---
title: "Dracula: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/dracula-1958/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/dracula-1958"
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dracula (1958): what the critics said

Critics' score 69 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to Dracula, with praise clustering around Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and the gothic atmosphere. Lee’s sinister, seductive presence draws particular attention, while Cushing receives consistent approval from reviews that discuss both leads. Terence Fisher’s direction is another strength for admirers, who find his visual style effective in sustaining unease. Several reviews argue that the film retains its power, even when its shocks no longer have their original force.

The spread is wide rather than cautiously favourable: six reviews are positive and two negative. Reservations among admirers concern dated pacing and diminished shock value, but the dissent goes further. The Guardian finds the plot creaky and the style cheap and garish, judging the film inferior to the prewar Universal horrors. The central disagreement is over how well it holds up: most critics still find atmosphere and menace where its harshest assessors find little to admire.

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 5/5. 

The review calls the film a modern classic and praises its epoch-making impact. It singles out the gothic atmosphere, Fisher’s stylish direction and the performances by Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-18it6v/dracula/)

## The Independent

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2007. 

The review is strongly positive, describing the film as groundbreaking Hammer horror. It singles out Christopher Lee’s sinister, seductive performance and the film’s erotic charge.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dracula-r-i-397851.html)

## Time Out — David Jenkins

Rating 4/5. 29 October 2007. 

Jenkins gives the restored film a positive verdict, saying it has retained much of its bite. He singles out its creepy period atmosphere and tripartite narrative.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dracula-3)

## Empire — Alan Morrison

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2022. 

Morrison finds the film still potent despite its diminished shock value over time. He praises Christopher Lee’s layered Dracula and Terence Fisher’s strong visual style.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dracula-4-review/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1957. 

Variety gives the film a positive verdict, praising its tension and suspense. It singles out Peter Cushing’s performance as impressive and Christopher Lee’s Dracula as thoroughly gruesome.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1957/film/reviews/dracula-2-1200419144/)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2007. 

French regards the film as inferior to the prewar Universal horror classics, despite its lasting place in British horror. He singles out its creaky plot and conspicuously cheap, garish style for criticism.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/oct/28/horror.reviews)

## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 1958. 

The review appears to take a negative view of the film. The page text is inaccessible, so its specific praise or complaint cannot be verified.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/29/archives/horror-of-dracula-with-oxford-accent.html)

## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2010. 

Carty regards this as the definitive Dracula adaptation, despite some dated pacing and limitations. He praises the eerie atmosphere and the performances of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dracula-film-review-by-stephen-carty)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/dracula-1958.md