“It's chillingly realistic in detail (and at times as gory as the law allows). The physical production is first rate, including the settings, costumes, Eastman Color photography and special effects." - Vincent Canby, Motion Picture Daily
Friday, August 7, 8:30 p.m. | Dracula has been interpreted by a wide range of actors, from Udo Kier and Bela Lugosi to Gary Oldman and William Marshall. But no one wore the cape quite like Christopher Lee, who returned to the role again and again with unmatched intensity. HORROR OF DRACULA marks his first turn as the Count, a performance that reshaped the character into something befanged and sexier. Opposite Lee, Peter Cushing is a honed, relentless Van Helsing, grounding the film's supernatural terror. Breaking from the black-and-white gothic look of Universal monster movies, Hammer Studios traded shadows for garish Technicolor, fully exploiting the lurid palette to full blood-soaked effect. The result is lush, visceral, and unforgettable. (Tavi Veraldi, Chicago Film Society)
Chicago Film Society Presents: Technicolor Weekend | August 7–9, 2026
The Chicago Film Society returns for its fourth iteration of Technicolor Weekend, a series which showcases prints made using the Technicolor printing process. All of the films in this series will be projected from prints that were at one point or another saved by private collectors. They were intended to last only through their initial runs, but instead have endured hundreds of screenings, studio mergers, film exchange closures, and multiple private owners. These unlikely survivors offer us a view of what these films looked like before digital color correction and other modern restoration techniques, and are stunning examples of an incredibly complex industrial process that delighted millions. Synopses courtesy of Chicago Film Society. Learn more at chicagofilmsociety.org.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu