Synopsis
Solicitor Thomas Renfield travels to Transylvania to complete Count Dracula's purchase of an English estate, unaware that the nobleman is a vampire. After Dracula arrives in London, he targets Lucy Westenra and Mina Seward, while the skeptical Dr. Seward and the eccentric Professor Van Helsing struggle to recognize and stop the threat. The result is a broad parody of classic Dracula cinema.
Factoids & Trivia
- The screenplay was written by Mel Brooks, Rudy De Luca, and Steve Haberman, and draws from Bram Stoker's novel as well as famous film adaptations, especially the 1931 Universal version and Hammer-style gothic horror.
- The production was initially announced under the title "Dracula: Dead and Liking It." The wording was changed to "Loving" before release.
- Filming took place at Culver Studios in California. Production was scheduled to begin on May 8, 1995, and the shoot ran through July 26 of that year.
- With an estimated budget of $30 million, the film earned approximately $10.77 million in the United States and Canada. Its commercial performance was far below that of Brooks' earlier genre parodies.
- The movie was released in the United States on December 22, 1995, placing it among the crowded holiday-season releases of that year.
- The film's visual approach deliberately favors elaborate sets, theatrical lighting, old-fashioned makeup, and formal gothic compositions, allowing the comedy to come from the contrast between solemn horror presentation and deliberately silly behavior.
- A later home-video release included a commentary featuring Mel Brooks, co-writers Rudy De Luca and Steve Haberman, and members of the principal cast, along with making-of material and trailers.
- "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" remains notable as the last feature film directed by Mel Brooks.