Filmed simultaneously (and on the same sets) as the Bela Lugosi version of Dracula, this Spanish-language version is in many ways an improvement upon the original. Whereas the English-language version (directed by Tod Browning), is stylish and atmospheric only in its first two reels, the Spanish Dracula sustains its eeriness throughout. The latter version is also more effective in emphasizing the eroticism inherent in the Stoker novel; the leading ladies, notably Lupita Tovar, are dressed (or undressed) far more provocatively than their American counterparts, while their facial expressions upon making contact with the charismatic Dracula betray a carnal yearning that the American actresses only hinted at. Moreover, the Spanish Dracula fills in several continuity gaps in the American film, especially in its detailing of the Count's journey from Transylvania to England. Author: Hal Erickson