When I first heard about Dracula: Dead & Loving It, I expected it to be the usual silly nonsense that Leslie Nielson is so famous for. It was a pleasant surprise when it had a decent story line and only normal, perhaps even underplayed, humor. The goofiness that I dreaded failed to materialize in this film.

Dracula (Leslie Nielsen) purchases an abbey in England and leaves Transylvania under the watchful eye of his slave, Renfield (Peter MacNichol).

Dracula bites Lucy Seward (Lysette Anthony), which gets everybody involved: Dr. Seward (Harvey Korman), Jonathan Harker (Steven Weber), Mina Seward Harker (Amy Yasbeck) and Professor Van Helsing (Mel Brooks).

And the greatest vampire hunt in history is on!

MacNichol steals the spotlight in this movie. His rendition of Renfield is spectacular, and his larger-than-life performance eclipsed all the others. When he is there, your eyes are locked on him. When he is not there, you are watching for him. All the other roles are played extremely well, but Renfield stands out from the crowd.

The sets are gorgeous; a smorgasbord for the eyes. Even the simplicity is elaborate. The music is well-chosen and complements the scenes ideally.

In all respects, Dracula: Dead & Loving It is superior to most horror films. It belongs in every horror collection. It may well be the best performance of Leslie Nielsen's career.