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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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3
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10 |
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DVD
score is for
entire set
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This
film — a direct sequel to that other Universal monster rally,
House of Frankenstein (1944) — refutes
the oft-heard claim that Golden Age horror films are simply
better than those of the post-World War II era. A few effective
moments aside, House of Dracula
is sappy, silly, and about as dumb as they come. This is the
Universal Classic Monsters Cycle at its nadir.
Count Dracula (a dapper John Carradine) appears
at the seaside castle of renowned medical researcher Dr. Franz
Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) to seek a cure for vampirism. Initially
introducing himself as "Baron Latos", Dracula quickly reveals
his true identity and that he's taken the liberty of installing
his coffin in Edelmann's crypt-like basement. The kindly physician
takes this in remarkably good stride, agreeing to help Dracula
if possible. The Count is welcome to crash in the basement while
he develops a series of blood treatments. What a nice guy! (At
this point we wouldn't have been surprised if Drac had hit him
up for some money as well.) To the doctor's two assistants,
Nina (Jane Adams) and Meliza (Martha O'Driscoll), Dracula will
continue to be known as Baron Latos while undergoing therapy.
Apparently Edelmann's reputation as a Good
Samaritan extends far and wide. A desperate man soon shows up
at the castle, pleading for a cure to an undisclosed illness.
It's none other than Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.), the Wolf
Man himself, hoping to be released from his lycanthropic
curse. (The Universal Monsters must have great medical insurance.)
While Talbot is locked up in the village jailhouse, Edelmann
and Meliza witness his transformation into a werewolf. The sympathetic
doctor takes Talbot as a patient, having him moved to the castle
once he's recovered his humanity. Edelmann believes he may know
the reason for Talbot's malady: cranial pressure, caused by
the skull pressing on areas of the brain. A radically new, non-surgical
procedure the doctor is developing could end Talbot's nightmare
forever.
In the
meantime Dracula's been putting the moves on Meliza, his sinister
behavior totally contradicting his reason for coming to Edelmann
in the first place. Talbot and the doctor also discover the
body of Frankenstein's Monster, encased in mud, in a cave below
the castle. The Monster (Glenn Strange) is brought up to the
lab but Doc decides it would be unethical to revive him. Edelmann's
about to undergo a major personality change, however. During
a blood transfusion with Dracula, the undead villain reverses
the flow and injects some of his own vampire-tainted blood into
him...
As
you might have gathered by now, House
of Dracula doesn't make much logical sense. Inexplicably,
the film maintains continuity with its predecessor in some regards
while totally ditching it in others. The discovery of Frankenstein's
Monster ties into the '44 film, but Dracula was destroyed in
that picture — yet shows up quite healthy in this one, without
any explanation. And speaking of Drac, why does he seek a cure
for his undead condition only to screw over the one person who
can help him? He betrays his benefactor, then carries on totally
unconcerned that his coffin is easily accessible to those he's
wronged. (Big mistake, especially considering he still hasn't
realized the benefit of owning a watch.) Plot elements are tacked
on willy-nilly; the inclusion of the Frankenstein Monster —
who really makes nothing more than a glorified cameo here —
seems arbitrary.
Tall and gaunt, with his rich baritone
voice, John Carradine actually makes a fine Dracula (...except
he wears his top hat cocked on the back of his head like some
1800s Mississippi riverboat gambler). And there is one notable
scene in the movie, a brief throwback to the great Universal
monster flicks of the '30s: Dracula hypnotizes Meliza while
she's playing a classical piece on the piano. As the Count exerts
his mental control over her the tune changes, taking on a dark,
disturbing tone, becoming music that beckons her to "his world".
Meliza is astonished, unable to understand how she can effortlessly
play something she's never heard before. A nicely atmospheric
scene this, surrounded by a morass of cornball shite.
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House
of Dracula
arrives on DVD as part of the splendid new Dracula: The Legacy
Collection, released April 27th. The 2-disc set packages House
together with the black and white Universal vampire classics Dracula,
the Spanish language version of Dracula
(both 1931), Dracula's Daughter
(1936) and Son of Dracula (1943). All
the terrific extras from the now OOP Dracula
DVD are ported over to this new collection: the optional Philip
Glass score (which I think improves the Lugosi film), the Road
To Dracula documentary, David J. Skal's audio commentary,
an introduction to the Spanish Dracula
by Lupita Tovar, and a nice photo/poster montage. Trailers for
Dracula's Daughter and Son
of Dracula are also included, as is a short featurette
with director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy
Returns) promoting his big budget CG-fest Van
Helsing.
As for House
of Dracula,
for a nearly 60-year old film it looks and sounds great (if a
tad dark), generally faring better than its older brethren. Universal
is to be commended for bringing these movies back to DVD (and
in House's case, for the first time)
in such a comprehensive, marvelously packaged edition at a surprisingly
low price. The Dracula set is also available as part of the 6-disc
Monster Legacy Collection, which features a total of 14
Universal monster films plus three collectible classic monster
figurines. 4/30/04 |
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