This is the definitive Dracula movie, a masterpiece of gothic horror. Frank Langella (Skeletor himself) stars as Count Dracula and exudes an air of sexiness and underlying threat in every scene. Donald Pleasence provides a great supporting role as Dr. Seward. And Lawrence Olivier perfectly (as expected) plays Van Helsing. The performances are wonderful across the board.
John Williams (just coming off his tremendous success with Jaws and Star Wars) provides the score, adding musical impact to every scene. The only parts that really don’t hold up well are the bat attacks. The puppet bat doesn’t look horrible but it just seems so ridiculous compared to all the other gothic beauty and realism in the other scenes.
One thing that really sets this apart is its art direction and costume design. There’s a timelessness to the period piece and the photography is so grand, you’d hardly know this was made in 1979. And because the film is telling such a classic story, all the vampire tropes are put together in a wondrous combination. A truly gorgeous and engrossing film.