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“The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” which spotlights the doomed ship in Bram Stoker’s oft-adapted 1897 novel, is the second Dracula film released in 2023 after “Renfield.” Both take generous liberties with the source material, which brings up the question: Out of the 200-some films about the famous Count, which ones are the most faithful?

Here’s our ranking of some of the most popular, and a few lesser-known, Dracula adaptations.

Universal

8. Renfield (2023)

Pretty much the only thing this horror comedy has in common with the novel is Nicholas Hoult as the bug-eating title character and a delightfully campy Nicolas Cage as his bloodthirsty boss. The movie brings them both into the 21st century, makes Renfield an ass-kicking hero and swaps out Lucy and Mina for Awkwafina’s incorruptible cop.

Miramax

7. Dracula 2000 (2000)

The film begins with a shot of the wrecked Demeter and footprints in the sand as Dracula heads to town.

All this talk about Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows makes me think about the original Dark Shadows, and when considering show creator Dan Curtis’ ovure, I am reminded of his great, and often unfairly overlooked, 1973 take on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The film, shot in England in 1973, hit the airwaves on February 8, 1974, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The telepic starred Jack Palance, in retrospect, a natural nod as the fanged fiend. As audiences would see a decade later in the Palance-hosted television hit Ripley’S Believe It Or Not, he has always been the perfect sinister gentleman, a quality played to the hilt in Dracula.

Also starring Simon Ward, Nigel Davenport, Pamela Brown, Penelope Horner, Murray Brown, and the stunning Fiona Lewis, Dracula was shot at famed Pinewood Studios in England, and could easily pass as a Hammer production. Curtis handles the tale like a bigger budget episode of Dark Shadows,...