Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

How anyone can give this less than 8 stars must be related to my old lady. Does not understand comedy. Never watched Dracula with Bela Lugosi. Never read Bram Stoker's Dracula. This movie is hysterically funny. If you don't laugh in the first 10 minutes then you have no sense of humor. Amy Yasbeck, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks, Leslie Nielsen, Steven Weber, Peter Macnicol, etc... the whole cast is underrated. The commentary is absolutely rich. Never wAtch commentary. They actually make this even more hilarious.

Dracula: Dead and Loving is a horrendous film with a very poorly developed plot a strong comedic cast that are wasted. As a fan of both Leslie Nielsen and Mel Brooks, it saddens me to speak negatively about a movie that brings these two comedy legends together, but there is very little to enjoy here. The humour is lame, it is simply poor satire, serving as a parody to the Dracula series. There was a scarce amount of jokes that genuinely made me laugh. Mel Brooks puts himself in to the spotlight far too much here, Peter MacNicol kick starts it all, making it seem like he will be the protagonist, however, he is later pushed to the side once Brooks' character enters the picture, and even Nielsen seems neglected, despite being the central character.A comedy starring Nielsen as Dracula and Beooks as Van Helsing seems like something that would easily turn out well, but in the end, it is rather painful viewing. Neither funny or clever in any way, Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a big let down that I would not recommend to anyone. Count Dracula leaves Transylvania for London in pursuit of a young woman. Best Performance: Leslie Nielsen / Worst Performance: Amy Yasbeck

Mel Brooks's masterwork, "Young Frankenstein," paid respectful homage to the original Universal Frankenstein classics and, with an inspired cast of comedians and a hilarious script, that classic is worthy of repeated viewing. Evidently, Brooks hoped he could work the same magic with the Dracula films, but his "Dracula, Dead and Loving It" fails to reach the same heights of comedy as his earlier film. Unfortunately, Brooks got off to a bad start by shooting his Dracula homage in color; "Young Frankenstein" was shot in glorious black and white and evoked the 1930's studio look of the original films. While his Dracula take-off resembles the rich color and production design of the British Hammer horror films, Brooks might have been better to emulate the eerie shadowy atmosphere of the Bela Lugosi classic. Brooks may also have turned to the Francis Ford Coppola "Dracula" for inspiration, because the Count's hairstyle more than resembles Gary Oldman's in that film.The Brooks film does have some amusing moments, and follows the familiar Dracula storyline from Transylvania to London. While a surprising choice for the role, Leslie Nielsen is always fun to watch as the count, who never drinks...wine; Nielsen is especially funny when he is the talking head on a flying bat. As Renfield, Peter MacNicol does a good Dwight Frye imitation, and his insect snacking is a particular highlight. Mel Brooks himself plays Professor Van Helsing as, well, Mel Brooks, but Harvey Korman is more restrained than usual as Dr Seward, and Steven Weber is no comic. The film desperately needs a Madeline Kahn or a Marty Feldman to spark the lines and soar like a bat. Although failing to produce a second comedy-horror masterpiece, Brooks made a passably entertaining movie. While viewers may not burst into laughter, many will smile from time to time at familiar Brooks routines and generally have a good time.

One of the best sub-genres of movies is comedy-horror and this is one of the best films in that category. While Dracula maybe "Dead and Loving It" I am loving this movie, it is among my all time favorite comedy-horror flicks.This is one of Mel Brook's most hysterically funny films... well, I guess most all of his films are that way. And I will take a moment to plug Brook's "Young Frankenstein" movie because it is just as much of a must see comedy-horror as "Dracula: Dead and Loving It".If you like "Dead and Loving It" then you may like a similar film called "Love At First Bite".9/10