Dracula
It is the year 1462. Constantinople has fallen. Prince Dracula [Gary Oldman] must leave his bride Elizabeta [Winona Ryder] to do battle against the invading Turks. A message arrives at the castle falsely announcing that Dracula has been killed in battle. Elizabeta flings herself into the river below. Because she committed suicide, the Bishop [Anthony Hopkins] proclaims her soul damned. Furious that God let his wife die while Dracula was defending His church, Dracula renounces God and the Church. He draws his sword and stabs the large cross on the dais of his chapel and it begins to bleed. Dracula drinks the blood flowing from the cross, proclaiming he will be reborn after his death.
March 1897, England. Law clerk Jonathan Harker [Keanu Reeves] must travel toTransylvania to close the sale of 10 London properties being purchased byCount Dracula. Upon his return, Jonathan and fiancee Mina Murray [Winona Ryder] intend tobe married. In Jonathan's absence, Mina goes to stay with her rich friendLucy Westenra [Sadie Frost], who has just recently received three marriage proposals --from Texan Quincey Morris [Bill Campbell], Dr Jack Seward [Richard E Grant], and Lord Arthur Holmwood [Cary Elwes] -- and she has decided to marry Arthur.
Meanwhile, Jonathan has arrived at Castle Dracula following a strangecarriage ride past blue flames and wolves. Even stranger is the Counthimself. He never eats, sleeps all day, lives alone in a large castle inwhich most of the doors are locked, and crawls down the castle walls likea reptile. Jonathan has begun to have strange dreams about three women whotry to seduce him. To Jonathan's further unease, the Count seems to befascinated with a picture of Mina and has forced Jonathan to write letterssaying that he will be staying with the Count for another month.Meanwhile, the Count is preparing for his trip to England by having his mindless servants fill largecrates with dirt.
July, 1897. Jonathan has been gone for over three months, and Mina issick with worry, while Lucy is involved with planning for her wedding. ButLucy is not without worries either. A particularly violent summer stormhas recently washed a ship of dead sailors upon the beach, and shortlythereafter Lucy has begun her old habit of sleepwalking. Each time shesleepwalks, she returns bewildered and pale. Dr Seward, who has his handsfull treating the fly-eating lunatic R M Renfield [Tom Waits] , has taken on Lucy ashis patient. She shows all the signs of anemia, but Dr Seward can find nocause for it. Consequently, he has decided to send for a metaphysician,philosopher, and specialist in rare blood disorders, his old mentorProfessor Abraham Van Helsing [Anthony Hopkins]. Upon his arrival, Van Helsing immediatelybegins a blood transfusion on Lucy and places garlic near her bed.
Meanwhile, Mina has begun occupying herself with a man she met nearthe cinematograph. He introduced himself as Prince Vlad of Szekely, andMina is strangely drawn to him, as though she knows him. When she finallyreceives news that Jonathan has suffered a violent brain fever and isbeing cared for by the sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who bid her tocome to Romania and be married to Jonathan, she realizes that she can nolonger see her prince again. Mina says goodbye to Lucy, writes a note toDracula, and sets sail for Romania. Dracula, heartbroken at losing Mina toJonathan, takes Lucy as his bride instead.
Lucy is dead, although Van Helsing knows that the correct term is'undead,' for he can see the fangs in her mouth and knows that she isnosferatu. He explains to Arthur, Jack, and Quincey that, to give Lucy'ssoul peace, they must cut off her head and take out her heart. They arehorrified and think that Van Helsing is just a sick old coot, until theyspend a night in Lucy's tomb and find her returning with a child in herarms. When the deed is done, they band together to seek out the vampyreand destroy it.
Mina and Jonathan have returned to London, only to hear that Lucy hasdied. One night, they have dinner with Van Helsing, and Jonathan realizesthat he knows Count Dracula and that he sleeps in Carfax Abbey. Aftersecuring Mina at Dr Seward's sanitarium, the five of them -- Van Helsing,Jonathan, Quincey, Jack, and Arthur -- pay a visit to the abbey in order tosterilize Dracula's earthboxes. Meanwhile Dracula is paying a visit toMina. When she learns that her prince is actually the vampyre who killedLucy, she becomes extremely upset, but not enough to resist wanting to bewith him, to live how he lives. Dracula drinks from Mina, then opens avein in his chest and bids her drink. However, he stops short after shehas taken but a bit. 'I love you too much to condemn you,' he explains.Suddenly, Van Helsing et al burst in the room. They attempt to destroyDracula, but he changes into hundreds of rats and scurries away.
Dracula knows that he cannot stay in England any longer and bookspassage back to Transylvania via Varna. Mina and the men follow closebehind. As Dracula is in mind contact with Mina, Van Helsing knowsDracula's plans but Dracula also seems to know theirs. Instead of sailinginto Varna, Dracula diverts the ship 200 miles north and lands at Galatz,causing a change in plans such that Van Helsing and Mina take a carriagedirectly from Varna to the Borgo Pass while Jonathan, Quincey, Arthur, andJack continue by train to Galanz where they secure horses and ride for theBorgo Pass, hoping to cut off Dracula. They are unsuccessful. Dracula'sgypsies picked up his earthbox at Galanz and are now speeding down theBorgo Pass road. It's going to be a close race.
Mina and Van Helsing are almost to the castle but decide to stop forthe night. Van Helsing casts a circle around Mina and protects her byburning her forehead with a blessed communion wafer. In the circle theystay through the night while Dracula's three brides tempt Mina to jointhem. The next morning, as Mina sleeps in the circle, Van Helsing visitsthe castle and beheads the vampiresses, throwing them all into the gorge.
It is near sundown. The gypsy wagon bearing Dracula in his earthboxapproaches the castle. Jonathan, Arthur, Quincey, and Jack are riding hardto catch up. Mina and Van Helsing wait inside the castle courtyard. Minacalls up a blue flame to protect Dracula. As the gypsy wagon enters thecourtyard, a gypsy stabs Quincey in the back. Jonathan attempts to openDracula's earthbox, but the sun has set and Dracula rises. At that verymoment, however, Jonathan slits Dracula's neck and Quincey stabs Draculathrough the heart with a sword. Mina screams. As Arthur races forward tofinish Dracula, Harker stops him. 'Let them go,' he says. 'Our work isfinished here; hers is just begun.'
As Quincey dies, Mina sits with Dracula on the chapel floor insidethe castle. She kisses him, and he begs her to give him peace. Then, outof love, she pushes the sword the rest of the way through Dracula's heart.The burn on her forehead disappears, Dracula dies, and Mina releases himby cutting off his head. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]
