Perfectly timed to the conclusion of the third part of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ Dracula series, Gatiss travels between continents to discover the origins of the literary character, his creator and the various memorable productions from over the years.

Horror aficionado Mark Gatiss has great form in these horror documentaries, his A History of Horror (2010) and Horror Europa (2012) being great examples of condensing a lot of material into a tight and accessible package. He makes the point early in the film that Dracula movies played a key role in his cinematic upbringing (I count myself here), and his joy in visiting key locations and talking to major players in the Dracula mythos is evident across his face as he ticks off bucket list experiences.

For most horror fans, a lot of the content is well-known, and the clips are from films probably already owned, but as an overview for the general viewing population it’s a great primer. And even hardened old horror lags like me still get satisfaction from new visits to Whitby, chats with Hammer Dracula brides/victims in Oakley Court’s conservatory, the joy that is listening to horror academic Sir Christopher Frayling, or a drone shot flying over Nosferatu filming location Orava Castle in Slovakia. You might also shed a tear at the sight of Bray Studios covered in scaffolding, though your spirits will be raised when Jonathan Rigby reveals where the Ballroom Stage once served as one of Hammer’s many Eastern European taverns.

Be warned that the episode features significant spoilers from Episode 1 of Dracula, so if you haven’t yet seen that instalment before watching the documentary, be sure to stop ten minutes before the end and return as appropriate.

Verdict: Write down what you’d expect to see in a documentary about the origins of Dracula on page, stage and screen and this is it. So while it offers few monster surprises, it’s a glorious nostalgic comfort blanket (cape?) that encapsulates the media world of the most famous vampire. You’ll probably start digging out old VHS tapes DVDs afterwards – and good for you. 9/10

Nick Joy

 

9/10