Dracula returns — with three added minutes of “indecent” footage

Estate summary

Kevin Maher gives Hammer’s restored Dracula five stars, arguing that Terence Fisher’s 1958 film still has the power to disturb and excite. He pays particular attention to Jack Asher’s colour photography, Christopher Lee’s physical presence and the charged encounter between the vampire and the people he threatens. The review considers how the new restoration changes the experience of a film long familiar through less complete or less vivid versions, discussing footage removed by censors and the prominence of desire beneath the Gothic surface. Maher presents the film as an achievement in its own right, rather than merely a historical stepping stone between Universal’s Dracula and later screen versions. His account also draws attention to contemporary responses to its violence and sexuality. The headline’s description of three additional minutes belongs to this review; it should be distinguished from the details and release formats in Hammer’s own restoration announcement.

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