There will be a number of tense chases and exciting near misses which tend to happen in the middle of the film or near the end before the monster is caught, if he isn’t killed or caught then the film can be made into a sequel.
In vampire movies there can be a strong sexual element, this occurs in our Dracula. After Dracula turns the women into vampires they become voluptuous and the make up changes to be more attractive.
In films it takes a lot of technical work to make it perfect. However when Dracula was made there wasn’t as many special effects as we have now so they don’t seem that good, but for the time it was made it wasn’t too bad. Films wouldn’t be realistic to the audience if there weren’t any technical conventions because these are what create tension and fear for example the music and sound effects. There is always music in films and when there is a particularly scary scene the music becomes louder and more high pitched, this lets the audience know something is about to happen, however in some films they play dramatic music to build up the tension and then nothing happens. Then a scary moment happens when you’re least expecting it. There are lots of different sound effects used like, thunder and rain, also footsteps, when Alan is exploring the castle in a scene in Dracula you hear the footsteps this creates tension.
The lighting and camera shots are a good way of generating fear for the audience. When the camera just focuses on a person’s face where the light is shining down or if there is a camera shot and then someone suddenly appears.
Make up and costume is important because that can tell the audience about the character.
Then makers of Dracula used red, gothic print for the title at the beginning to increase drama. The film was set in a castle which is used in scary films because they can be found creepy.
There are a few scenes which may make the audience feel tense for example, when we meet the group of individuals and they ignore the expert, this tells us something is going to go wrong because the expert is usually right.
When the group are driven to there destination the coach driver refuses to carry on the journey towards the castle, this is a warning to the characters but they don’t realise this.
Helen is a character who moans quite a lot, she isn’t stupid so when she is warning the group about the place they are staying at and says she is frightened but they pay no attention to this as they are used to her moaning they think nothing of it. This can be frustrating to the audience because we know something is wrong but no one listens to it.
Later on in the film after Alan leaves Helen in their room and goes off alone, while he is exploring Dracula creeps up and kills him, after this Dracula takes the body to the cellar and hangs him above a coffin.
After a while Helen appears to be worried so she goes to hunt for Alan on her own, she goes down to the cellar where Dracula had killed him and sees him dead, then Dracula comes and turns Helen into a vampire, the audience doesn’t get to see this bit because he uses his cloak to hide it then it goes dark this creates fear to the audience for Helen.
Then, the next morning Charles takes Diana, his wife away from the hotel because he’s worried for her safety and he returns alone! As he enters the castle’s big, wooden, creaking doors Helen appears as a vampire, her costume, hair and make up have all changed into a sexier image, this is a sure sign she has become evil we know she is now a vampire because her teeth have changed and now look like Dracula’s. The strange butler who was introduced to us earlier in the film brings Diana back to the castle and then Dracula appears. This is a tense moment with fighting but then Charles and Diana manage to escape. There is lots of dramatic music at this point. From this, the audience know it is tense for the characters.
They manage to find their way to the expert and we expect they are safe at the Abbey of Kleinberg. But then one of Dracula’s acolytes invites him in. The audience know that Charles and Diana are in trouble but they don’t know that themselves.
Diana and Dracula end up in a chase and then in a room together and Diana is kidnapped. The lighting becomes dimmer and there are several close up shots for dramatic effect. Then the camera focuses on Dracula’s eyes and zooms in as they get redder.
The end scene involves Charles and Diana trying to kill Dracula. There happens to be a large area of ice and Dracula and Charles end up fighting on there, Charles manages to get away from it and uses a gun to make hols in the ice because he knows Dracula can’t survive in running water. He falls through and the film finishes with Dracula drowning but no one knows if he is dead. So there may be a sequel.
After watching this film, you can see how the technical side of it has improved greatly. The special effects are much better and the film isn’t very realistic, however at the time it was made people would have been satisfied with them standards. The reason why people like to watch horror films or read horror books is because they want excitement and they know they are in safe surroundings.
I didn’t like Dracula, Prince of Darkness because I am used to watching better quality films but I think it had a good storyline and if it was made now it would be successful. I wouldn’t watch it again or a sequel but some people may enjoy it.
Keeley Wells