Just a moment, ladies and gentlemen! A word before you go. We hope the memories of Dracula and Renfield won't give you bad dreams, so just a word of reassurance. When you get home tonight and the lights have been turned out and you are afraid to look behind the curtains—and you dread to see a face appear at the window—why, just pull yourself together and remember that after all, there are such things as vampires!
The above speech was delivered as an epilogue by actor Edward Van Sloan, who portrayed "Dr. Van Helsing", in director Tod Browning's, 1931, "Dracula".
After the movie's story ended, Van Sloan comes out through on-screen curtains, like seen in the opening to director James Whale's, 1931, "Frankenstein", to address the audience and deliver his warning.
However, when the motion picture was re-released in 1936, Joseph Breen of the "Hay's Censorship Office" had it removed from all known copies. Breen feared that the speech would encourage a belief in the supernatural.
Báthori Erzsébet, aka: Alžbeta Bátoriová, aka: Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was accused of bathing in the blood of virgins.
Elizabeth, during her life, August 7, 1560 - August 21, 1614, was an alleged serial killer of hundreds of young woman and a vampire. She was arrested on New Years Eve, 1612, accused of killing off and torturing the daughters of the lesser gentry, who were sent to her castle's women's quarters to learn etiquette.
Accusations, including vampirism, against Bathory had started to be collected two-years prior to her arrest. By October, 1610, there were 30 such signed accusations, but by January, 1611, the number had risen to 300.
Countess Bathory and four of her servants were first tried over the unsupported accusations on January 2, 1611, but a retail was needed and held five-days later on January 7, 1611. According to the records of the second trial of Countess Elizabeth Bathory and her four servants, the highest number of victims the court could determine were 650 tortured, or missing women.
On January 25, 1611, the verdict directed that the countess be confined to her castle, the "Castle of Csejte", for the rest of her natural life, she died at the age of 54. Her four servants had been tortured for information and put to death.
The case of the vampire "Elizabeth Bathory" inspired many tales during the 18th and 19th Centuries. Her legend first appeared in print with the 1729, "Tragica Historia", by the Jesuit scholar Laszlo Turoczi.
The legend still persists about the female vampire and according to the "Guinness Book of World Records":
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-prolific-female-murderer
The most prolific female murderer and the most prolific murderer of the western world, was Elizabeth Báthory, who practised vampirism on girls and young women. She is alleged to have killed more than 600 virgins in order to drink their blood and bathe in it, ostensibly to preserve her youth.
The actual witness accounts and the written accusations for the 1611-trials were discovered in 1817, none mentioned blood baths. In 1850, American John Paget in his "Hungry and Transylvania; with remarks of their condition Social, Political and Economical", page 50 - 51, describes what he claims is the origins of Elizbeth Bathory's blood bathing:
https://archive.org/details/hungaryandtrans04pagegoog/page/n59/mode/2up
Between 1971 and 2013, there were eight motion pictures based upon the Elizabeth Bathory legend. Which brings me to Irish writer of Gothic stories, Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu, known simply as Sheridan Le Fanu.
First published in the London based literary magazine "Dark Blue", in late 1871, to early 1872, was Le Fanu's short story, 108 pages, "Carmilla".
Two points, first, this was 25-years before Irish writer Abraham "Bram" Stoker published his "Dracula".
Second, Sheridan Le Fanu's title character is a vampire and more specifically a lesbian vampire. Below is one of the original 1872 illustrations by D.H. Friston.
After spending several hours going over alleged "Complete Lists of Vampire Motion Pictures" from several sources, on and off-line, and revising my own list for this article. The 1913 motion picture, "The Vampire", appears on lists most often as the first female vampire movie. Technically yes, depending upon how you define "Vampire".
"The Vampire" starred actress Alice Hollister portraying a character called "Sybil the Vampire", or "The Vamp". The problem here is that "Sybil" was not a nocturnal, undead, "Carmilla", or a female heterosexual drinker of men's blood. Hollister was what morphed into the on-screen persona of actress Theda Bara, first seen in 1915's, "A Fool There Was".
