Fans of artistically perverse Euro-horror always get a little excited when a new Dario Argento movie is announced. Granted, the Italian horror master hasn’t exactly been on top form in recent years with the disappointing Mother Of Tears and the Adrian Brody lawsuit laden Giallo feeling like pale imitations of the director’s iconic classics like Suspiria and Deep Red. But there’s always hope amongst the gore-loving community that he’ll recapture his distinct brand of surrealist gore-horror in the next outing. Argento’s upcoming Dracula 3D does hold some promise given that it will be the visual master’s first crack and stereoscopic cinematography and will feature Rutger Hauer as Van Helsing.  There is always a chance that the lazy storytelling and wooden acting that plagued Argento’s recent work will crop up again here, but hopefully the iconic story will keep the director in check. Today the first few images of Argento’s 3D tribute to blood-sucking love-making have hit the internet. They look sufficiently creepy, but we’ll have to wait to see them in motion to know if the director is back on form or not. Hit the jump for an early peak at Dracula 3D.

Here are a few images of Dracula 3D courtesy of the film’s official website.

 

So, the movie looks pretty much like you’d imagine. A fairly cheap production (sadly Argento doesn’t command the relatively large budgets he once did), but one filled with bloody entrails, bottomless lasses, and a deeply concerned Rutger Hauer no doubt brooding his way towards a viciously violent finale. In short, the pieces are in place for a decent, trashy little 3D horror movie. As long as Argento managed to get himself a script that actually makes sense for the first time in years, this could be a fun scare factory. Certainly Argento’s love of artistically splattering around blood like a psychotic Jackson Pollock could translate well to 3D. Let’s face it, liberally tossing blood into the camera is one of the best uses of 3D technology.

The Dracula 3D website also features a behind the scenes video (which can’t be embedded) that you can check out here. If you’re desperate to see Argento discuss the movie without going to the trouble of clicking on links, we recommend watching this video interview with the director talking about his plans for the film and the plastic glasses fueled format:

It’s always difficult to tell what an Argento movie will be like from his descriptions since the relentless over-the-top imagery of his best work is pretty far removed from his slow and measured speech patterns. However, it was nice to hear that Argento doesn’t plan to just toss 3D on as a gimmick but to “use 3d in an invasive, disruptive manner” (translation: poking scary stuff at the screen). His description of Dracula as “the master of every insanity, of every bloody madness,” might not be the most intellectual approach to the character, but at least the guy seems to be excited by the material.

It’s been far too long since Dario Argento has been on top form as a director and hopefully Dracula 3D can bring some spark back to those weathered eyes that have witnessed the choreographed murders of countless European beauties. An Argento approved bloody massacre could be just the thing to catch sedated 3D audiences off guard and breath a little new life into the format. Whether or not there will be a break in Hollywood’s relentless 3D release schedule long enough to accommodate a few Dracula screenings remains to be seen (Joe Dante’s fantastic The Hole 3D has been sitting on a shelf for several years for that very reason), but we can always hope. I would be nice to see what Argento can do with 3D on a big screen at least once, even if it ends up being as convoluted and disappointing from a narrative standpoint as his most recent projects