Movies
The Gothic setting is very nice, the relative silence (someone ironic since this is an early talkie) is also a big plus. But the acting is rather stiff, there have been way better adaptations of the story since and Bela Lugosi is simply ridiculous. I don't care how iconic his performance may be, he takes away from the atmosphere instead of adding to it.
Oldskool horror director Tod Browning takes on the Dracula myth. I'm not the biggest fan of the vampire niche to begin with, but this dialogue-heavy film with a few Gothic sets and silly sound effects really didn't do it for me. It may be just an hour long, but it felt like at least twice that long. An old castle in Czechoslovakia. Rumors say the old owner (count Mora) was killed there and still roams the premise, haunting everyone who dares to enter his former home. Borotyn, the new owner of the castle, isn't too impressed by all this folklore. But then one morning his dead body is found. Instead of atmosphere, dread, tension or whatever, Mark of the Vampire delivers endless dialogues, as if the mystery here was really all that exciting. The performances are poor, the setting is dull, the horror is almost completely absent and the twist at the end is rather laughable. Clearly cinema wasn't quite ready for talkies just yet.Read all
A pretty dull romance with a slightly darker edge. Apart from the circus setting, there's very little that catches the eye here. The plot is minimal, the romance lacks depth and even though the film is short it still manages to feel sluggish. Unless you're a fan of silent cinema or classic horror, I just don't see the appeal.