According to author Jeffrey Weinstock, in his 2013, "Sana Fangs: Theda Bara, A Fool There Was, and the Cinematic Vamp": https://www.academia.edu/6188913
the "Vampire woman" (Theda Bara)– a psychic vampire described as "a woman of the vampire species" – who uses her charms to seduce men, only to leave after ruining their lives.
Theda Bara's persona of "The Vamp", the sexually active women draining wealthy men of their money and leaving them, was repeated in similar movies and stage productions with other actresses, but "The Vamp", also moved into the actual social life of what was called "The Roaring 20s".
EDNA TICHENOR - LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT
"London After Midnight" is alleged to be based upon a short story written by Tod Browning entitled "The Hypnotist". However, as of this writing, there is no evidence that such a story ever existed. Speculation is that Browning wrote a story outline he called "The Hypnotist" and that "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" referenced it as a published work to lend more importance to the story.
The scenario, the silent film era term for what became the screenplay, was written by Waldemar Young. He had previously wrote the scenario's for Tod Browning and Lon Chaney's, 1925, "The Unholy Three", and 1927's, "The Unknown". Young followed this motion picture with the scenario for Browning and Chaney's, 1928's, "West of Zanzibar".
As this was a silent motion picture the title cards, telling the dialogue, were written by Joseph Farnham. He had just written them for 1927's, "The Unknown".
The motion picture's "Executive Producer", without on-screen credit, was "The Boy Wonder", Irving Thalberg. For "Universal Pictures", "Thalberg had produced Lon Chaney's, 1923, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", he did the same for Chaney's, Metro-Golden-Mayer, 1924, "He Who Gets Slapped", and both the Tod Browning - Lon Chaney, 1925, "The Unholy Three" and 1926's, "The Road to Mandalay"
Tod Browning both produced and directed this feature film. "Producer Browning" had just produced 1927's, "The Show", starring John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, and Lionel Barrymore. "Director Browning" had just directed "The Unknown", starring Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, and Joan Crawford.
1923's, "Drifting", was about an American girl in Shanghai, China, portrayed by Priscilla Dean, as an opium smuggler who falls in love with the undercover agent out to get her. Edna Tichenor had sixth-billing portraying "Molly Norton".
Next was Edna Tichenor's second motion picture directed by Tod Browning, January 14, 1927's, "The Show". The movie is set in a Budapest circus side-show and Edna portrayed "Arachnida - the Human Spider", seen below with the movie's star, John Gilbert.
The servants of "Rodger Balfour's" best friend, "Sir James Hamlin", report seeing the man and woman, but they are not seen during daylight. The two servants tell "Sir James" they believe the two mysterious persons are vampires.
The woman, Edna Tichenor, as "Luna - the Bat Girl", is seen below wearing her burial shroud, but I would point out Edna's dead like eyes stare. Edna's "Bat Girl" was the model for future women vampires that was carried out in different degrees into 1958.
"Arthur" disappears and "Lucille" goes over to her old house and is confronted by the vampires.
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2022/08/john-l-balderston-writing-classic.html
Director George Melford had started directing movies in 1911, none of them were in Spanish, or any other foreign language. He had been an actor since 1909 and his sound films at this point were all in English. As a director, George Melford had just directed future "B" Cowboy star, Charles Starrett, in 1931's, "The Viking", which was not about Vikings, but present-day fishermen.
I start with a comparison of Browning's three-vampire-brides, that are dressed basically like Edna Tichenor, with those same staring eyes from "London After Midnight", but not really frightening as appearing more like three mindless actresses.
The complete title for this German and French horror movie is "VAMPYR - DER TRAUM des ALLAN GRAY (Vampyr: The Dream of Allan Gray)".
The screenplay was based upon elements of the stories in J. Sheridan Le Fanu's, 1872 short story collection, "In a Glass Darkly". Which contain five stories, "Green Tea", "The Familiar", "Mr. Justice Harbottle", "The Room in the Dragon Volant", and "Carmilla".
The screenplay was co-written by Danish writer Christen Jul, this was his first of seven screenplays.
The other writer, also Danish, was Carl Theodor Dreyer. Dreyer also directed this motion picture, but his background was as an actor, film editor, and art director. Dreyer was credited on this production as Carl Th. Dreyer.
