It took Mel Brooks 21 years to progress from Young Frankenstein to Old Dracula, casting the splendidly droll Leslie Nielsen as the Count, managing a rather excellent impersonation of Bela Lugosi, though the film's main target is the 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula, with a few nods to the 1958 Hammer version.

Brooks shows his love for old horror films and his affection for ancient slapstick gags in about equal measure in an often straight retelling of the old story that's punctuated with silly laughs, many of them, dare we say it, actually quite funny.

Mel also shows he loves actors, who respond with affectionate send-up turns: Peter MacNicol is super as Renfield, Amy Yasbeck fine as Mina, Harvey Korman hilarious (in an impersonation of Nigel Bruce) as asylum head Dr Seward and Brooks is spot-on as a very Jewish Dr Van Helsing.

Mel's wife, Anne Bancroft, has a hysterically daft cameo as a gypsy woman la Maria Ouspenskya.

If you don't laugh, don't write in.