The Return of Dracula

Last updated
The Return of Dracula
Poster for "The Return of Dracula" (1958).png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Landres
Screenplay by Pat Fielder
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJack McKenzie
Edited bySherman Rose
Music by Gerald Fried
Production
company
Gramercy Pictures
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Return of Dracula is a 1958 American horror film directed by Paul Landres, and starring Francis Lederer, Norma Eberhardt, and Ray Stricklyn. It follows Dracula, who murders an artist aboard a train in Central Europe, and proceeds to impersonate the man, traveling to meet with his extended family in a small California town. The film is primarily in black and white, aside from one brief color sequence.

Contents

It was released on May 21, 1958 in Los Angeles by United Artists as the top half of a double feature with The Flame Barrier .

Plot

In Central Europe, Investigator John Meierman and several assistants attempt to trap Count Dracula inside his tomb in a cemetery, but upon opening his casket, they find it empty. Nearby, Dracula, who has fled, boards a train. He murders Bellac Gordal, a Czech artist en route to the United States to visit his extended family in the small community of Carleton, California. Dracula proceeds to impersonate Bellac, assuming his identity. After arriving in California, Dracula, posing as Bellac, is met by Bellac's widowed cousin, Cora, and her children, the young Mickey, and teenaged Rachel. Rachel is especially eager to meet her cousin, as she has a shared passion for art, specifically clothing design. The family quickly finds Bellac's behavior eccentric, as he maintains a social detachment from them. The day after Bellac's arrival, Mickey's beloved cat goes missing and is subsequently found mutilated in an abandoned mineshaft.

Unbeknownst to the others, Bellac has established a secret resting place in the abandoned mine, replete with a coffin where he goes to sleep. Rachel is disappointed by his absence one day, as she hoped to show him the town, but she eventually meets him at dusk— he explains he spent the day painting. Rachel departs to her night shift at the local parish house, where she tends to elderly and infirm residents, including a blind woman, Jennie. After Rachel finishes her shift, Bellac awakens Jennie, who offers to give her the ability of sight before biting her neck.

In the morning, Rachel is summoned to the parish house and is driven there by her boyfriend, Tim. Rachel finds Jennie feverish and hysterical upon arriving, claiming a man entered her room through the window. When she attempts to get out of bed, Jennie collapses and dies. After Jennie's funeral, Cora and Rachel are approached by Mack Bryant, a detective appointed by Meierman. He asks about cousin Bellac and mentions that an unidentified man was thrown from a train to his death in Germany. Bellac appears at the home, and Bryant examines his immigration records and passport before meeting with Meierman outside to divulge his findings.

Bellac visits Jennie's tomb in the mausoleum and awakens her from the dead. Later, Bryant hears Jennie's voice beckoning him in the woods near the train station. When he goes to investigate, he is fatally mauled by a white wolf (portrayed by a white German Shepherd Dog). That night, Rachel invites Bellac to attend a Halloween costume party at the parish house the following day, but Bellac declines. Rachel confronts Bellac about his isolation from the family, but he remains evasive. Rachel later falls asleep while reading and has what seems to be a nightmare in which Bellac asks her to remove Jennie's crucifix pendant from her neck and offers her eternal life. In the morning, Rachel finds the crucifix lying on the floor, suspecting it was not a dream.

Meierman visits the parish house and confronts Reverend Whitfield with his findings. Meanwhile, before departing for the Halloween party, Rachel finds a portrait of herself in Bellac's room depicting her inside a coffin. When Bellac appears downstairs, Rachel grows terrified when she realizes his reflection does not appear in a mirror. Tim arrives moments later, and Rachel leaves with him to the party in a trance-like state. Whitfield and Meierman confront Rachel at the party, asking her to help them entrap Bellac. After finding Jennie's crypt empty, Meierman, Whitfield, and other police stake out the cemetery, where they soon witness Jennie returning to her crypt. Simultaneously, Rachel leaves the party and flees to the abandoned mineshaft to visit Bellac. As Meierman drives a stake through Jennie's heart, killing her, Bellac collapses before Rachel. Tim arrives at the mineshaft, having followed Rachel there, and finds her hysterical. Tim attempts to escort Rachel out of the mine, but Bellac blocks their exit. Bellac momentarily hypnotizes Tim, but Tim approaches him with Jennie's crucifix, forcing Bellac to fall into a shaft below. He is impaled through the back and chest on a large wooden post and disintegrates into a clothed skeleton.

Cast

Production

Filming of The Return of Dracula took place in October 1957. [1]

Soundtrack

It is one of a handful of horror films that use the melody of "Dies Irae" as its opening theme tune. Others include The Shining , The Car and The Mephisto Waltz . [2]

Release

The Return of Dracula premiered theatrically in Los Angeles on May 21, 1958 as the top half of a double feature with The Flame Barrier . [3] To promote the film, United Artists advertised that 12 insurance companies had refused to assume any liability risk for those admitted to see the feature. [4]

When shown on U.S. television, it was retitled Curse of Dracula. In the UK, it was released theatrically as The Fantastic Disappearing Man. [5] Later in 1958, the Hammer film Horror of Dracula appeared in theaters in both the UK and the U.S. and The Return of Dracula was eclipsed as a result, due to Christopher Lee's new stardom as the Count.

Critical response

Geoffrey M. Warren of the Los Angeles Times dismissed the film, writing that it "could have been put off indefinitely and no one would have ever known." [6]

Home media

The Return of Dracula was released on DVD by MGM in 2007 as a Midnite Movies Double Feature with Landres' previous film, The Vampire (1957). It was re-released on DVD as an exclusive release from BestBuy.

Legacy

On October 27, 1971, Lederer reprised his role of Count Dracula on an episode of Night Gallery titled "The Devil Is Not Mocked". In this story, Dracula tells his grandson how he fought the Nazis during World War II.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Van Helsing</span> Fictional character created by Bram Stoker

Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "MD, D.Ph., D.Litt., etc.", indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. He is a doctor, professor, lawyer, philosopher, scientist, and metaphysician. The character is best known through many adaptations of the story as a vampire slayer, monster hunter and the arch-nemesis of Count Dracula, and the prototypical and the archetypical parapsychologist in subsequent works of paranormal fiction. Some later works tell new stories about Van Helsing, while others, such as Dracula (2020) and I Woke Up a Vampire (2023) have characters that are his descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Lederer</span> Czech-American actor (1899–2000)

Francis Lederer was an Austro-Hungarian Empire-born American film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States. His original name was František (Franz) Lederer.

<i>Dracula</i> (1958 film) 1958 horror film directed by Terence Fisher

Dracula is a 1958 British gothic horror film directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same name. The first in the series of Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the film also features Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing, along with Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, and John Van Eyssen. In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.

<i>Dracula: Prince of Darkness</i> 1966 British film

Dracula: Prince of Darkness is a 1966 British gothic supernatural horror film directed by Terence Fisher. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions, and is the third entry in Hammer's Dracula series, as well as the second to feature Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. It also stars Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, and Barbara Shelley.

<i>Scars of Dracula</i> 1970 British film

Scars of Dracula is a 1970 British horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker for Hammer Films. It stars Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, along with Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, Patrick Troughton, and Michael Gwynn.

<i>Dracula 3000</i> 2004 science fiction horror television film

Dracula 3000 is a 2004 made-for-television science fiction horror film directed by Darrell Roodt. An international co-production of the United States and South Africa, the film's plot follows the vampire Count Dracula, in the futuristic setting of outer space in the 30th century. Despite its title, the film is not a sequel to Dracula 2000.

<i>Black Sunday</i> (1960 film) 1960 film

Black Sunday is a 1960 Italian gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava in his official directorial debut, and starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani, Arturo Dominici and Enrico Oliveri. Loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's short story "Viy", the film takes place in Moldavia and tells the story of a witch who is put to death by her brother, only to return two centuries later to seek revenge upon his descendants.

<i>Taste the Blood of Dracula</i> 1970 film by Peter Sasdy

Taste the Blood of Dracula is a 1970 British supernatural horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Peter Sasdy from a script by Anthony Hinds, it is the fifth installment in Hammer's Dracula series, and the fourth to star Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. The film also features Geoffrey Keen and Gwen Watford.