The very eerie cinematography was by Polish born Rudolph Mate. Among his Hollywood work is actor Spencer Tracy's, 1935's, "Dante's Inferno", with a terrifying fantasy hell sequence, director Alfred Hitchcock's, 1940, "Foreign Correspondent", and Humphrey Bogart's, 1943, "Sahara".
Henriette Gerard portrayed "Marguerite Chopin - Die alte Frau von Friedof (The Old Woman from the Cemetery)". This was Henriette Gerard's only movie and I could not locate any information about her.
TO BE OPENED UPON MY DEATH!
"Gray", still holding the strange package, steps outside of the inn to see moving shadows that seem to be a supernatural guide for him to follow to an old castle.
The village doctor now visits "Leone" and tells "Gray" that she needs a blood transfusion, and "Allan" volunteers. After which, he falls asleep. The doctor is a thrall of the old woman, vampyr.
"Allan Gray" now goes in search of the doctor, spots him and follows the doctor toward the castle. However, before he can go any further, "Allan Gray" has an out-of-body-experience. and sees himself dead and being buried by "Marguerite Chopin" and the doctor.
Next, the ghost of the "Lord of the Manor" appears to the doctor and the "limping solider", portrayed by Georges Boidin, who has been helping him keep 'Gisele" a prisoner. The doctor flees, but the ghost causes the death of the soldier.
CARROL BORLAND - MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (VAMPIRES OF PRAGUE)
The motion picture was produced and directed by Tod Browning. He also contributed to the screenplay, because of his story "The Hypnotist".
The actual screenplay was written by Guy Endore. Two-years before this motion picture, Endore had written what is considered the definitive werewolf novel, "The Werewolf of Paris". Which is to werewolf literature as Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is to vampire literature. Guy Endore would be blacklisted by the "House Committee on Un-American Activities", move to England and write the screenplay version of his novel as 1961's, "Curse of the Werewolf". His very interesting life and career can be read in my article "Guy Endore: Black Listing and Communism in the Motion Picture Industry", at:
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2015/12/guy-endore-communism-in-motion-picture.html
Uncredited were H.S. Kraft, Samuel Ornitz, and John L. Balderston.
Lionel Barrymore portrayed "Professor Zelin". Barrymore had just co-starred with Shirley Temple in 1935's, "The Little Colonel", and followed this motion picture with the crime drama, 1935's,"Public Hero Number 1", co-starring with Jean Arthur and Chester Morris.
Carroll Borland, billed as Carol Borland, portrayed "Luna Mora".
There is no doubt the following poster is referring to Carroll Borland's "Luna" about Bela Lugosi's "Count Moria".
This was Borland's third of only six feature films. He next role found her as a "woman in Ming's Palace", in 1936's, "Flash Gordon", starring Buster Crabbe, and Jean Rodgers.
Borland was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, when she took this role. She had previously been on stage in a production of the play "Dracula", starring Bela Lugosi, written by John L. Balderston and Hamilton Deane. She had no idea that Lugosi was in the motion picture until she appeared at the studio. According to the "Los Angeles Times", Carroll Borland Parten, would obtain a doctorate:
she left pictures for academia, earned a doctorate in education and taught early childhood development at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena and at UCLA Extension.
Carroll Borland would eventually earn a "Professorship" in her profession.
What the original screenplay written by Guy Endore was is apparently lost and stories have circulated since the pictures release. This might be explained by either "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer", or Tod Browning bringing in the three uncredited writers to work on and change portions of the screenplay. More at the end of this section.
The film opens as "Sir Karell Borotyn", portrayed by Holmes
Herbert, is found murdered in his castle with two tiny puncture wounds
on his neck. "Dr. Doskil", and "Sir Karell's" friend,
"Baron Otto von Zinden" are convinced that he was killed by a
vampire. They suspect "Count Moria", but "Prague Police Inspector
Neumann" refuses to believe such nonsense.
One-year-later:
"Sir Karell's" daughter,
"Irena" is considered the next possible target by "Inspector
Neumann". "Professor Zelin", an expert on vampires and the
occult now arrives to study "Sir Karell Borotyn's" death and the
possibility that the vampire, "Count Moria", is in the vicinity.
