Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Dracula’ Film With Gary Oldman And Keanu Reeves Is A Streaming Success

With Noswild a critical, audience, and box office hit, viewers can’t seem to get enough of vampire Movies as Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula has become a streaming hit on Tubi, hitting number six on the charts. The film stars Gary Oldman as a scenery-chewing Dracula along with Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, and Sir Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. It received positive reviews at the time of its release and did well at the global box office, earning nearly $216 million globally on a $40 million budget.

Coppola’s adaptation is a gothic and atmospheric take on the original book by Stoker. But don’t expect anything in the realm of Universal Studio’s classic monster movies as this film was produced and released by TriStar Pictures (Sony). Oldman’s initial appearance as Dracula is different, to say the least. He appears as an old man with an interesting hair-do, robe, and long nails. Later, he is younger, handsome, and deadly. He famously stayed in character throughout the production, much to the chagrin of his co-stars, and delivered a more sinister yet refined Count. Arguably, Tom Waits’ turn as Renfield chews more scenery than Oldman.

The film is tense, gory, and a bit over-the-top, which was common with horror movies in the 1980s and early 1990s. But the set design, script, direction, acting, and Oldman’s turn as Dracula make it worth watching or revisiting. And when it comes to the best films with Dracula, this version comes in at number three. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, it sits at 69% positive with critics and 79% positive with audiences, so it’s holding up over time.

Coppola was Originally Set to Direct ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ After Dracula

When Bram Stoker’s Dracula was originally announced, Coppola also revealed he would direct a film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankensteinbut later he chose to produce it. Sir Kenneth Branagh was hired to star and direct the film following the success of his Henry V (1989) and Dead Again (1991) and Robert De Niro was chosen as the creature. Helena Bonham Carter, John Cleese, Aidan Quinn, and Ian Holm round out the cast. While it has the gothic set design and creepy atmosphere similar to that of Bram Stoker’s Draculait ends up being an over-the-top, poorly directed and acted mess that bombed at the box office when it opened in late 1994.

Both Coppola and co-writer Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) were very disappointed with the film, so much so that Coppola has said he regretted stepping away as director. Darabont recently quipped that it’s “the best script I ever wrote and the worst movie I’ve ever seen.” There are still debates about whether De Niro was miscast as the creature. While the makeup certainly played up the ‘body parts sewn together’ aspects of Mary Shelley’s classic, his performance is still contentious. And the less we discuss the ‘birthing’ scene, the better.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula from Coppola will be remembered as a fun, gothic adventure while Branagh’s Frankenstein has been forgotten over the years. You can judge for yourself since both are available for free on Tubi.