Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
...and welcome to 'Day Five' of "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" where I will be bringing you my top picks of the fright flicks in the carefully curated catalogue of macabre movies from the 'Shudder UK' horror streaming service - any of which can then be streamed to your television via the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim the lights... and prepare for some frights! :-O
If you read my hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published on Saturday, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
If you read my hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published on Saturday, then you will know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each featuring one horror movie from the current 'Shudder UK' content library. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best fright flicks I can find, by the end of the month, this means you should have plenty of great choices for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring some top-notch cinematic scares come October 31st! ;-)
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: michaelgloversmith.wordpress.com
This film was actually the first occasion on which Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were to receive joint top-billing in any feature film... the last being "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" (1973). This is yet another of my personal favourites and, as owners of the 2012 Blu-Ray version will attest, includes a great scene in which 'Dracula' appears to peel away his decaying skin. I have since learned that this was accomplished by putting a layer of red makeup on Christopher Lee's face, and then covering his entire visage with a thin coating of mortician's wax, which in turn was made up to conform to his normal skin tone. Thus, when he raked his fingers across the wax, it revealed the "raw" marks underneath. Amazingly, this startling sequence was originally cut out, but later restored for the 2012 Blu-Ray release, using footage from a badly damaged Japanese print. For those of you that have yet to see this seminal horror classic, here is a brief taster courtesy of the original U.S. theatrical trailer for the movie from the official 'YouTube' channel of Hammer Studios:-
If you'd like to know more... there's a full list of the cast & credits on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) listing for "Dracula" [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958), FOUND HERE, which also includes a full storyline / plot summary as well as box office stats, technical specs & much more. For die-hard fans, there's even more tidbits of information to be had from the Wikipedia Page for "Dracula" (1958) VIA THIS LINK, which may help to fuel your appetite for (yet) another screening. Although, if you're as much of a 'Hammer' fan as I am, or have a penchant for vampire movies in general, it probably won't take too much persuading for you to watch this seminal horror classic again! ;-) :-)
Anyway... you probably guessed already but, if not, this film (like the others from this series of posts) is also available via the 'Shudder' streaming service and can be easily viewed on any Roku device via their dedicated channel (app) for these streaming media players. There are opportunities for UK Roku users to rent this film for £2.49 via 'Amazon Video', or 'Google Play Movies & TV', as well as from 'Rakuten TV' (formerly 'Wuaki TV UK', until just recently). However, since my original idea for this month-long blogathon was to suggest thirty-one great Hallowe'en / Horror themed movies from the fang-tastic 'Shudder UK' streaming service, I'm recommending you stream it on their channel! ;-) :-)
If you haven't already added it to your channel selection, you will find "Shudder" listed among the "Film & TV" channels in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. You can easily add it to your Roku player(s) by navigating to the built-in 'Channel Store' (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the home screen on your Roku device) and scrolling through the options until you see the channel icon (pictured above). It's completely FREE-TO-ADD so, once you've located it in the list of channels, just click the "OK" button on your Roku remote to select it and then click "OK" again where it says 'Add channel' to install it on your Roku player(s). Having done that, it's simply a case of launching the channel via the 'Go to channel' option and navigating the on-screen menu to log-in (if you already have an account, but haven't yet done so) or start your free trial (if you are new to the service) and, once you see 'Shudder TV' playing on the screen, just push the "DOWN" arrow on your Roku remote to get to the main menu... from where you can "Search" for the film, "Horror of Dracula", and then press "OK" to select and 'Play' the 1958 movie by that name which, for the record, runs to 1h 22mins.
LINK TO WATCH 'Horror of Dracula' (1958) ONLINE VIA THE 'SHUDDER UK' WEBSITE
Unfortunately for readers outside the UK, at the time of writing, this seminal horror classic does not appear to be available via 'Shudder' in the U.S. or Canada... however, it can be rented for as little as $2.99 USD from 'Amazon Video' in the U.S., or $2.99 USD ($3.99 CAD) from 'Google Play Movies & TV' in both USA and Canada - just as it can in the UK - while 'Vudu' adds another rental option at $2.99 USD for streamers in the United States. Of course, Roku users in North America may have yet more resources at their disposal so, if you can find it, be sure to watch this 1958 'Dracula' film! ;-) :-)
Meanwhile, for that full cinema experience, here's a few of the other film posters that movie-goers in 1958 would have encountered depending on their particular location around the world:
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [USA Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Doctor Macro
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [Spanish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Pinterest
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [Belgian/Dutch Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Doctor Macro
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [French Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Magazines and Monsters!
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [Alternative Spanish Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: The Tell-Tale Mind
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [Alternative USA Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Left-Hand Horror
Dracula [aka Horror of Dracula] (1958) [Alternative French Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Doctor Macro
Finally, to round-off this fifth instalment of my month-long blogathon on 'Day Five' of the annual 'Countdown To Halloween', here's some more FRIGHTENINGLY FUN FILM FACTS... for example, did you know that Christopher Lee has only thirteen lines in this film - which were delivered in just seven minutes of actual screentime - and that, aside from assorted snarls and hisses, 'Count Dracula' never actually speaks to anyone other than 'Jonathan Harker' throughout the entire film!?! Or, that the cape worn by Christopher Lee which had been missing for 30 years was later discovered in a London costume shop during its annual inventory-taking in 2007? Apparently, Christopher Lee himself was contacted to verify its authenticity and is currently believed to be worth around $50,000 USD!! :-O