Horror of Dracula (1958)
Cost $1.8 Million (Adjusted to 2013).
Though founded in the mid-thirties, British Studio Hammer Films fell on hard times by the mid 50’s when producer Anthony Hinds discovered a new road to profit. Licensing public domain titles like Frankenstein and Dracula, Hinds used the new-found freedom for gore and sex and to produce new versions of the classics in glorious color. The Horror of Dracula broke British and American box office records of the time and made a star of leading man Christopher Lee, whose performance probably remains the best screen Dracula and has led to his continued appearance as a heavy in the Star Wars (Count Douku…surely an homage) and Lord of the Rings films where he played Saruman….he also continues to put out heavy metal albums…as a 91 year old.
