Original artwork, not a still
Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.
— Dracula • 1931
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the Count's whole character in two sentences: he hears wolves as a choir and invites a stranger to share the delight. Lugosi's slow, accented delivery fixed how generations imagine a vampire sounding, and the line became the stock phrase for the howl of a pack, a Halloween party or any gothic spooky moment. It also shows that a famous film line can predate the film by decades, since Stoker wrote it first.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for DraculaShow the scene
Tod Browning's 1931 Universal film sends the solicitor Renfield into Transylvania to close a property deal with Count Dracula. After the coach ride to the Borgo Pass, he is met in the great hall of the ruined castle by Bela Lugosi's Count, who bids him welcome. As Dracula starts up the stairs, wolves begin to howl outside, and he stops to comment on the sound. Renfield then hacks through a huge spider's web with his walking stick, and Dracula adds a remark about the spider and the unwary fly. The line comes almost word for word from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, where Dracula says it to Jonathan Harker.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Dracula (1931 film)Count Dracula section, castle arrivalReference checked
- Wikipedia: Dracula (1931 English-language film)Plot summary; infoboxReference checked
- Wikiquote: Dracula (novel)Chapter IIReference checked
Context reviewed