The Return of Dracula/The Vampire
by Paul Landres
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Actor: Francis Lederer, Greta Granstedt, Jimmy Baird, Norma Eberhardt, Ray StricklynDirector: Paul Landres
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Jack MacKenzie
Editor: John Faure
Editor: Sherman A. Rose
Producer: Arnold Laven
Producer: Arthur Gardner
Producer: Jules V. Levy
Writer: Pat Fielder
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 153 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-09-11
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of The Return of Dracula/The Vampire
DVD Review: The sinister underside of small-town Americana!
Summary: 4 Stars
Here's a classic pair of tightly-wound American vampire thrillers with strong performances across the board, both from the writer of Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT (with which both of these pictures share minor thematic tendencies) and sharing a sharp director in Paul Landres, a man who obviously knew how to make a low-budget really shine. In RETURN, an eastern European artist (the great Francis Lederer) is bitten by Dracula on his way to America, and breeds no small amount of suspicion among his small-town relatives, notably pretty young cousin Norma Eberhardt. Lots of neat little touches in this one. THE VAMPIRE is more of a Jekyll & Hyde tale about a small-town doctor (Paul Beal) who is given (by his own daughter!) an accidental dose of a test serum derived from Bat venom by a local scientist, which transforms him into a crazed killer. The hook is that he has no recollection of the murders he commits, so his doctorly concern for the victims is genuine. His dilemma worsens once he does the math, but his realistic, humanistic response to it is what lifts this above so many drive-in creature features of the day. I used to own RETURN OF DRACULA on VHS many years ago (when it was called CURSE OF DRACULA), but seeing it here with such clarity was a revelation and having THE VAMPIRE in the same set is just a big ol' spoonful of frosting.DVD Review: Fun Double Feature of 50s Vampire Classics.
Summary: 4 Stars
Another wonderful double feature from Midnite Movies, this time featuring on two underrated 50s Vampire classics. Both films are presented in the best possible way with clear, crisp prints and in letterbox no less!
The films themselves are quite enjoyable as well.
The first film is the 1958, "Return of Dracula", also known as "Curse of Dracula". This film plays as a Horror version of Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", that film about a "lost cousin" who moves in with his family and turns out to be a homicidal maniac. In this film, the cousin isn't a maniac, he's a vampire.
Francis Lederer brings an oily sort of menace to his Dracula and makes him one of the more interesting Counts of this period. The rest of the cast is just decent, but the film is fairly suspenseful and well directed.
It's not great, but a decent enough effort overall.
The next film is somewhat better, bringing the gothic monster to the atomic age very much like the previous year's "The Werewolf". That film is "The Vampire(1957)", not to be confused with the Mexican made Universal Knock-off produced that same year. This one tells the story of a sympathetic Country Doctor who accidently takes vampire pills(!) and becomes a murderous Monster like Mr. Hyde at night if he does not take the pills. The actor portraying the doctor is John Beal and he is excellent, delivering one of the best neglected performances in the Horror film, that decade. Also on hand are 50s Monster movie favorites, Kenneth Tobey(The Thing) as the Cop Hero and the beautiful Colleen Gray(The Leech Woman) as the doctor's nurse.
Both films are enjoyable pieces of B-cinema reccomended for afficionados of Horror cinema and children of the night of all ages.
DVD Review: The Return of Dracula/The Vampire
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this set primarily for The Return of the Dracula. As a child, I remember watching this on the late night horror show, still a great piece of work to me. It is still keeps you on your toes, acting is not bad and the special effects aren't too shabby for the time period. I still find this an enjoyable movie to watch and even my daughter thought it was good movie to watch, not hokey. I liked it then and still like it now. The Vampire is so/so. Not too credible but ok to watch.DVD Review: Forgotten Classics that are perfect for a stormy night.
Summary: 4 Stars
I recall watching these two classic horror films on either Saturday night's Creature Feature or Saturday morning's equivalent and I enjoyed them every time I viewed them.
"The Return of Dracula" is by far the better film as a whole. The story of Dracula arriving in the states as a long lost European relative with "unusual" mannerisms is atmospherically filmed and solidly directed. Frances Lederer to sublimely perfect as Dracula and the supporting cast is terrific too. The film deals with surprisingly interesting themes outside of vampirism, such as longing to see and experience the outside world, what would be willing to exchange to overcome a handicap (blindness in this tale), ethnocentric conduct, and family loyality. For a 1950's film it is also surprisingly graphic with a staking in the heart that shifts the film from black and white to color with blood splashing on the camera lens to the terrific death of Dracula at the end which is my favorite of all Dracula slayings. Those two scenes are not for the faint of heart, even by today's standards.
Now, "The Vampire" is the weaker of the two overall, but better acted and a bizarre twist on vampire folklore. John Beal plays a local family doctor who is accidentally poisoned by his own young daughter when she mixes up the pills he asks for when he has a headache. Unfortunately, she gives him the pills he picked up from a dead patient who was experimenting with vampire bats. The story then shifts to more of Jekyll and Hyde horror tale than a vampire one as he becomes a monster periodically while addicted to the pills. Even when no longer on the pills he becomes a monster. I sense a subplot about chemical dependency in this tight little tale that is short on thrills, but long on story and acting.
This film relies much more on the actors and the scenes with John Beal and his nurse and with his daughter as they are very sensitively done. I was truly touched by a number of scenes. I think you will be very surprised at just how well acted this film is by all participants. Sadly, the make up is rather silly and takes away from the potential shock value the story could have had if the make up was done better.
No matter how you slice it, either film still holds up very well today and if you are a horror fan, you won't regret finding a place on your shelf for these oldies, but goodies.
06/08
Steve Hedge
DVD Review: LITTLE GEM CALLED THE RETURN OF DRACULA COMES TO DVD AS A DOUBLE FEATURE!
Summary: 4 Stars
This little known gem 'The Return Of Dracula is making it's debut on DVD! It's about time and as a bonus it's on this double feature disc with 'The Vampire'! The Return Of Dracula is a very solid Vampire movie with good pacing and decent atmosphere. The acting is above average for this sort of movie and it has one of the most memorable endings in vampire movie history. Francis Lederer is menacing as the count with his black eyes and his deep facial lines. I did notice in one instance that when one of Dracula's wives got staked the picture turned to color to show the blood......Something I missed as a kid growing up with B&W TV and watching these on Creature Feature. I didn't remember that much about either of these films until I watched them on an HD Channel and then checked the quality on the DVD. Both prints seem to be in very good condition, but unfortunately the disc has no extras. 'The Return Of Dracula' is a much better film than other, but 'The Vampire' is hard to hate and it's a "Hoot Ta Boot"! This is an excellent double feature disc for old horror buffs.
1) The Return Of Dracula 4 Stars
2) The Vampires 2 1/2 Stars
Description of The Return of Dracula/The Vampire
The Return of Dracula:Count Dracula (Lederer) assumes a false identity and heads for California on a chilling murder spree that a once quiet town will never forget.The Vampire:A scientist ingests some strange pills made by a recently deceased colleague and turns into a scaly-looking bloodsucker.System Requirements:Running Time: 153 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:?HORROR/VAMPIRES Rating:?PG UPC:?027616086433 Manufacturer No:?M108643Classic Horror & Monsters DVDs
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