Dracula: The True Story

A short German documentary exploring the origins in history of the fictional Dracula, Dracula: THE TRUE STORY is a mixed bag. It's heavy on the information, with plenty of insight into the life and times of Vlad Tepes, aka the infamous Vlad the Impaler, but it's also rather slight and shallow. Anybody who's done the slightest bit of research into the real-life Dracula will know most of this stuff already.

Dracula: THE TRUE STORY works best when looking at historical facts. Elsewhere, there is some padding in the form of cheap reenactments of key sequences from the Bram Stoker novel. Given that the running time is a scant 47 minutes I'm not sure why this stuff was required. Clips are limited to two films, BRAM STOKER'S Dracula and the original silent version of NOSFERATU. Roman Polanski is randomly interviewed as well. Bizarrely, the version I saw rendered all flesh tones in green and blue, making it an even more off-the-wall documentary.

Not just education on the vampire superstition but about Vald Tepes himself - actual history. This documentary confirmed some things that I have heard and I learned more about the Romanian people of today.

Most things are well known in this documentary - but there are other things within it that will teach even those advanced in the vampire lore. Beginners into the vampire legend will find a lot to learn from watching this this one.

If you are interested in Romanian history (not just Vlad Tepes) you might find a few things in this show new to you. For vampire lovers, this documentary is recommended viewing.

10/10

Dracula: The True Story (1997)

** (out of 4)

This documentary was released 100 years after Bram Stoker's novel and tries to tell people about the author, the original man the Dracula character is based off of and various traditions of the time that played into the story.

I must admit that there's a great bit of knowledge given in this documentary as historians as well as a relative of Vlad Tepes are interviewed and discuss a wide range of subjects. These interviews certainly give off some good information but does it really matter if you're bored by what you're watching? I thought the documentary was cheaply produced and this is especially true when it comes to the various bits of stock footage that are used. We get clips from NOSFERATU (1922) throughout and I'm guessing it's this film because it is in the public domain and the clips are free.

The narration is rather dry and this doesn't help matters. It also doesn't help that he also narrates the interviewees who don't speak English. Dracula: THE TRUE STORY has some good bits of information but you'd be better off reading a book instead.