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The
Return of the Vampire
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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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6
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5 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Dracula
star Bela Lugosi proved he was still King of the Undead in Return
of the Vampire, a nice throwback to the Universal classics
of the 1930s. Made during a period when gothic horror films
were on their last legs (on the cusp of being usurped by the
Atomic Age monsters of the '50s), he was probably just happy
to be headlining a picture with a slightly bigger budget than
the "poverty row" Monogram cheapies he was doing at the time.
Though by 1944 a bit long in the tooth to play the suave, darkly
handsome bloodsucker he was so famous for, Lugosi nonetheless
summons the occasional flash of that weird charisma which initially
made him a star.
England,
1918: As World War I draws to a close, a vampire is stalking
London. Based on his examination of a woman who dies from the
creature's bite, elderly Prof. Saunders (Gilbert Emery) concludes
that the victim indeed succumbed to the Kiss of the Undead.
His associate, Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda Inescort) a scientist
in her own right is skeptical but soon comes 'round when Saunders'
young granddaughter Nicki is attacked that night in her bedroom.
The little girl is saved by a quick transfusion, after which
Lady Jane joins the professor in tracking down the monster's
lair. It's discovered that the vampire in question is one Armand
Tesla, a Rumanian scholar of the occult who died in 1744 after
falling prey to the dark forces he studied. While in London
Tesla has been aided by Andreas (Matt Willis), a weak soul whose
mind the vampire has enslaved, turning him into a werewolf.
The professor and Lady Jane learn the location of Tesla's resting
place and drive a steel spike into his heart. Released from
Tesla's control, Andreas reverts to his normal, innocent self.
Flash forward 23 years. A Luftwaffe bombing
raid blasts the cemetery where Tesla's remains lie buried, exposing
the coffin. A pair of comical Cockney gravediggers makes the
mistake of pulling the spike out of Tesla's chest (thinking
it a bomb splinter) before reburying the casket. That night
Tesla revives, clawing his way up from the grave to once more
walk the earth. He soon has poor Andreas back under his spell,
again transforming him into a werewolf. Andreas helps him establish
a new identity, that of Dr. Otto Bruckner, an eminent physician
recently escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe. Posing as Bruckner,
Tesla plans to exact vengeance on Lady Jane and take the grown
up Nicki Saunders (Nina Foch) now the fiance้ of Lady Jane's
son as his companion in darkness.
Return
of the Vampire is
a fun, old-fashioned horror in the best sense of the word. I
enjoyed this film much more than the more famous 'monster rallies'
from the same period, Universal's House
of Frankenstein (1944) and House of
Dracula (1945). Pacing is brisk there's always something
going on. It actually dares to let the audience see a wee bit
more than the Unihorrors do, in that Tesla's 1918 attack on
the young Nicki is shown; we even get a glimpse of the vampire's
face disintegrating when he's finally destroyed. (The first
such scene to ever appear in a vampire film, actually.) The
proto-feminist slant of the Lady Jane character, who's not only
a respected scientist but the actual hero of the piece (a female
Van Helsing, more or less) is uncharacteristic of genre flicks
of the period and a welcome breath of fresh air. I must confess
that Matt Willis' talking, nattily-attired werewolf did have
me snickering at first, but the total sincerity of his performance
not only makes it work but had me concerned about the character's
ultimate fate. That World War II actually figures into the story
also serves to elevate interest. (In Universal's Vasaria Cycle
of 1940s monster films, the conflict is completely ignored as
if it never happened, even though the stories are clearly set
in that decade and "Vasaria" is a Germanic province
of Europe.)
Then
there's Bela Lugosi, who's essentially playing Dracula here
complete with tuxedo and high-collared cape. In fact, one could
easily change the name of Armand Tesla to Count Dracula and
practically nothing else in the story would have to be altered.
Doubtless Lugosi greatly relished the opportunity to headline
a picture released by a major studio (even if it is a B-movie),
as opposed to being top-billed in a Z-grade Monogram production
or taking a supporting role in a Universal film. He's a tad
over the hill in Return of the Vampire
but comparatively vigorous in contrast to the sad, frail figure
of his career-closing 'Ed Wood Period' a decade later. Over
sixty at the time, he nevertheless proves he still had the right
monster stuff ruthless and menacing as Tesla, the urbane and
charming Continental as "Bruckner". Bela fans and
admirers will definitely want this DVD in their collection.
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print used for the Columbia TriStar disc shows its age occasionally,
mostly via nicks and speckling. The first two minutes of the film
fare the worst in this regard, so don't be alarmed
it gets significantly better. The most noteworthy aspect of the
DVD is the mono audio track, which sounds remarkably good for
a flick of this vintage. Dialog is clear and strong; hiss or static
is virtually nonexistent. The only extras are two trailers, for
Bram Stoker's Dracula and The
Revenge of Frankenstein. (The latter released on DVD at the
same time as Return of the Vampire).
One can only assume that the theatrical trailer for the main feature
either no longer exists or is in too bad a shape to be included.
(That never stopped anyone before...) The disc comes with
English, French, Spanish and Japanese subtitles. 8/31/02 |
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