"Irena", because of her age, is staying with "Baron von Zinden", her appointed guardian, who is soon to be the executor of her father's extremely wealthy estate. "Fedor Vincente", portrayed by Henry Wadsworth, is a possible suspect, because he is "Irena's" fiancé and would gain access to the wealth through a marriage.
Meanwhile, the "Borotyn" castle remains unoccupied since "Sir Karell's" murder. Perhaps?
The "Coroner", portrayed by Egon Brecher, does his investigation in "Dr. Doskil's" office and questions the local "Inkeeper", portrayed by Michael Visaroff, second picture below, if he looks somewhat familiar? Visaroff was the "Innkeeper" in 1931's, "Dracula" that warned Dwight Frye.
The Innkeeper also believes it was "Count Moria" and his daughter that killed "Sir Karell" and claims to have seen the two at the castle, appearing as giant bats of the night.
"Professor Zelin", after hearing the Innkeeper's testimony and others, now states he believes that "Sir Karrell Borotyn" was killed by "Count Moria". The next person to have seen the vampires is "Fedor", who enters "Baron Otto's" home in obvious distress and unable to recall anything, but running by the castle to catch a train at the nearby train station and falling down.
Both "Dr. Doskil" and "Professor Zelin" examine two bite marks on "Fedor's" neck.
Next, during the night, a horse-led-wagon is carrying the new servant, "Maria", portrayed by Lelia Bennett, who sees "Luna Moria" in the floating mists.
"Baron Otto" says that "Maria" must have seen some real estate agents showing the castle, which is up for sale, and not fantasy vampires.
Next, "Irena" is found sitting in the garden in the middle of night, and "Professor Zelin" believes she has been a victim of "Luna".
"Professor Zelin" now orders bat-thorn, a weed that wards of supernatural spirits be spread throughout "Baron Otto's" house and the doors kept locked at all times. While the servants spread the bat-thorn, a large bat flies into the house and an apparition of "Count Moria" appears and then disappears.
Finally convinced that something strange is happening, "Inspector Neumann", meets with "Baron Otto" and "Professor Zelin". It is determined that the only way to rid the Baron's house of a vampire is to find their graves, cut off their heads, and place bat-thorn in their necks.
Next, it is discovered that there is a recently signed lease on the castle. It was signed by the dead "Sir Karell Borotyn" in what appears to be his handwriting. The three men decide to go to the castle and inspect the grounds to find out what's going on there.
While sneaking up to one of the castle's windows, "Baron Otto" and "Inspector Neuman" now witness "Sir Karell" with "Count Moria" and "Luna".
This is how the movie ends, more afterward.
Now, "Irena" in panic comes to "Professor Zelin" to tell him she can't go through with his plan to force "Baron Otto" to confess to murdering her father by seeing his ghost and the vampires.
"Zelin" now switches to hypnotizing "Baron Otto" into recreating the murder. The audience learns that an actor is portraying "Sir Karell Borotyn" and with his help recreates the events leading up to the murder, and the murder, itself, up to the point it was actually committed.
"Inspector Neumann" now arrests "Baron Otto", and "Irena" is free to marry "Fedor". Finally, the audience learns that even the vampires were hired actors in "Zelin's" plan.
According to Arthur Lenning's, July 2010, "The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi", University Press of Kentucky, Carrol Borland, said the ending that the vampires were actors hired by "Professor Zelin", was not revealed to the cast until the scene was to be shot.
This fact is reinforced by several other sources including the "Notes", on the "TCM Website" for "The Mark of the Vampire",
https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82936/mark-of-the-vampire#notes
Lugosi's biography also notes that the actor designed his own costume, and that neither he nor any of the other actors knew how the film was going to conclude until the final days of production, when Browning made the final pages of the script available to them. Because the actors had been playing the story as strict horror, they reportedly balked at Browning's "gimmick" ending.
An alternate ending with a second twist, in which Lionel Barrymore's character receives a telegram from the vaudeville actors apologizing for not being able to make their train for the castle assignment, was proposed, but Browning rejected it.That alternate ending would imply to the audience that the vampires were real, which brings me to what Guy Endore might have actually written. As a clue, I direct my reader to the movie poster I placed with Carrol Borland's name above. That "Count Moria" and his daughter, "Luna" were actual vampires.
