# Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

### reviewed by
Mathew Tschirgi

    Review of:
    DRACULA: DEAD & LOVING IT (1995)
    Starring: Leslie Neilsen, Amy Yasbeck, and Peter MacNicol
    Directed By: Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks has done a lot of films- this one being the most recent. Sometimes they are great and sometimes they flop big time. The main problem with DRACULA: DEAD & LOVING IT is that it relies on the fact that the viwer has knowledge of DRACULA from the film with Bela Lugosi, the 1990 remake with Gary Oldman, the novel itself, as well as a decent vampire lore knowledge to get a majority of the jokes. I fit into this category, but those who don't would think the film is lame.

The plot follows the Bela Lugosi version exactly which was actually based on a play and is not that similar to the original book by Bram Stoker. It begins with Renfield going to Count Dracula's castle to have him sign a deal to get land in London. Peter MacNicol (the mad painter in GHOSTBUSTERS 2 and the American guy in BEAN) does a great job as Renfield. At the start he is mediocre, but when he becomes insane the best performance of the movie comes out. Renfield is perfect while having the little quirks that make a memorable character.

As for the other characters... Mel Brooks does a good job as Van Helsing. Leslie Neilsen was a little miscast for the title role of Dracula since everyone is used to seeing him in the NAKED GUN movies. He does an OK job, but is he a convincing vampire? No, but he isn't trying to be either. Amy Yasbeck, last seen in Mel Brooks' film ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS as Maid Marion, is fine for the role of Mina. So the cast works fine with eachother and the script has some good lines.

Some of the lines, like I said before, require knowledge of prior Dracula films. This line for example:

(A bat flies down and poops on the stairs) Dracula: Creatures of the night... What a mess they make...

See what I mean? It doesn't really work as a visual gag, yet the line itself is a pun on the line "Creatures of the night... What music they make" done by Bela Lugosi in the original Dracula film. The humor hits and misses. The best scene involves when Van Helsing and Harker (played by some guy on the show WINGS) go to execute Lucy in her Nosferatu form. I saw this film first in a theatre and rather liked it, yet the audience laughs were far and few between. Renfield is great, as is the decent instrumental music score, but the film doesn't work because of the way the humor is done... Mel Brooks hasn't made a horrid film, he just has done much better.

    Pros:

    + Good acting by Peter McNicol as Renfield
    + Lots of cameos
    + Good music
    + Mel Brooks style humor

    Cons:

    - Humor is hit and miss
    - Humor requires knowledge of previous Dracula films
    - Pacing could use some work

Overall, I give Dracula: Dead and Loving it **1/2 out of ****. If you are a fan of vampire films or a fan of Mel Brooks film, go and rent it. Others should rent some of the funnier Brooks films like SPACEBALLS, BLAZING SADDLES, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THE PRODUCERS, and ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS. This film IS better than MEL BROOKS' HISTORY OF THE WORLD: PART I.

    Review By: Mathew Tschirgi
    E-Mail me at magus@mindspring.com

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