Best Dracula Art Ever: A Tribute to Christopher Lee

It’s never a happy occasion when the worlds of film and pop culture lose an icon as we did yesterday with the passing of Christopher Lee, but there’s also no better time to pay tribute to the man and one of his most famous roles, Dracula!

Though Lee himself was not overly fond of the character that so many would come to associate with him, the rest of the world is certainly enthusiastic about fiction’s most famous vampire, especially as Lee portrayed him. Dracula’s far-reaching shadow-fingers can be seen stretching, if not creeping, into practically every facet of popular culture. No form of entertainment has been safe from his penetrating stare ever since he first made the leap from the printed page to the theater stage.

Bram Stoker’s original novel built the template for what we would come to think of when we hear the word “vampire”, but with each new iteration, adaptation, and reimagining, the ever malleable Count would add layers to his legend and find new ways to terrify, titillate, or tickle the imaginations of new generations of fans and followers. From the absolute horror that audiences felt in the silver screen presence of Bela Lugosi’s interpretation in 1931, to the comedic, family-friendly, overprotective father version in 2012’s animated Hotel Transylvania, horror’s dark prince has found a way to reinvent himself time and again.

Just as Christopher Lee’s portrayal proved that there could be another approach beyond the one Bela Lugosi made famous, we hope the pictures we’ve chosen will illustrate Dracula’s iconic status and his versatility; his ability to be both sophisticated and beastly, charming and chilling, horrible and humorous.

Just as Dracula endures, so too will Christopher Lee’s spirit, through our memories and through the versatility he showed in the performances he created.

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