The original story had Count Mora committing suicide after killing his daughter, with whom he had an incestuous relationship, but all traces of the incest and suicide plots, with the exception of Count Mora's bullet wound scar resulting from the suicide, were removed from the film.
Above, the bullet wound scar seems out of place and unexplained in the released version.
It also must be mentioned that the estimated running time of the original preview version of "Mark of the Vampire' was 80-minutes, the final released version that the above storyline relates to was 60-minutes. Asking the reasonable question, were the other four writers hired by either the studio, or Tod Browning to change the original screenplay and that final sequence?
Sheridan Le Fanu was not the only author of lesbian vampire stories. It is believed that the real opening to Bram Stoker's novel, "Dracula", was such a story. The author removed that section, known as "Dracula's Guest", before having his novel published. The removed story was not published until 1914, after his death by his wife Florence, as part of a collection entitled, "Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories".
GLORIA HOLDEN - DRACULA'S DAUGHTER
This motion picture will also be found in my article looking at several different vampire movies, "Not the Same Old VAMPIRE Movie, or Get Your Dentures Away from My Juglar Vein" at:
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2017/10/not-same-old-vampire-movies-or-get-your.html
The Twisting Road to a Screenplay:
The idea of turning "Dracula's Guest" into a motion picture was presented to "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer", in 1933, by David O. Selznick, after he acquired the rights from Bram Stoker's widow, Florence Stoker. John L. Balderston, was hired by Selznick to write a motion picture story based upon the short story and to also plug up as many holes in the 1931, Tod Browning screenplay as it applied to the original novel.
It would be John L. Balderston, who according to the "TCM Website" stated:
https://prod-www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/73574/draculas-daughter#articles-reviews?articleId=509298
in a January 1934 memo. "I want... to establish the fact that Dracula's Daughter enjoys torturing her male victims... and that these men under her spell rather like it."
It was also Balderston that realized the rights to Bram Stoker's novel were owned by "Universal Pictures", a rival of "MGM", and the possibility of lawsuits.
The possible lawsuit problem was solved in 1934, when "Universal Pictures" bought the rights from "MGM" using the code-name "Tarantula" in correspondence. Selznick would receive coded credit for the suggested idea of using "Dracula's Guest", under the name of "Oliver Jeffries".
There was a heightened reason for "Universal Pictures" acquiring of the Balderston treatment of the short story then most people realized. At the time "Universal Pictures" was in deep financial problems and owner Carl L. Laemmle was in need of a money-making motion picture. In actuality, this was one of the last films "Presented" by him, before the family lost control of the studio he built and owned.
An earlier treatment of the Balderston story, that was not used, was by Kurt Neumann. As a writer, Neumann came up with the story idea for Bela Lugosi's, 1943, "The Return of the Vampire". However, Kurt Neumann had been primarily a "B" director since 1931, but he would also write the screenplay for, and direct the science fiction cult classic, 1950's, "Rocketship X-M". As a director, his other science fiction films were 1957's, "KRONOS", and the original, 1958, "The Fly".
Carl Laemmle, Jr. wanted the picture directed by James Whale, who was already signed to direct "The Bride of Frankenstein". "Junior", as he was known on the lot, reassigned R.C. Sherriff, Whale's, 1932's, "The Old Dark House", and 1933's, "The Invisible Man", to rewrite Neumann's screenplay.
The problem for "Junior" was that Whale had other ideas, and only wanted to direct the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's, Broadway musical, "Show Boat".
Looking for an escape clause, James Whale made changes to Sheriff's screenplay that brought down the power of Joseph Breen, and as Whale had hoped, got him off the project.
Next, Laemmle, Jr. assigned Garret Fort, who had co-written with Balderston, both 1931's, "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", to rewrite the James Whale tampering of the R.C. Sherriff screenplay, with Finley Peter Dunne, 1934's "Imitation of Life" and 1935's the "Magnificent Obsession". Fort's screenplay was submitted in January 1936, but wasn't exactly what Carl Laemmle, Jr. still wanted.
Meanwhile, Joseph Breen laid down the law over what he saw in the screenplay. He is quoted by Rick Worland, in his 2007, "The Horror Film: An Introduction", as saying:
The present suggestion that ... Lili poses in the nude will be changed. She will be posing her neck and shoulders, and there will be no suggestion that she undresses, and there will be no exposure of her person. It was also stated that the present incomplete sequence will be followed by a scene in which Lili is taken to a hospital and there it will be definitely established that she has been attacked by a vampire. The whole sequence will be treated in such a way as to avoid any suggestion of perverse sexual desire on the part of Marya or of an attempted sexual attack by her upon Lili.
In March 1936, the writer of 1933's, "The Mystery of the Wax Museum", Charles Belden, was given the Garret Fort screenplay to once again rewrite. Belden's screenplay appears to be what the audience saw on-screen, but it still seemed more Sheridan Le Fanu, then Abraham Bram Stoker.
Next, Get Someone to Direct:
With no James Whale, "Junior" now gave Charles Belden's screenplay to A. Edward Sutherland. Sutherland was a great comedy director, but this wasn't a comedy. He had just directed W.C. Fields in 1936's, "Poppy", and just before that, 1935's, "Diamond Jim", a fictional telling of the 1899 romance between James Buchanan "Diamond Jim" Brady and actress and singer Lillian Russell. However, Sutherland had the same lack of interest in vampires and actually left "Universal Pictures".
"Dracula's Daughter" was now given to Lambert Hillyer to direct. He was as strange a choice as Sutherland, and known for "B" Cowboy movies with Tom Mix, and Buck Jones. Along with forgotten minor-"B"-dramas with Jack Holt, who also was associated with westerns as the main villain. Immediately before this feature, Hillyer directed Holt, Robert Armstrong, and Grace Barley in the forgotten drama, 1936's, "Dangerous Waters". He did have one horror film, 1935's, "The Invisible Ray", starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Apparently, Lambert Hillyer accidently turned out to be the best director for this feature and he got together with cinematographer George Robinson, who had worked with him on "The Invisible Ray", to create a very atmospheric tone to the overall production.
Casting a Vampire Movie:
Carl Laemmle, Jr. signed Bela Lugosi to once again portray "Count Dracula", but the role wasn't really needed and by the time the filming was completed. The actor had been paid more money for the role then he got in 1931, but was used only in publicity stills like the one below with Gloria Holden.
Radio, stage, and film actress Jane Wyatt, a year away from director Frank Capra's classic fantasy, 1937's, "Lost Horizon", and eighteen-years away from the first episode of televisions "Father Knows Best", was originally considered for the role of "Janet Blake".
Character actor Cesar Romero was three-years away from his first "Cisco Kid" movie, but not as the character. That would be in 1939, with "The Cisco Kid and the Lady". He was originally considered for the role of "Jeffrey Garth".
Otto Kruger portrayed "Jeffrey Garth". Over his career Otto Kruger had major supporting roles in the Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper, 1934, version of Robert Lewis Stevenson's, "Treasure Island", 1940's, "Dr. Ehrlch's Magic Bullet", co-starring with Edgar G. Robinson, co-starred in director Alfred Hitchcock's, 1942, "Saboteur", was in Dick Powell's version of author Raymond Chandler's, 1944, "Murder, My Sweet", David O. Selznick's controversial 1946 western, "Duel in the Sun", and 1952's, "High Noon".
The Female Vampire:
Gloria Holden portrayed "Countess Marya Zaleska (Dracula's Daughter)". Born in London, England, her parents came to the United States and settled in Wayne, Pennsylvania. She studied drama at New York City's, "American Academy of Dramatic Arts". This was stage and radio actress, Holden's third on-screen role, and her most memorable to fans of horror.
Film critic Mark Clark, writes in his 2004, "Smirk, Sneer and Scream: Great Actors in Horror Cinema", that Gloria Holden had heard Bela Lugosi's complaints for being typecast and feared this would happen to her. Clark writes that:
Her disdain for the part translates into a kind of self-loathing that perfectly suits her troubled character.
It is said, but not confirmed, that Gloria Holden's "Countess Zaleska" influenced vampire writer Ann Rice, for her novel, "Queen of the Damned".
Marguerite Churchill portrayed "Janet Blake". Her film career totals only twenty-nine roles, but they span 1929 to 1952. Just prior to this feature film, Churchill had fourth-billing in 1936's, "The Walking Dead", starring Boris Karloff.
The screenplay actually opens where Tod Browning's, 1931, "Dracula" left off. "Professor Van Helsing" has just driven a wooden stake through "Dracula's" heart and is still in the lower ruins of Carfax Abby.
Above, initially Laemmle, Jr. and Hillyer wanted Bela Lugosi to be in the coffin, but as the story goes, he refused and a terrible "Dummy Lugosi" was used instead. With Bela getting paid handsomely for posing for the dummy.
As "Van Helsing" starts to leave, two Whitby police officers, "Sergeant Wilkes", portrayed by E. E. Clive, and "Constable Albert", portrayed by Billy Bevan, come across him and find a body with a stake driven through it and another man, supposedly "Renfield", with a broken neck. "Van Helsing" is taken to Scotland Yard, and is brought before "Sir Basil Humphrey", portrayed by Gilbert Emery.
Meanwhile, in Whitby, the recovered bodies are in a jail cell, and "Sergeant Wilkes" leaves "Constable Albert" to oversee them, so "Wilkes" can meet an officer from Scotland Yard arriving by train.
Entering the jail is the "Countess Zaleska", who using her ring, hypnotizes "Albert" and with her servant, "Sandor", leaves with the body of her father, "Count Dracula".
"Van Helsing" tells "Garth" that "Zaleska" probably returned to her home county. "Jeffrey" charters a plane and flies to Transylvania. Speaking with the local people he finds his way to the
Castle Dracula".
From the day this motion picture was released to the writing of this article, 1943's, "Son of Dracula". has been either you like it, or you don't, motion picture.
What the critics over look, was that before leaving Hitler's Germany, the brothers worked with many major German directors within the German film industry, such as Fritz Lang. They brought a love for their home country's work during the 1920's with them.
The brothers convinced the executives of ""Universal Pictures" to let them make a homage-horror-film in that German style, as seen in 1921's, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", and, 1922's, "Nosferatu".
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2017/11/curt-and-robert-siodmak-horror-and-film.html
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2016/05/lon-chaney-jr-of-mice-and-werewolves.html
Louise Allbritton portrayed "Katherine Caldwell". Of course, she had just appeared as herself, in 1943's, "Crazy House", and very contrary to this role, but next co-starred with Robert Paige, in the romantic comedy, "Her Primitive Man". Three-years after this motion picture, Allbritton married the "Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS)" reporter, Charles Collingwood.
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2020/10/evelyn-ankers-and-her-1940s-horror.html
Curt Siodmak sets this story on a old Civil War plantation in the swamp area of Louisiana. The name of the plantation is well chosen by him to add to the mood, "Dark Oaks".
"Frank Stanley" and "Dr. Harry Brewster", portrayed by Frank Craven, are waiting at the train station for a friend of "Frank's" fiancée "Katherine Caldwell. He is the Hungarian "Count Alucard". The train arrives, but the conductor tells the two that nobody got off at the station.
Death Comes with the Count
Before, "Queen Zimba" can say anything more, a giant bat flies into the room and frightens "Zimba", literally to death.
"Katharine Caldwell" is deeply into the occult, and "Frank" once more attempts to get her to give it up, but she refuses as if there is something she is hiding. The colonel's body is now more thoroughly examined by "Dr. Brewster" and "Frank Stanley", and the two men discover two small puncture wounds on his neck. It is now that "Brewster" associates "Alucard" with the backward spelling of "Dracula". He starts to think of "Katharine's" Hungarian guest in a different light and contacts vampire authority, "Professor Lazlo", portrayed by J. Edward Bromberg.
While the two men are discussing not "Count Alucard", but "Count Dracula". They do not see a strange mist come under the locked door and form the shape of a man, as the count stands in front of that door. He attacks "Professor Lazlo", but it driven off by a crucifix.
When the two enter the seemingly unlived in guest house, they discover that all of "Count Alucard's" luggage are empty. "Dr. Brewster" now insists that "Claire" leave "Dark Oaks" and swear out an insanity complaint against her sister.
