Varèse Sarabande Records has reissued John Williams's classic score for Dracula (1979) as a two-disc deluxe edition. The release includes the newly-mastered-from-a-new-source original soundtrack and Mike Matessino’s 2018 resurrection of the score that is 72 minutes in length and includes cues not heard in the final cut of the picture...

While it was the work of John Williams that got me interested in soundtracks in the early '80s, I have to embarrassingly admit that I've never owned his score for Dracula. I don't know why, but I'm glad that Varèse Sarabande has reissued this as a 2-disc collection.

For those that have followed Williams's career they'll spot the odd beat or similar use of instruments that will be remind them of other projects. 'Give Me Your Loyalty' has segments that would be revisited for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984); while 'Jonathan Pays A Call' is reminiscent of his work on Jaws (1975). But it's the original Star Wars trilogy (1977 - 1983) that I was most reminded of. This is most notable on the tracks 'A Quick Change'; 'Grave Trampling And The Asylum'; 'The Capture Of Lucy' and 'Dracula's Death (Extended Version)'. Even the movie's main theme was revisited in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) as part of 'The Miracle of the Ark' which accompanied the onscreen action at the climax of the movie.

It's an incredible score full of memorable and engaging themes. This is an essential purchase for serious soundtrack collectors.

Track listing:

Disc 1 - The Film Score

01. Main Title & Storm Sequence (Film Version) (5:19)
02. Meeting in the Cave (3:32)
03. A Quick Change (1:32)
04. Dracula Appears (0:56)
05. Casting a Spell and The Visitation (4:35)
06. Give Me Your Loyalty (1:23)
07. Jonathan Pays a Call (3:05)
08. For Mina (2:23)
09. The Dining Room (1:24)
10. First Kiss (2:08)
11. Dracula Meets Van Helsing (2:44)
12. Grave Trampling and The Asylum (1:14)
13. Night Journeys (Film Version) (5:20)
14. Mina Impaled (1:47)
15. Van Helsing Confronts Dracula (3:16)
16. Van Helsing’s Solution (3:07)
17. Into the Crypt (2:20)
18. The Attack (1:25)
19. The Night Visitor (2:17)
20. Waiting for Dracula (2:32)
21. The Capture of Lucy (3:04)
22. To Scarborough (Film Version) (2:48)
23. Dracula’s Death (Extended Version) (4:04)
24. End Titles (3:32)

Additional Music

25. Main Title & Storm Sequence (Alternate) (2:01)
26. The Love Scene (Extended Version) (4:40)

Total Time: 72:28

Disc 2 - The 1979 Soundtrack Album

01. Main Title & Storm Sequence (5:11)
02. The Night Visitor (2:16)
03. To Scarborough (2:43)
04. The Abduction of Lucy (3:37)
05. Night Journeys (5:12)
06. The Love Scene (2:09)
07. Meeting in the Cave (3:34)
08. The Bat Attack (2:52)
09. For Mina (2:16)
10. Dracula’s Death (3:00)
11. End Titles (3:31)

Total Time: 36:24

Total Two-Disc Time: 1:48:52

10

Darren Rea