As someone who discovered Suspiria on VHS at age nine (after picking the name off the box art for Terror in the Aisles nonetheless), you better believe this writer was more than thrilled to hop on the phone with legendary filmmaker Dario Argento to talk about his latest feature, Dracula 3D.
Considered the Godfather of Giallo, Argento has been the creative force behind numerous influential Italian films including The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Deep Red, Inferno, Tenebre, Phenomena, and Opera.
During our recent interview with the iconic director, he discussed what fueled his decision to helm a feature based on one of the greatest stories of all time, his experiences working with 3D and his ensemble, as well as why Dracula might just be the biggest romantic in the horror genre.
Daily Dead: Thank you so much for speaking with me today, Mr. Argento. Suspiria and Tenebre were both such huge parts of my childhood so this is really an honor. What made you decide to tackle Bram Stoker's classic story?
Dario Argento: Thank you very much- I love those films very much. I had the idea to make a Dracula movie many years ago, but never got to do one. I thought it would be interesting to do this story, but I had to find a way to make it different or why make it?
Then I discovered the new technology of 3D, which I thought was very good. I thought that the 3D was something different to use to tell this story. And the story, I didn't use Stoker's novel; I was more influenced by the Hammer Films. Christopher Lee was a great Dracula.
Daily Dead: Since you hadn't used 3D technology before, did you have to change your directing approach at all for Dracula? Were there any challenges you weren't expecting?
Dario Argento: There weren't too many changes except for how big the camera was. It was really difficult to move it around to get the movements I wanted. It was so heavy. And I think the biggest differences, visually, were the differences with distances.
When we were filming Dracula, this was the first time in my career that I was able to see the character and everything behind him at the same time too. I enjoyed that very much. I didn't use 3D to do the obvious effects where things are coming at you, that's not serious. What I used the 3D for was to explore the depth of the scenes. I wanted to put the audience in the scene, immerse them in the forests even.
Daily Dead: I thought the score for Dracula was very representative of the look and the tone of the film. How was it collaborating with Claudio Simonetti? I know you've worked with him a bunch before.
Dario Argento: Ah, Claudio. We have worked together for a long time. His music is gorgeous. I wanted him to do something very unusual for Dracula and he did a very good job. I'm very happy. We work well together- he understands me as a filmmaker, a director. Usually he uses a lot of music from other sources but for Dracula, he did something very different. Very wonderful.
Daily Dead: How was it working with your cast? Rutger (Hauer) is always someone I love to see working in the genre.
Dario Argento: Rutger is a monument in movies. He's like a statue- almost like a legendary creature. He was marvelous to work with; he has such a strong personality which is what I needed for the character of Van Helsing. Remember- in the book, Van Helsing was Dutch and Rutger is Dutch, so it was perfect.
Thomas worked with me many years ago on The Stendhal Syndrome and I know him very well. I called him and he was happy to do it. He had always dreamed of playing the role of Dracula. It also was nice to work with Asia again; she's becoming a wonderful filmmaker too. But having Thomas and Asia in Dracula was just a wonderful experience.
Daily Dead: I really appreciated how you decided to take vampires seriously again and there's a lot of good kills in the film. Was that something you were considering when working on Dracula 3D?
Dario Argento: I did want it to be scary and bloody, but I also wanted it to be romantic and scary. I wanted you to feel like you were watching the sky and the mountains and anything was possible. Dracula is a very romantic character- a lot of the movies didn't have the sentiment or soul to it, so I wanted to give Dracula a soul again. He's probably the most romantic of the classic monsters.
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"Horror master Dario Argento returns with a bloody, luridly creepy 3D version of the classic vampire tale, drenched in gore and sex. An unsuspecting Englishman arrives in Transylvania, lured by a job with a local nobleman. But the undead Count Dracula’s real target is the man’s innocent young wife. Featuring the iconic Rutger Hauer as vampire hunter Van Helsing and the inimitable Asia Argento (the director’s own daughter) as a local all-too-eager to fall under the Count’s sway."
Dracula 3D was directed by Dario Argento and stars Thomas Kretschmann (Dracula), Marta Gastini (Mina), Asia Argento (Lucy), Unax Ugalde (Harker), and Rutger Hauer (Van Helsing). The movie is now playing in select theaters and available to watch on Cable VOD as well as digital outlets (including iTunes and SundanceNow).
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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