Dracula (1968) BBC TV

 This Thames Television production was quite different from the Hammer film series. Talky and slightly theatrical, it is – despite this – more interesting than either the 1979 John Badham version or the more recent Coppola one. Like other low budget versions, this one "scales down" the novel, omitting its more epic scenes but concentrating effectively on the middle part of the book.

Denholm Elliott gives a competent performance. Colin Redgrave as Harker and Susan George as Lucy are both fascinating to watch.

Some scenes (such as the meeting with Dracula’s brides) are very eerily done, while the final showdown with Dracula is a strange mixture of clumsy staging and convincing effects work. The slight twist at the end is a nice touch, too. A minor version, but worth seeing.