Spanish 'Dracula' finds new blood, more than 90 years after its release

Carlos Villarías and Lupita Tovar starred in the 1931 Spanish language version of Dracula. (Mike Gallegos for NPR)

In 1931, Universal Studios shot its classic horror film Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi as the bloodsucking count from Transylvania. But after production wrapped for the day, an entirely new cast and crew arrived at night to redo all the scenes in Spanish.

This version of Dracula en Español starred Carlos Villarías as the caped vampire out for blood. He had been a stage actor in Spain and his resemblance to Bela Lugosi was uncanny, said the late actress Lupita Tovar, who played the lovely Eva.