Bela Lugosi’s iconic film Dracula was released in 1931. Directed by Tod Browning and produced by Universal Pictures, it became one of the defining American horror films of the early sound era and established Lugosi’s image as the screen’s most recognizable Count Dracula.
The film was adapted from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel through the stage play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. Lugosi had already played Dracula on Broadway, which helped him secure the film role. His deliberate accent, formal posture, hypnotic stare, and measured delivery shaped later portrayals of the vampire.
Dracula premiered at New York’s Roxy Theatre on February 12, 1931, and went into wider U.S. release two days later. Universal also produced a Spanish-language version in 1931, filmed at night on the same sets with a different cast. That separate production is one reason release details can occasionally cause confusion, but the famous English-language Bela Lugosi film is firmly a 1931 release.