DRACULA

This is the original text of the classic macabre tale of an attorney who visits a remote castle in the Carpathian Mountains to give legal advice to a count who is something more than he appears. John Lee gives a superb performance of the malevolent Count Dracula, the original vampire. Lee's relaxed low tone, while unexpected for a horror reading, works perfectly. Precise timing and eerie vocal inflections ratchet up the fear factor in each scene. Lee's crisp articulation of Serbian and British accents and the menacing personalities of the female vampires are all distinct. Even Dracula's ghoulish Transylvania accent induces chills and maintains suspense. This haunting performance makes it easy to understand why the story of Dracula has not ceased to thrill after 100 years. A.L.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2009]