<i>Dracula A.D. 1972</i> 1972 British film

Dracula A.D. 1972 is a 1972 British horror film, directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It was written by Don Houghton and stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Stephanie Beacham. Unlike earlier films in Hammer's Dracula series, Dracula A.D. 1972 had a contemporary setting in an attempt to update the Dracula story for modern audiences. Dracula is brought back to life in modern London and preys on a group of young partygoers that includes the descendant of his nemesis, Van Helsing.

<i>Vampira</i> (1974 film) 1974 British comedy/horror film by Clive Donner

Vampira is a 1974 British comedy horror film directed by Clive Donner, and starring David Niven and Teresa Graves. This spoof of the vampire genre was re-titled Old Dracula for release in the United States, in an attempt to ride the success of Young Frankenstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Stricklyn</span> American film actor (1928–2002)

Lewis Raymond Stricklyn was an American film actor, stage actor, television actor, soap opera star and publicist. His acting career took off with B-movie Westerns that placed his boyish good looks playing opposite top talent of the time.

<i>Children of the Corn 666: Isaacs Return</i> 1999 American film

Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return is a 1999 American supernatural slasher film directed by Kari Skogland and starring Nancy Allen, Natalie Ramsey, John Franklin, and Stacy Keach. It is the sixth film in the Children of the Corn series.

<i>The Return of the Vampire</i> 1943 horror film starting Bela Lugosi

The Return of the Vampire is a 1943 American horror film directed by Lew Landers and starring Bela Lugosi, Frieda Inescort, Nina Foch, Miles Mander, Roland Varno, and Matt Willis. Its plot follows a vampire named Armand Tesla, who has two encounters with Englishwoman Lady Jane Ainsley, the first taking place during World War I, and the second during World War II.

Deafula is a 1975 American horror film utilizing American Sign Language. A voice over was provided for those who do not understand sign language. The film starred Peter Wechsberg, who also serves as director and writer, under the pseudonym Peter Wolf. It was the first American Sign Language feature film ever made.

<i>The Creeps</i> (film) 1997 American film

The Creeps is a 1997 American comedy horror film, written by Benjamin Carr and directed by Charles Band.

Paul Landres was an American film and television editor and director. He directed episodes of The Lone Ranger, Maverick and Flipper, among many other TV series.

<i>Curse of the Undead</i> 1959 film

Curse of the Undead is a 1959 American Horror Western film directed by Edward Dein and starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate and Kathleen Crowley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norma Eberhardt</span> American actress

Norma Eberhardt was an American actress who began her career as a fashion model. Her film credits included Live Fast, Die Young and The Return of Dracula, both released in 1958.

<i>The Vampire</i> (1957 film) American film directed by Paul Landres

The Vampire is a 1957 American horror film produced by Arthur Gardner and Jules V. Levy, directed by Paul Landres, and starring John Beal and Colleen Gray. Its plot follows a San Francisco physician who inadvertently ingests pills laced with the blood of vampire bats, leading him to take on vampiric qualities. Like 1956's The Werewolf, it offered a science fiction take on a traditionally supernatural creature, although the films were produced by different production companies.

<i>The Flame Barrier</i> 1958 film by Paul Landres

The Flame Barrier is a 1958 American jungle adventure/science fiction film produced by Arthur Gardner and Jules V. Levy, directed by Paul Landres, and written by Pat Fielder and George Worthing Yates. The film stars Arthur Franz, Kathleen Crowley and Robert Brown. It was released in the U.S. on April 2, 1958 by United Artists as the bottom half of a double feature with The Return of Dracula (1958).

References

  1. ↑ "The Return of Dracula". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Horror movies that use 'Dies Irae' as theme music | MovieChat". moviechat.org. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  3. ↑ "2 Horror Films Set". Valley Times. May 22, 1958. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Gimmick Use Hit". Valley Times. May 22, 1958. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ The Return of Dracula, New York Times website, accessed October 12, 2011
  6. ↑ Warren, Geoffrey M. (May 22, 1958). "Dracula Goes Local in Latest 'Return'". Los Angeles Times . p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.