FILM REVIEW OF "SON OF DRACULA" (1943)

Although I'm a super big fan of Lon Chaney, Sr., I've never admired his son Lon Chaney, Jr. While Junior fared better as the sympathetic Lawrence Talbot in "The Wolf Man," this big, burly individual is woefully miscast as the urbane, sophisticated Count Dracula in Robert Siodmak's "Son of Dracula." Okay, I'll give Chaney credit for being the first Dracula with a mustache. Was it Chaney's idea or Siodmak's? Other than John Carradine and Christopher Lee, most Draculas are smooth-shaven gents, but Junior needed more than a mustache to make himself a menacing bloodsucker in this otherwise imaginative but flawed chiller. Junior constitutes the chief flaw. His delivery is stilted beyond belief. When he utters 'decadent' as de-kay-dent, you want to chuckle. Chaney's dialogue delivery doesn't sound scary.  Perhaps he should have adopted a strong dialect.  In any case, he doesn't radiate that evil Bela Lugosi glint in his eyes. Moreover, he doesn't send a chill either up or down your spine. He looks handsome in his outfits, but he lacks the arrogance of immortality. The lack of aristocracy in his conduct doesn't help. Oddly enough, Dracula comes off as somewhat of a chump. Moments of atmosphere, particularly the off-beat setting for this second sequel, and the strange nature of the screenplay compensate for some of the weird things. The sight of Dracula and his bride letting a Justice of the Peace marry them is faintly amusing. On the other hand, the Count's emergence from the swamp is a nice touch.  Dracula's ability to turn into mist and bats before our eyes makes "Son of Dracula" worth-watching.

Appropriately enough, "Son of the Dracula" opens with a pair of hands clearing out cobwebs. Remember eight years had passed since the release of "Dracula's Daughter." The Southern Gothic setting with the moss covered swamp lands is wonderfully sinister. Initially, Frank Stanley (Robert Paige of "Flying G-Men") and Dr. Harry Brewster (Frank Craven of "Barbary Coast") arrive at a railroad depot to greet Count Alcuard. The Transylvanian nobleman, however, is nowhere to be seen. They spot the railway luggage cart stacked high with two chests and other assorted luggage bearing the family crest of Alcuard. Immediately, Brewster notices when he spells Alucard backwards that it reads Dracula. Dracula (Lon Chaney, Jr.) makes his first appearance outside 'Dark Oaks,' the antebellum planation where Katherine 'Kay' Caldwell (Louise Allbritton of "Parachute Nurse") eagerly awaits his arrival. She has thrown a dinner party for him, but he arrives too late to participate.  She plans to marry Dracula.

Katherine's elderly gray-headed father, Colonel Caldwell (George Irving of "Coquette"), is Dracula's first victim.The Colonel's death is the catalyst for the plot.  Initially, when Judge Simmons reads the Colonel's will, Katherine and her sister Claire receive equal shares of everything.  This will is dated August 24th.  Katherine produces a newer will.  She inherits Dark Oaks, while Claire gets everything else. Frank Stanley is madly in love with Katherine, but she only has eyes for Dracula. She met Dracula during a trip to Budapest and hasn't been the same girl.. Meanwhile, Dr. Brewster summons a renowned vampire hunter, Professor Lazlo (J. Edward Bromberg of "Invisible Agent") from Memphis. Like Van Helsing, Lazlo knows everything about Dracula, especially how to destroy him. Frank shoots Dracula with a revolver after he learns that Kirby married them. He flees in horror when his first bullet penetrates Dracula and kills Kay. Frank fires two more shots, discards the revolver, and charges through the dark swamp. He takes refuge in Dr. Harry Brewster's house. Later, Frank surrenders to the authorities and takes the blame for Kay's murder. Dr. Brewster visits Dark Oaks but finds Kay alive. She carries on a conversation with him from her bed.

