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With Last Voyage of the Demeter in theatres, we take a look at the best Dracula Actors.

With The Last Voyage of the Demeter now in theaters, Dracula is once again on everyone’s mind. In it, Javier Botet plays a horrific version of the count that’s far removed from the recent, classic-style version played by Nicolas Cage in Renfield. How will he compare to some of the greatest versions of the fanged Counts? While Universal was trying their best to create the

Dark Universal

, Showtime’s Penny Dreadful-was already outperforming them. The series incorporated literary versions of Frankenstein’s monster, Dorian Gray and Dracula. Christian Camargo portrayed Dr. Alexander Sweet, who began to seduce Eva Green’s Vanessa Ives in Season Three. Later, it is revealed that this doctor was in fact the Count, making him a unique addition to the Best Dracula Actors List. Carmargo’s Dracula was featured in the kid-friendly film The Monster Squad and he brought a lot more menace to the role. He appears with his other monsters in town, searching for Van Helsing’s diary. Our group of young characters crosses paths with him several times and barely escapes with their lives. Dracula is not bothered by the fact that he wants to kill a group children and uses dynamite in order to blow up their treehouse. He was so frightening in the role, that Ashley Bank screamed out for her life when they faced each other. Cage’s version in

Renfield seems a little darker and funnier than this version, but Regehr scared a whole generation of movie fans. We would definitely list him as the best Dracula portrayal on screen. In 1979, Werner Herzog remade a classic vampire story, and in an act of genius casting, he cast Klaus Kinski as the title character. His Dracula has a more animalistic approach. He doesn’t seduce the victim, but rather drinks from them while they sleep. His creepy appearance is reminiscent of the Max Schreck film, but he has even less humanity. With his sharp teeth and giant lips, he looks more like a leech. Kinski’s performance is strange, but it is not surprising. It’s safe to say that Cage’s version in Renfield will take less inspiration from this one. It’s probably safe to bet that Cage’s version in

Renfield will take less inspiration from this one.J ack Palance – Dracula (1974)

W ith the popularity of Dan Curtis’s series like Dark Shadows and his Kolchak TV movies, he decided to turn his attention to bringing Dracula to the small screen. Richard Matheson, his usual collaborator, helped him bring the story to life. Jack Palance was cast, and he gives the character a pathos. In this version he sees a lady who reminds him of his wife, who is long dead. As he searches for the one thing that made him happy, we see more of his humanity. Max Schreck becomes a vampire in his fictional version of the making Nosferatu. F. W. Murnau hires this strange actor, who seems to be too well-suited to play the famous vampire. Dafoe disappears in the role of this strange creature. The interactions between him, the rest of his cast and Murnau are fantastic to watch. Murnau’s frustration that he will not stop killing them is also great. Even if it is purely on the basis of technicality, this meta performance still ranks amongst the best Dracula portrayals ever seen on screen.

It won’t surprise you to hear that Gary Oldman is a great actor. Francis Ford Coppola cast Oldman as Dracula in his 1992 big-budget version. They used the latest technology to transform Oldman at different stages of his regeneration. He begins as an old man who is decrepit, but as he eats, he gets younger. Oldman portrays the character perfectly and you can see just how seductive he can be. It’s easy to see why he’s a contender for the best Dracula on screen. It’s easy to see why he is a contender for best Dracula on screen. For the 1931

Dracula,

they shot the English version with Bela Lugosi during the day, and then another crew would come in to shoot the Spanish Language version at night.

When compared, Villarias’ version of the character isn’t quite as stiff as Lugosi’s. This version was distinguished by his more fluid movements and expressions. This, along with the fact that the female leads were made sexier in other countries due to less strict film codes, made this version stand out from the English counterpart. Some people even prefer it to the Todd Browning movie that everyone is familiar with. Should be interesting to see if it’s closer to Cage’s take on the character in Renfield.

M ax Schreck – Nosferatu (1922)E ven if someone hasn’t seen this film they definitely know the look of Max Schreck in the film. It has become so ingrained in popular culture that people can recognize it by just looking at a single picture of the film. This silent German film used light and shade to give Schrek’s Count Orlok a commanding presence. We all know that it is actually Dracula. His looks and mannerisms are enough to give generations the creeps. Stoker’s Estate sued the filmmakers and lost. All film copies were supposed to be destroyed. However, a few survived. This is good for the history of the character, as this version might be the creepiest ever. Hammer Films, a company in the UK, decided to create their own version of classic monsters. Christopher Lee was cast and his version of Dracula was unlike anything the audience had seen before. If you were unlucky to run into him at this point, you were in serious trouble. He hissed and bared his teeth as his eyes turned bloodshot and became unsettled. The switch happens almost instantly. He could be having an entirely normal conversation but suddenly erupt into rage. There would be no way of calming him down until he had eaten. It’s a scary portrayal. Should be interesting to see if Cage borrows some of Lee’s intensity for Renfield

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B ela Lugosi – Dracula (1931)

U ntil the world finally turns to dust and escapes into the vacuum of space, no other actor will be as associated with the character of Dracula as Bela Lugosi. His slow walk and deep stare became a stereotypical portrayal of the character in all subsequent versions. It was his menacing gaze and slow walk towards his victim that became the stereotypical portrayal of Dracula. It will be interesting to see what Nic Cage took from this version in

Renfield.Even when Lugosi would return to the role in the

Abbott and Costello

movies, his presence was enough to send a chill down your spine even with all the comedy going on around him. Listen to them, children of the night. Lugosi’s performance is enough to put him in the Dracula Hall of Fame. Even with a smile on his face, the darkness in his performance is bone-chilling.Who do you think is the best on-screen Dracula? Are you excited for Renfield

? Comment below to let us know.

Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch