Drakula İstanbul’da

‘Dracula in Istanbul’, the earliest surviving Turkish horror film, is a local version of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. Count Dracula seeks to purchase numerous properties in Istanbul through his lawyer Azmi, who has traveled to Romania. When Azmi discovers that Dracula is, in fact, a vampire, he attempts to kill him. Dracula’s escape and subsequent arrival in Istanbul spell grave danger for Azmi’s fiancée and her cousin. The film is notable for its cinematography and art direction, as well as some impressive visual effects. Research suggests that Dracula’s fangs appear for the first time in cinema history in this film. While every mortal’s life is at risk on screen, the film’s survival was also in jeopardy before a time-sensitive restoration of the severely damaged original materials saved the work for posterity.

‘Dracula in Istanbul’, TR 1953, director: Mehmet Muhtar, 102 min, OV with EN subtitles