Dracula's first rendezvous with Kay in the swamp is truly atmospheric. The Count's coffin emerges from the watery depths like a submarine. A mist percolates out of it and turns into Dracula. Literally, Dracula levitates himself across the water to Kay. They drive off to the Justice of the Peace with a jealous Frank shadowing them. The special effects transformation where Dracula turnS his back to the camera and then turns into a flying bat is impressive for its day. It looks cool when the lady vampire dematerializes as a fog bank in the jail cell. The burning of Dracula's coffin as a way to destroy him was a new one on me. Mind you, every studio that has ever made a vampire movie

tampers with the formula. The premise that a woman would flirt with Dracula to obtain immortality then double-cross him is interesting. Dracula cuckolded!? Indeed, "Son of Dracula" seems more like film noir than horror. Things get pretty complicated and these complications make "Son of Dracula" worth watching.

The gimmick of spelling Dracula's name backwards is clever. Anybody but Lon Chaney, Jr., would have made a serviceable Dracula. The guy looks like he ought to be stuffing baloney into his big hammy jowls instead of draining bodies of blood with his fangs. Incidentally, you never see his fangs, but then you never saw either Lugosi's fangs or Carradine's fangs. The Production Code Administration (PCA) probably ruled out such a toothy display on the grounds that it was too repellent. George Robinson's white photography is textbook perfect. He takes a two-dimensional format and gives it a three-dimensional look by bringing out the foreground from the background and the mid-ground.

Altogether, "Son of Dracula" surpasses "Dracula's Daughter." Nevertheless, you have to overlook the obvious lapse of continuity in "Phantom of the Opera" scenarist Eric Taylor's screenplay that he

derived from Siodmak's story. Basically, the studio maintained no continuity for Dracula. Siodmak and Taylor make no references to previous "Dracula" movies. Universal Studios observed far greater

continuity in the "Frankenstein" and "The Wolfman" franchises. Doesn't it say something when the second "Dracula" sequel appeared eight years after "Dracula's Daughter?" The latter in-name-only sequel without Lugosi and only a glimpse of the infamous Count in a coffin with a stake driven into his heart amounted to a letdown compared with the vintage original. The change in the character of Dracula is even more apparent in "Son of Dracula." Perhaps they simply couldn't conjure up a reasonable excuse about how to keep reviving the count. Of course, Universal should have brought back Lugosi. Presumably, studio politics kept Lugosi from encoring in the role until "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." "Daughter's Daughter" and the remaining "Dracula" movies qualify as stand alone sequels. Remember, Countess Zaleska burned Dracula's body in "Dracula's Daughter." In "Son of Dracula," however, the vampire expert states the Dracula died in the 19th century.

FILM REVIEW OF ''SON OF DRACULA" (1943)

Although I'm a super big fan of Lon Chaney, Sr., I've never admired his son Lon Chaney, Jr. While Junior fared better as the sympathetic Lawrence Talbot in "The Wolf Man," this big lug of a lout is woefully miscast as the urbane, sophisticated Count Dracula in Robert Siodmak's "Son of Dracula." Okay, I'll give Chaney credit for being the first Dracula with a mustache. Was it Chaney's idea or Siodmak's? Other than John Carradine and Christopher Lee, most Draculas are smooth-shaven gents, but Junior needed more than a mustache to make a menacing bloodsucker of himself in this otherwise imaginative but flawed chiller. Junior constitutes the chief flaw. His delivery is stiff beyond belief. When he utters 'decadent' as de-kay-dent, you want to chuckle. He doesn't radiate that evil Bela Lugosi glint in his eyes. Moreover, he doesn't send a chill either up or down your spine. The lack of aristocracy in his appearance doesn't help. Odd enough, Dracula comes off as somewhat of a chump in “Son of Dracula.” Moments of atmosphere, particularly the off-beat setting for this second sequel, and the strange nature of the screenplay compensate for some of the weird things about “Son of Dracula.” The sight of Dracula and his bride going to a Justice of the Peace is faintly amusing. On the other hand, the Count’s emergence from the swamp is a nice touch.

Appropriately enough, “Son of the Dracula” (**1/2 out of ****) opens with a pair of hands clearing out cobwebs. Remember eight years had passed since the release of “Dracula’s Daughter.” The Southern Gothic setting and the swamp is wonderfully sinister. Initially, Frank Stanley (Robert Paige of “Flying G-Men”) and Dr. Harry Brewster (Frank Craven of “Barbary Coast”) arrive at a railroad depot to greet Count Alcuard. The Transylvanian nobleman, however, is nowhere in sight. They spot the railway luggage cart that is stacked with three trunks bearing the family crest. Immediately, Brewster notices that Alucard spelled backwards reads Dracula. Dracula (Lon Chaney, Jr.) makes his first appearance outside ‘Dark Oaks,’ the antebellum house where Katherine ‘Kay’ Caldwell (Louise Allbritton of “Parachute Nurse”) eagerly awaits his arrival. She plans to marry Dracula.

Katherine’s elderly father, Colonel Caldwell (George Irving of “Coquette”), is Dracula’s first victim. When the Colonel’s will is read, Katherine inherits Dark Oaks. Frank is madly in love with Katherine, but she only has eyes for Dracula. She met Dracula initially in Budapest. Meanwhile, Dr. Brewster summons a renowned vampire hunter, Professor Lazlo (J. Edward Bromberg of “Invisible Agent”) from Memphis. Like Van Helsing, Lazlo knows everything about Dracula. Frank shoots Dracula with a revolver after he learns that Kirby has married them. He cringes in horror when his first bullet penetrates Dracula and kills Kay. Kay was standing behind Dracula when Frank fired his first shot at the Count. Frank fires two more shots, discards the gun, and charges through the dark swamp. Later, he turns himself into the authorities and takes the blame for Kay’s murder. Dr. Brewster visits Dark Oaks but finds Kay alive.

Dracula’s first rendezvous with Kay in the swamp is truly atmospheric. The Count’s coffin emerges from the watery depths like a submarine. A mist percolates out of it and turns into Dracula. Literally, Dracula levitates himself across the water to Kay. They drive off to the Justice of the Peace with a jealous Frank shadowing them. The special effects transformation where Dracula turnS his back to the camera and then turns into a flying bat is impressive for its day. It looks cool when the lady vampire dematerializes as a fog bank in the jail cell. The burning of Dracula's coffin as a way to destroy him was a new one on me. Mind you, every studio that has ever made a vampire movie tampers with the formula. The premise that a woman would flirt with Dracula to obtain immortality then double-cross him is interesting. Dracula cuckolded!? Indeed, "Son of Dracula" seems more like film noir than horror. Things get pretty complicated and these complications make "Son of Dracula" worth watching.

The gimmick of spelling Dracula's name backwards is clever. Anybody but Lon Chaney, Jr., would have made a serviceable Dracula. The guy looks like he ought to be stuffing baloney into his big hammy jowls instead of draining bodies of blood with his fangs. Incidentally, you never see his fangs, but then you never saw Lugosi's fangs or Carradine's fangs. The Production Code Administration probably ruled out such a toothy display on the grounds that it was too repellent. George Robinson's black & white photography is textbook excellent. He takes a two-dimensional format and gives it a three-dimensional look by bringing out the foreground from the background and the mid-ground.

Altogether, "Son of Dracula" surpasses “Dracula’s Daughter.” Nevertheless, you have to overlook the obvious lapse of continuity in “Phantom of the Opera” scenarist Eric Taylor’s screenplay that he derived from Siodmak’s story. Basically, the studio maintained no continuity for Dracula. Siodmak and Taylor make no references to previous "Dracula" movies. Universal Studios observed far greater continuity in the "Frankenstein" and "The Wolfman" franchises. Doesn't it say something when the second sequel to "Dracula" appeared eight years after “Dracula’s Daughter?” The latter in-name-only sequel without Lugosi and only a glimpse of the infamous Count in a coffin with a stake driven into his heart amounted to a letdown compared with the vintage original. The change in the character of Dracula is even more apparent in “Son of Dracula.” Perhaps they simply couldn't conjure up a reasonable excuse about how to keep reviving the count. Of course, Universal should have brought back Lugosi. Presumably, studio politics kept Lugosi from encoring in the role until "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." "Daughter's Daughter" and the remaining "Dracula" movies qualify as stand alone sequels. Remember, Countess Zaleska burned Dracula’s body in “Dracula’s Daughter.” In “Son of Dracula,” however, the vampire expert states the Dracula died in the 19th century.

FILM REVIEW OF ''DRACULA'S DAUGHTER"

The executives at Universal Studios didn't have long to mind the store after they produced the deplorable "Dracula's Daughter." Universal's principal debtor, Standard Capital Corporation, gave studio founder Carl Laemmle and his regime the boot after production wrapped on it. Laemmle and company should have gotten the boot far earlier for making such a lackluster sequel. Any sequel that doesn’t bring back the original protagonist—villainous or otherwise—can hardly be considered a genuine sequel. Not only does “Dracula’s Daughter” (*1/2 out of ****) refuse to reanimate Dracula, who had been impaled at the end of the original, but also Universal replaced their seminal male vampire with an entirely different protagonist—a female vampire! Unfortunately, Bela Lugosi didn't make an encore appearance; even though the Count’s supine corpse lies sprawled in his coffin at the police station. Not surprisingly, the corpse bears no resemblance to Lugosi. Indeed, Dracula plays only a peripheral part in “Dracula’s Daughter.” Conversely, Edward Van Sloan's Professor Von Helsing plays a major part. None of the other characters from the Tod Browning original participate in these new antics. Well, Renfield's body appears at the foot of the stairs in the opening sequence when the two London policemen discover him.

Presumably, since a supernatural horror movie like "Dracula" was so new to Hollywood, Universal Studios scenarists had no idea how to handle such a character. After all, “Daughter’s Daughter” came out in 1936, five years after “Dracula!” It makes you wonder why Universal waited so long to parlay a franchise out of the character. “Dracula’s Daughter” picks up where “Dracula” concluded in Carfax Abbey—a much cleaner Carfax Abbey--after Van Helsing had driven a stake into the Count as the bloodsucker lay in his coffin. Later Universal “Dracula” sequels, such as “House of Frankenstein,” would bring back Dracula even though a stake had been hammered through his body. Apparently, Universal didn't know how to handle its own merchandise. Consider if you will the inconsistency between Dracula’s corpse in “Dracula’s Daughter.” Dracula’s corporal body remains intact with the stake in him. In “House of Frankenstein” (1944), however, Dracula is a skeleton with a stake in his ribs. Clearly, the cinematic technology of 1944 enabled Universal to alter the rules that they had created for Dracula.

As Dracula's Daughter, the dark-haired Hungarian Countess, Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden of “Dodge City”), boasts the power to hypnotize the helpless. She accomplishes this feat with the use of an awesome ring. She is strong enough to put a victim into a coma with her hypnotic powers. Later, "Dracula's Daughter" waxes somewhat risqué, particularly when the eponymous heroine seduces a young girl from the streets. Lili (Nan Grey), who had planned to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, has consented to be a model for Zaleska to paint. A strain of forbidden lesbianism permeates this scene when the Countess convinces pretty young Lili lower the straps of her slip so she can admire her neck and shoulders. This is about as scary as this movie gets. Like Dracula, the Countess possesses her own sinister assistant, Sandor (Irving Pichel of "British Agent"), who carries out her orders. The faithful Sandor found Lili. Comparatively, Sandor resembles Renfield because he performs some of the leg work for Zaleska. Ultimately, Sandor hopes that the Countess will reward him for his service. He yearn to be her lover for an eternality. Unfortunately, for Sandor, the Countess has her eyes set on somebody else who has far greater power than Sandor.

Initially, the Countess claims she is struggling to break free of ‘the curse of Dracula.’ After all, she steals Dracula’s corpse from the police station and cremated it in the wilderness. Meanwhile, the bulk of the action at the outset concerns Von Helsing turning himself over to two London policemen for the murder of Count Dracula. “Dracula’s Daughter” wins brownie points for this loyalty to the original. The police send Von Helsing to Scotland Yard where he tries to justify the ‘service to humanity’ that he performed by murdering Count Dracula. Commissioner Sir Basil Humphrey (Gilbert Emery of “Scandal Sheet”) warns Von Helsing that a jury will either convict him to be hanged or sentence to a mental asylum for the criminally insane. Von Helsing solicits the help of a former student, psychologist Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger of "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet"), and defines vampirism and the methods of dealing with vampires to Garth. A skeptical Garth assures Von Helsing that the jury will hang him at the mention of such folklore. Eventually, the Countess seeks out Dr. Garth, but she runs into trouble with Garth's jealous secretary Janet Blair (Marguerite Churchill of "Riders of the Purple Saga") who behaves like a comedian from a screwball comedy. Janet and the Countess clash from the get-go, and Janet does everything in her power to see the Countess doesn't get any time to be alone with Garth.

B-western director Lambert Hillyer replaced A. Edward Sutherland as director after several delays plagued the production. Hillyer helmed 161 films during his 32 year career as a director. Aside from “Dracula’s Daughter,” Hillyer is best known for his 1943 serial “Batman,” the first appearance of the DC Comics Caped Crusader on the big screen. Hillyer maintains forward momentum and the action never bogs down in complications. Mind you, George Robinson's glorious black and white lensing creates considerable atmosphere. For the record, Robinson went on to photograph the sequel to "Dracula's Daughter," "Son of Dracula" (1943) with Lon Chaney cast as the immortal count! Nevertheless, despite the first-rate photography, little that is spooky occurs this half-baked sequel.Hillyer and "Frankenstein" scenarist Garrett Ford try to whip up some fury in the last ten minutes as the Countess abducts Dr. Garth's girlfriend Janet and flies back to Transylvania with her as her hostage. A desperate Garth follows hot on their heels and following just as hot on Garth’s heels are Von Helsing and Humphrey. Despite some atmospheric moments, the eponymous heroine generates none of the chills that Lugosi conveyed. Moreover, despite her Hungarian origins, the Countess speaks English without an accent. “Dracula’s Daughter” would have qualified as an okay vampire yarn outside the “Dracula” franchise, but it is a disappointing “Dracula” sequel.

FILM REVIEW OF "HORROR OF DRACULA" (BRITISH-1958)

The worldwide success that Hammer Films reaped with its widescreen, Technicolor release of director Terence Fisher's “Curse of Frankenstein” prompted the small independent British film company to plunder another sacred Universal monster franchise “Dracula.” Peter Cushing, who had impersonated the insane Baron in “Curse of Frankenstein,” played Doctor Van Helsing, the good guy, opposite his monstrous “Curse of Frankenstein” co-star Christopher Lee who bared his incisors as the undead Count. Remakes and sequels are often damned for altering or updating the original narrative. Indeed, “The Curse of Frankenstein” scenarist Jimmy Sangster tampered with the legendary Stoker novel, but his changes provide a greater sense of momentum and chills. Christopher Lee is cast as an aristocratic vampire who wears evening apparel beneath a long, black, flowing cape that he sports with a flourish. Unlike Lugosi who stood six foot one, Lee imposed his presence on others with this six foot five statue. He is quite a civil fellow in the early scenes, but his civility vanishes for the remainder of this brisk 82-minute melodrama after an expendable supporting character deprives him of his voluptuous vampire companion. The shot of Harker hammering a stake into the heart of the vampire woman looks really cool because Fisher shoots the reflection of Harker's shadow on a wall.

