Not astoundingly, knock-you-out-of-your-seat better, but yes: George Melford's Spanish-language version of "Dracula" is the one that I find myself rewatching most often. As the undead Transylvanian count, Carlos Villarias is somewhat less spookily authoritative than Bela Lugosi, but the story has more room to breathe here (the film runs almost half an hour longer than Tod Browning's version), and Lupita Tovar's warm, kittenish performance as Eva is preferable to Helen Chandler's distant, patrician Mina in the English-language production. Both films show their age, so don't expect a masterpiece in either case; F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" remains the definitive cinematic adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. But Universal's Spanish-language version, while every bit as stagey as the better-known Lugosi film, boasts more atmosphere and comes closer to being an immersive experience for the viewer.
