Herzog's most significant innovation is to present the vampiric fiend Dracula as a victim, not a wicked monster, a creature we should pity as much as fear. To that end, Herzog is supported by a magnificent performance from celebrated German actor Klaus Kinski. Although he is scarcely recognisable beneath the make-up, Kinski manages to evoke a powerful sense of pathos, whilst simultaneously terrifying us. The film stands on Kinski's performance alone.
Apart from Herzog's brilliant relisation of the Dracula character, the film fails on virtually every other count (no pun intended). The film's opening, where Harker treks innocently across the Transylvanian countryside, is dull and needlessly protracted. After Harker's initial meeting with the Count, the film appears to lose momentum and thereafter fails to engage the viewers' attention.