On pages 181 and 182, Gary explains that budgetery restrictions prevented the churchyard and its gate from being built. The gate we see when the bobby bicycles by and Van Helsing and Harker see Renfield is from the existing Carfax Abbey set, which Browning also had to improvise to suggest Lucy is stalking children near the abbey, instead of the churchyard. This is why we see Lucy walking through a wooded area with no tombstones or vault in sight - no such set was ever built.

I don't think we should be drawing conclusions based on a script that was being revised as the film was being shot. It was being reshaped for reasons that were deemed necessary, not the least of which may likely have been the belief that the script was problematic.

I'm also not convinced that Browning thought the film as it exists isn't how he intended it to be. As I understand it, there's nothing conclusive to prove this assertion.

Last Edited By: Casey62 Mar 15 15 8:55 PM. Edited 1 times.