Classic horror that made viewers faint is now being re-released with cut footage
Topics: Horror, Film and TV, Halloween
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Universal-International
Topics: Horror, Film and TV, Halloween
A renowned 1958 horror is coming out again, but this time, it’s going to look a little different now that footage previously cut for being too scary, will be re-introduced for the first time ever.
The long-lost footage was so terrifying that audiences reportedly fainted after viewing in theaters.
The Christopher Lee hit was found in a Warner Brothers warehouse decades later, with three minutes of footage never seen before in the US.
However, people in the Japan did see it...hence why it was ultimately cut once the audience reacted badly to some scenes.
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Known as Dracula in the UK and the Horror of Dracula in the UK, the flick’s redacted scenes were too sexually suggestive and gory as it depicted Dracula’s reign of terror in the dark castle in Romania.
But now there are plans to revive it, and include all of the original scenes.
Let’s be honest, the tolerance for gore has gone up a little for viewers since the 50s.
We’ve had Saw, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Nightmare on Elm Street.
Dracula probably won’t be as scary once it’s released in 4K to 2026 audiences...right?
Just in time for Halloween, audiences will see restored scenes thanks to Hammer Films and Silver Salt Restoration.
John Gore, CEO of Hammer Films and executive chairman of John Gore Studios, told Screen Daily that this is more than simply bringing it back for a second round of viewing.
He said: “Bringing Dracula back to audiences in 4K goes far beyond a piece of film restoration work. This is the recovery of a piece of British film history that audiences believed had been lost forever. Seeing Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing together again in such extraordinary detail is a reminder of just how powerful this film remains nearly seventy years after its original release.”
You’ll remember Lee from his roles as Count Dooku from Star Wars, Saruman in the Lord of The Rings, or for being the inspiration behind James Bond.
As for Cushing, he played the infamous vampire hunter Professor Abraham Van Helsing, way before Hugh Jackman took over the role in Van Helsing alongside Kate Beckinsale back in the 2000s.
Fans have been taking the news well of its impending release, with many excited to see the two actors on screen once again posthumously.
One person wrote online: “This is the one we've all been waiting for.”
Another said: “Truly a classic. The settings, the atmosphere and the epic final confrontation between Dracula and Van Helsing. I love it since first viewing.”
What do you think about it?