205) Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

Son of Halloween 2024's spectacular and not random vampire movie review extravaganza! (Part Nine)

"Children of the night... What a mess they make."

Director

Mel Brooks

Cast
Leslie Nielsen - Count Dracula
Mel Brooks - Professor Van Helsing
Peter MacNicol - Thomas Renfield
Steven Weber - Jonathan Harker
Amy Yasbeck - Mina Seward
Lysette Anthony - Lucy Westenra
Harvey Korman - Dr. Seward
Anne Bancroft - Madame Ouspenskaya, the Gypsy Woman

If you mention Mel Brooks and "horror comedy" in the same sentence to anyone, chances are they'll throw the title "Young Frankenstein" back at you. And rightly so. 

Writer, director, and comedian Mel Brooks has satirized just about every movie genre there is. But he's knocked the horror genre around twice. The second horror satire from Brooks is his 1995 Dracula spoof, "Dracula: Dead and Loving It." 

It doesn't get anywhere near the same attention and appreciation as his 1974 horror comedy classic "Young Frankenstein." 

After checking out more macabre vampire movies, some being sublime and others taking themselves too seriously, I wanted to include something like this. I needed to toss in at least one horror comedy. And what better satirical Dracula movie could their be other than something from Mel Brooks. 

I've heard of this movie, but I've never seen it until now. 

It's a parody of "Dracula" by Bram Stoker with a lot jabs aimed directly at Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film. "Bram Stoker's Dracula."

The story in "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" is the same Dracula story told again and again. I laid it all out in my review of "Dracula" from 1931 so I'm going to skip the details of the storyline. 

The late comic legend Leslie Nielsen plays Count Dracula alongside Mel Brooks as Prof. Van Helsing. Peter MacNicol stars as Renfield. And the late Anne Brancroft, who was married to Mel Brooks, and is an actress I absolutely love, has a cameo as a Gypsie woman which I got a laugh from.

Steven Weber also stars as Jonathan Harker. And Harvey Korman, who's no stranger to Mel Brook's movies, plays Dr. Jack Seward. So, this movie is certainly well cast with strong comedic talent. 

Leslie Nielsen as Dracula in "Dracula: Dead and Loving It."

And yet the movie lacks comedy. There's not enough of it. Some scenes feel like a joke is building up, and then it doesn't arrive. Disappointing!

As for the rest of the movie, it's the same story of Dracula depicted over and over again in the movies, but with light satire. It doesn't have the comedic punch I would expect from a Mel Brooks movie. No wonder this film doesn't get the same attention as his other films, especially "Young Frankenstein." While that movie is mockery mixed perfectly with a clear reverence for the movie "Frankenstein," and includes unique lines and a memorable performance by Gene Wilder, "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" certainly has a talented cast, but it goes through the motions of the Dracula story. Aside from the cast, nothing else about it stands out. Not even the lines.  

Peter MacNicol is perfectly cast as Renfield. He depicts the character's tics and sporadic mannerisms, as well as Renfield's insanity spot on. 

In fact, MacNicol is an actor who appears to enjoy whatever roles he's in, though I admit the only movies I've seen him in besides this one are "Ghostbusters II," "Addams Family Values," and Mr. Bean's movie, "Bean." He always puts forth everything he has to fine tune his performances. In other words, he never half-asses it. 

Leslie Nielsen as Dracula is exactly that - Leslie Nielsen putting on his best Dracula impression. Behind the Dracula costume and pale face, it's Leslie Nielsen. It seems liker there's potential for some comedic gold in casting Nielsen as Dracula, and then seeing what he does with this character. But it's not his most memorable character. 

This movie has potential. It's the lacking comedy which is disappointing. Only a small handful of scenes got a bit of a laugh out of me. There's little, if anything, that stuck with me after watching this. Otherwise, it's a disappointment.