Episode 148: Dracula (1931)

Episode 148 of The HD Movie Podcast is here! Hayley Alice Roberts and Darren Gaskell pick out a movie from any year, of any genre and of any quality, then talk about it!

The podcast is back (at least for a few weeks) after its post-Summer Of Sharks break, just in time for Spooky Season! As horror movie fans and reviewers, your hosts don't need an excuse to kick off Halloween early and this year HDMP HQ is focused on vampires with four very different examples of the subgenre to get your fangs into.

First up, we're going all the way back to 1931 for a classic Universal chiller as the unforgettable Bela Lugosi starts in DRACULA! This might seem a bit creaky in this day and age but your hosts found plenty to enjoy in terms of impressive set design, a number of genuinely atmospheric moments and, of course, an iconic performance from Lugosi (who almost didn't get the part - that's also covered here).

Hayley and Darren also chat about the movie's approach to the original Bram Stoker source material, its seminal Drac v Van Helsing face-off, some niftily appropriated footage, the film's issues with censorship and much, much more, including one of the most theatrical (and inaccurate) attempts at a Cockney accent from the character of Martin.

You don't get the Summer Of Sharks theme this time out but it's that time of year at which we can roll out our awesome Halloween tune, which is written and performed by Mitch Bain. You can find him on Instagram if you look for "evertheoptimitch".

You can follow and contact the Podcast on Facebook, X and Instagram by searching for "HDMoviePodcast". We're happy to hear from you.

You can find the hosts on X and Instagram too!

Hayley: @HayleyARoberts on X, hayleyaliceroberts on Instagram

Darren: @darren_gaskell on X, darren_gaskell on Instagram

Gaw bloimey, Guvnaar!