DVD Review: THE TRAIL OF DRACULA: FROM FOLKLORE TO SCREEN (2013)

THE TRAIL OF DRACULA
Written & Directed by  David Mitchell
Distributed by Intervision Pictures/Severin Films and CAV Distributing

  I am a big fan of horror documentaries, and this one will rank up near the top of the list of well made docs.   The subject is Dracula.  The film is THE TRAIL OF DRACULA:  FROM FOLKLORE TO SCREEN.    Here is the basic plot from the Severin/Intervision website:

  Diabolical. Seductive. Immortal. Vampires have been an icon of evil in folklore and popular culture for more than three centuries, yet only one name still personifies the ultimate aristocrat of bloodlust. Now join the world’s foremost experts on Dracula – including academics, authors and horror historians – as they explore the untold story of the Transylvanian Count, from the legend of Vlad The Impaler and Bram Stoker’s celebrated novel through its landmark stage productions and classic movie adaptations. It’s a crimson trail of twisted archival materials, startling film clips and rare interviews – featuring Bela Lugosi, John Carradine and Christopher Lee.

  While I thought this was going to be more of a doc about Dracula films, I found out that it focuses a lot more on the folklore and history of Dracula.  It was interesting to hear about the Dracula character from historians and then see how some of that translated over to film.   The film is paced very well, and while you could probably fill up hours and hours with info on Dracula, I thought the 63 minute running time was perfect.  It got to the point, and didn't have time for any slow or dull segments. 

  This is a great horror doc that I would highly recommend.   If documentaries really aren't your thing, then I would recommend buying this DVD based solely on one of the special features.  The DVD contains 94 minutes of Dracula movie trailers.   Almost any Dracula movie you can think of is presented here in this trailer compilation.  This alone is well worth the price of the DVD in my opinion.

 THE TRAIL OF DRACULA is available now on DVD from Intervision Pictures/CAV Distributing and contains the following Special Features:

*  All-New Feature Length Documentary THE TRAIL OF DRACULA

*  Over 90 Minutes of DRACULA Movie Trailers

*  Christopher Lee Reads Bram Stoker’s Dracula

*  Video Interview With Werner Herzog

*  Audio Interviews With Christopher Lee, Udo Kier, Alexander D’Arcy and Francis Lederer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD