To build the impossible, crumbling architecture of Castle Dracula.
By introducing the prologue where Prince Vlad renounces God after the death of his wife, Elisabeta, the film transforms the Count from a mere monster into a tragic, Romantic anti-hero. When he sees Winona Ryder’s Mina Harker and whispers, "I have crossed oceans of time to find you," the horror is suddenly eclipsed by a centuries-old grief. The Magic of "Old School" Effects
To give the landscapes a surreal, painterly quality.