Part of the A Nightmare on Franklin Street 2026 series**********************************************************
1h 14m / Not Rated / Horror, Fantasy, Drama
Unfortunate real estate agent Renfield takes a miserable carriage ride through the Carpathian Mountains to castle Dracula, where he is to transfer the property of Carfax Abbey in London to the Count of the estate. He ends up changing careers — as it so happens, Count Dracula is a fearsome vampire, who drains the blood of the living with his incredible supernatural powers. He enthralls Renfield, travels to London and immediately turns his attention to seducing and draining the blood of his neighbor Mina Seward and her friend Lucy until Mina’s father calls in the expert Dr. Van Helsing to try and extinguish his vile influence.
The part was never intended for Bela Lugosi. He played the role on Broadway, but Universal wanted Conrad Veidt (who had just done The Man Who Laughs) or Lon Cheney (under contract with MGM, and sadly soon to pass away). Director Carl Laemmle tried out basically every male actor in Hollywood, but the thing that probably pushed Lugosi over the finish line was his willingness to take the job for just $500 a week. It’s hard to imagine a world where Dracula’s first face on film isn’t Bela Lugosi’s, but like so many showbiz stories, it came down to luck and money. That stroke of luck led Dracula to make its Tampa debut in our historic hall 95 years ago, back when it, and we, were new. Now, we revisit the film in partnership with the Henry B. Plant Museum and their exhibit Cigar City Cinema: Tampa Goes to the Movies, 1897-1935, which traces the history of cinema exhibition in the city of Tampa since the very beginning. Join us to see the classic in the place its legacy began, and check out the other versions of the classic story playing throughout the day!
Before the screening, Hector Sotomayor—a professor of Film, Art, & Media at the Ringling College of Art & Design—will provide a brief introduction to the film.
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A Nightmare on Franklin Street series is presented by Bank of America. View the full series at https://tampatheatre.org/nightmare
Event venue
Tampa Theatre, 707 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602-4400, United States
Tickets
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