Most of the story survives in “Horror of Dracula” (***1/2 out of ****), but Sangster and director Terence Fisher have eliminated the sea voyage that appeared in “Nosferatu” to a Germanic port and in “Dracula” to Whitby Harbor. Meaning, there is no ship’s captain who ties himself to the wheel and dies in route to dock. Mind you, Harker (John Van Eyssen of “Murder in the Cathedral “) still travels to Transylvania by horse-drawn carriage, but he doesn’t arrive at the inn at sunset. Since he cannot convince a coachman to convey him to Castle Dracula, he hikes to the castle during daylight, so the scene with an incognito Dracula perched atop a stagecoach ready to conduct him to his castle has been eliminated. Harker feels a change in temperature as he crosses a stream in front of Castle Dracula. In this version, Harker finds a handwritten message awaiting him instead of Dracula; his gracious host has left him some food and an explanation that he will not be there to greet him on his arrival. Furthermore, Harker doesn’t present himself in the capacity of a real estate agent as his predecessors. Instead, he is a librarian. Harker finishes his meal and prepares to peruse some papers when he knocks a plate of bread onto the floor. As he retrieves the bread, cutlery, and plate from the floor, somebody slips up behind him. Dracula’s nymphomanical bride approaches him. She begs him to help her escape from Dracula. Dracula appears and she flees. Eventually, she attacks him and Dracula doesn’t intervene in time save Harker. Consequently, the scene where the visitor cuts himself in front of Dracula as well as the voyage to a major city has been omitted. Furthermore, Dr. Seward's importance has been reduced to two scenes, and there is no sanitarium.

Altogether, three major changes have occurred in “Horror of Dracula” that differentiate it from Tod Browning’s “Dracula.” These changes are (1) Jack Asher’s brilliant Technicolor cinematography, (2) composer James Bernard’s sensational atmospheric score, (3) Sangster’s unbridled screenplay brimming with lurid action, sexy female vampires, and Christopher Lee’s disintegration scene. In other words, unlike Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, Lee could actually bare his fangs and the blood flows in bright red colors. The scene where Harker is bitten presents Dracula in his full glory with bloodshot eyes and blood on his jowls. Meantime, none of Lugosi’s wives displayed cleavage, but Dracula’s wife in "Horror of Dracula" literally thrusts her breasts at us. Christopher Lee makes a fantastic Dracula, and Peter Cushing’s Dr. Van Helsing is a good rival who gets quite athletic before everything concludes. Future “Batman” butler Michael Gough co-stars as Arthur, Lucy’s brother, with Lee and Cushing. Arthur participates more in the action during the latter half of the narrative when he assists Van Helsing. Sangster doesn’t dawdle like most vampire movies. He cranks up the action rather quickly when we learn that Harker is only posing as a librarian so that he can kill Dracula. Unfortunately, Dracula’s lusty wife thwarts his efforts, infects him, and he winds up killing her first when he had a splendid opportunity to stake the count. Of course, the filmmakers could not let Dracula perish too early in the action. Dracula gets Harker and remembers the beautiful pictures that Harker brought with him of his girlfriend Lucy. Later, when Van Helsing arrives at Castle Dracula, he is nearly run over by a rampaging hearse tearing off the premises with a white coffin in the back. Van Helsing discovers the dead vampire siren and his old friend Harker.

