Horror of Dracula (1958)

I've found several authors find that plot-point (Dracula's motivation) an interesting perspective. In his review of HORROR and CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN in VIDEO WATCHDOG, Kim Newman found Peter Cushing's Baron and Van Helsing share a ruthlessness. The Baron's desire to create causes him to drop into unethical bounds while Van Helsing's pursuit to kill Dracula is undone by the unreliability of others (Harker, the maid who obeys Lucy's desperations to remove the flowers), their ruthlessness causing death (although CURSE has a bigger body count). He does note the difference is that the Baron cares little while Van Helsing comforts and protects the victims. Lyndon Joslin, via his book COUNT DRACULA GOES TO THE MOVIES, finds Sangster's adaptation gives Dracula a sympathetic wrinkle for all his evil. His employing Harker to catalogue his library appears to be genuine, and he does do some gentlemen actions for him: protects him from the vampiress, puts him to bed and locks the door for his protection, and respects his privacy (the diary). Both Newman and Joslyn sees the adaptation gives Dracula a motivation to attack the Holmwoods (one could also argue it removes the canonical plot contrivance of one of Dracula's first foreign victims just happening to be best friends with Harker's fiancee). I wonder if the book readers were rather shocked that Sangster kills off Harker so early.