Sign of the times - Deafula (1975)

As we continue to explore, Dracula has been through a wide range of iterations since his creation by the legendary Bram Stoker. Part of the Dracula Returns to Derby project is an effort to map that journey, from the monster of the novel and Nosferatu to our own suave and sophisticated ‘Derby Dracula’ of the 1924 stage show. The journey of the Count’s evolution, however, takes in a number of stops you might not be aware of – including today’s offering, 1975 Deafula.

Directed by, written by and starring Peter Wolf, Deafula holds the title of being the first horror film to be shot entirely in American Sign Language. While a voiceover was provided for hearing audiences, the movie’s commitment to accessibility for the D/deaf community has been hailed in the fifty years since its initial release.

Deafula was shot in Portland, Oregon, and presented in black and white, giving it a feel reminiscent of the early Dracula movies of the 1920s and 1930s. The visual effect the movie goes for – with varying degrees of success – is an expressionist look in the vein of Nosferatu or The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

Our main story concerns Steve, a theology student who starts to suspect that he might be turning into a vampire after a number of suspicious deaths in the local area. Enter Butterfield, an English detective who has experience with vampires having fought and defeated Dracula in the past. As the story develops, we discover that Steve’s mother had been bitten by Dracula during her pregnancy, causing the vampiric condition to emerge in her son. A hypnotised Steve is then forced to go to the museum where Dracula is buried, and face a battle for his very soul.

You may detect from the above that, as an adaptation of the novel, this one strays far from the source material. However, it does create a unique filmic world in which all of its characters are D/deaf and communicate using ASL, and the aforementioned voiceover was only added later – the original screenings were silent.

Deafula premiered in Portland, Oregon in 1975 and enjoyed highly successful screenings in Lake Placid, New York (where it screened as part of the World Games for the D/deaf, and had to be shown a second time to keep up with demand) and Los Angeles.

What Deafula ably shows is that the character of Dracula is infinitely transformable, and can be adapted into stories and settings to give it relevance across a huge range of cultures. We have covered a wide range of international Draculas already, but this film being the first horror movie to be made completely in ASL speaks to the universality of the character.

It's fair to say that Deafula is the better-known adaptation for the D/deaf community, but I have to add in closing that it is not the first – no, that came in the UK in the 1960s, through director and actor Stephen Pink. And that’ll be our focus next time around…