You know, truth be told, if Brooks had decided to just remake the Dracula film as his own then this actually could've been a success. The problem is this was supposed to have been a Mel Brooks parody with lots and lots of belly laughs. You have to believe that the material was ripe for a Mel Brooks farce, but yet the magic is missing, it seems, and many of the gags and dialogue is forced, not exactly as funny as it should be. The cast, God bless them, give it a 110%. Especially Harvey Corman as Mina's father, Sanitarium doctor, Seward. My favorite gag would definitely be Lucy's staking with all the blood exploding all over poor Steven Weber's Jonathan Harker. Brooks has these two long-in-the-tooth dances between Dracula and Mina(Amy Yasbeck, surprisingly given little to work with). Nielsen, in particular, doesn't have as many strong comedy dialogue scenes he's famous for in other more successful parodies. His scene, for me, that was the funniest is a sight gag where he's in bat form flying towards Lucy's room when she closes her window and his face plants face-first into the glass. And, the most unfortunate crime committed is not giving the likes of a very talented Mark Blankfield more of a part as Renfield's security guard Martin. Lysette Anthony is positively delicious with her heaving bosom and seductive qualities as Lucy. Interesting enough, Lucy's role in this film is stronger than the character of Mina. Peter MacNicol hams it up without restraint, and rightfully so, as Dracula's fly-eating maniac slave Renfield. The cast have such colorful expressions and can sell even the most mediocre of written word, and in this movie's case they earned their paychecks and then some. Brooks slurs with a heightened accent as Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. Actually, there are some impressive sets and the art/production design is rather stunning, not to mention, there are some inspired camera shots(such as the awesome look of Harker, Van Helsing, and Seward heading up to the chapel where Dracula carries Mina at the end, a faraway silhouetted shot of their figures closing upon the building). It was as if Brooks were torn between being faithful to the source material and lampooning it. Maybe that is why it doesn't quite work. I have to say I really appreciated the scene where, unlike other films on the count, this movie actually shows Dracula visiting Renfield's cell to free him by bending the bars, and the ending provides the vampire with a more productive finish, outlasting his nemesis until his own servant seals his fate.
Review of Dracula: Dead and Loving It