Fisher doesn’t let the action slow down and exposition is inserted palatalably into the dialogue scene. One difference here is that Van Helsing refutes the theory that vampires can shape-shift into either bats or wolves. Indeed, Fisher and Sangster have put a small scene where Van Helsing goes over vampire essentials. This scene lays down the rules. Van Helsing plays back his finds on a primitive recording device that relies on a tube as a recording device. "Research on vampires. There are certain basic facts established. One: light. The vampire is allegic to light. Never ventures forth in the daytime. Sunlight fatal. Repeat, fatal. It would destroy them. (Obviously, this serves to foreshadow the final showdown between Van Helsing and Dracula.) Two: garlic. Three: crucifix. Symbolizes the power of good over evil. The power of the crucifix in these cases is two-fold. It protects the normal human being but reveals the vampire or victim of this vile contagion whenin advanced stages. It is established that the victim consciously detest being dominated by vampirism, but are unable to relinquish the practice similar to addiction to drugs. Ultimately death results from loss of blood. But unlike normal death, no peace manifests itself for they enter into the fearful state of the undead." The Hammer Films franchise sticks rather closely to this dictum.

In a later scene, after Arthur Holmwood has perused Jonathan's diary, he discusses the incredible attributes of a vampire with Van Helsing. "Vampires are known to have gone on from century to century. Records show that Dracula could be 500 to 600 years old," Van Helsing assures Holmwood. When Arthur brings up the issue of shape-shifting into bats and wolves, Van Helsing dismisses this out of hand. "That's a common fallacy. The study of these creatures has been my life's work. I carried out research with some of the greatest authorities in Europe. And yet we've only just scratched the surface. You see, a great deal is known about the vampire bat. But details of these re-animated bodies of the dead, the "undead," as we call them ... are so obscure that many biologists will not believe they exist." Van Helsing convinces Holmwood to agree to help him. He adds, "We also know that during the day the vampire must rest in his native soil."

Lee’s Dracula remains as he is through the action. The two women, Lucy and Mina, constitute a major part of the story. Lucy (Carol Marsh of the 1951 “Scrooge”) is Harker’s girlfriend who has been stricken by illness. After Van Helsing discovers Harker’s body, he refrains from sharing his gruesome knowledge with both Arthur (Michael Gough) and his wife Mina (Melissa Stribling of “Ghost Ship”) because he fears that they won’t believe him. Meanwhile, Dr. Seward (Charles Lloyd Pack of “The Safecracker”) suggests to Mina to get a second opinion about Lucy, and Mina consults with Dr. Van Helsing. Van Helsing examines Lucy and stipulates that the windows to Lucy’s room must remain closed and garlic must be placed in her room. Van Helsing is quite emphatic that he can save Lucy’s life, but he reminds Mina that she must abide by his orders. No sooner does Lucy have a bad reaction to the garlic than she convinces Mina’s servant Gerda (Olga Dickie of “The Kiss of the Vampire “) to disobey Mina’s strict orders and remove not only the objectionable garlic but also throw open the doors.

Predictably, Lucy perishes, but then Arthur hears strange stories, the strangest from Gerda’s daughter that she has seen Lucy walking. Finally, Arthur learns the awful truth about Harker’s demise and peruses Harker’s diary that reveals the quest to kill Dracula. Dracula doesn’t waste time after he dispatches Lucy to go after Mina. Meanwhile, Van Helsing puts Lucy to the stake and her corpse doesn’t disintegrate or grow old as Dracula’s wife’s body. When Arthur and Van Helsing realize that Mina is now Dracula’s new target, they maintain surveillance over the house, but Dracula strikes anyway and nearly kills Mina. Van Helsing discovers the Dracula has placed his coffin in the basement. By this time, Dracula knows his game is up and flees back to Transylvania with Mina in the back of a hearse. Dracula breaks down the barrier at the border and the border official turns into a comic character that reacts with a combination of outrage and anxiety when Van Helsing and Arthur appear not long after Dracula.

The ending of “Horror of Dracula” is very athletic. Van Helsing confronts Dracula and the count nearly defeats him, but Van Helsing fools him and tears down a curtain over a window to let in enough sunlight to turn Dracula into dust. Of course, Dracula would not remain inert for long because Hammer cranked out six sequels to the “Horror of Dracula.”