Harker's picture. Lucy happens to look like his late beloved wife. Harker is taken prisoner. Back in England, Dracula had moved into the Carfax estate near Lucy. Dr. Van Helsing is brought in to examine a strange wound on her neck. Her fiancée Arthur is concerned.

Jack Palance is playing Dracula. That's all one needs to know. That's the alpha and the omega. He's the star but he's only in sections of this movie. It's not enough to make this excel. Nobody is holding the screen as good as Palance. This TV version has its good sides.

Best known for the vampire laced daytime soap opera "Dark Shadows", producer Dsn Curtis went down the rabbit hole once again to create his own variation of Bram Stoker's story, colorful and equally Gothic. Jack Palance takes on the part with gusto, always subtle and somewhat poignant. Rather than cast veterans of his TV series. Curtis preferred to get a group of well known British character actors, casting the likes of Simon Ward, Nigel Davenport and Pamela Brown, giving the sometimes youthful characters of the novel a more mature look.

The film is slow in spots but atmospheric and generally creepy. However, Palance plays down the horror even if his fangs are a bit more pronounced and his creeping around the world of the children of the night quite spooky. He attempts to dilute the Hungarian accent, sounding more continental and upper crust British or Bostonian than others who played the role that were unlike Bela Lugosi not a native eastern European. Worth seeking out for its chills, even if there's nothing really new there to make any advances in the often told story.

This film is by Dan Curtis--the man most famous for bringing the world the TV show "Dark Shadows". However, following this show, Curtis made several excellent monster films--such as this Dracula as well as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I admire this film for trying to be different. Jack Palance as Dracula?! Well, it does work provided you are willing to accept a Dracula that looks and acts NOTHING like the one from Dracula (1931) or Nosferatu (1922). Instead of the monstrous Dracula or the weird Dracula, this Dracula is a combination of the vampire and the real-life Vlad the Impaler (who was named "Dracula"--literally, "son of the dragon"--a 15th century maniac who fought against the Muslim invasions of Europe). And, because it is so different, it does work. While not "earth shaking", it is very satisfying and fun to watch. After giving this a shot, also try to find a copy of Palance's earlier DR. JECKYL AND MR. HYDE. They're both pretty good.

By the way, look as Van Helsing is sinking a stake into the vampiress' heart late in the film. When she screams, you can clearly see several very modern fillings in her teeth.