Later, "Katharine" goes to the swamps and watches "Count Alucard" materialize from the swamp waters.
Twist Time and a Spoiler:
"Frank" is in his cell when "Katharine" appears to him.
Alien invasion appeared in the 1950's cliff-hanger, "Flying Disc Man from Mars", and more to the point, 1951's, "The Thing from Another World", and the 1953 classic version of H.G. Wells', "War of the Worlds". While the United Kingdom was a little more subtle with 1955's, "The Quatermass X-periment (The Creeping Unknown)" based upon the BBC mini-series.
Next, the old fashion vampire, not the alien vampire of Roger Corman's, 1957, "Not of This Earth", returned in 1957 from Mexico.
ALICIA MONTOYA - EL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE)
Abel Salazar Garcia was an actor, and the producer of this picture and its first sequel. Salazar produced the first Mexican medical science fiction movie, 1953's, "El Monstruo Resucitado", very loosely based on Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's, "Frankenstein". He also directed fourteen feature films during his career.
The Female Vampires ?
El Vampiro follows a fairly complex plot, which is unraveled gradually and plays out like an old mystery novel. At a train station in Mexico, an oversized crate arrives, filled with soil from Hungary. Meanwhile, two strangers, Marta (Ariadna Welter) and Enrique (Abel Salazar), meet. Marta is looking for Sicomoros, the village from her childhood where her two aunts reside, and Enrique seems to be going whatever direction Marta is headed. Both strangers hitch a ride into town on a wagon that has come to the station to retrieve the mysterious crate and deliver it to its owner Mr. Duval (German Robles). Marta and Enrique arrive in Sicomoros to discover that Marta's aunt Maria Teresa (Alicia Montoya) has died during a state of mental delusion, and her other aunt, Eloisa (Carnen Montejo) has taken control of the property and, eerily, does not appear to have aged.
The dialogue may be weird and the pace of the film slow, but it's worth a look.
VALERIE GAUNT -DRACULA (HORROR OF DRACULA)
https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2023/12/jimmy-sangster-1930s-horror-re-imagined.html
Anthony Hinds assigned Jimmy Sangster the problem of fitting Irish author Bram Stoker's novel into the typical "Hammer Film Productions" budget as he had with Mary Shelley's. The result was a completely new storyline, but within the concept as outlined by Stoker.
After reading the novel, the character of "Lucy Westenra's" Texas suitor, "Quincy Morris", was dropped. Along with the character of "Renfield".
Next, Sangster reworked who the remaining characters were, the second suitor for "Lucy", "Arthur Holmwood", became the husband of "Mina Murray". While, "Lucy", now became "Arthur's" sister. "Jonathan Harker" was reduced from a major character to a very minor one with shades of "Renfield" as an agent of "Professor Van Helsing" . Who was reduced from a professor to a doctor and a professional vampire hunter.
There are two vampire brides in Sangster's screenplay, but I am concentrating on the first portrayed by Valerie Gaunt.
As in the novel, "Lucy" returns to her burial crypt, in the case, with the daughter of the "Holmwood's" maid, "Tania", portrayed by Janina Faye, to be her first victim. Her brother, "Arthur", and "Van Helsing" are waiting and save "Tania". The two will destroy the vampire "Lucy" has become and free her of "Dracula's" control.
"Van Helsing" next discovers that the count is slowly turning "Arthur's" wife, "Mina Holmwood", portrayed by Melissa Stribling, into his third bride in the screenplay.
"Dracula (Horror of Dracula)" was a major success and as a result, a very interesting low-budgeted, black and white, "Dracula" motion picture that had arrived one-month-earlier just disappeared from movie screens.
VIRGINIA VINCENT - THE RETURN OF DRACULA
Part of the problem for this picture was that it is set in 1958 and deals with a teenage couple. The motion picture was released during a deluge of teen horror and science fiction movies from "American International Pictures", which it was not part of. My article is "I Was a Teenage Werewolf: 1950's Teenage Horror and Science Fiction Movies" at:
https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2016/06/i-was-teenage-werewolf-i-was-teenage.html
The story and screenplay was based upon Bram Stoker's "Dracula", and written by Pat Fielder. Her birth name was Patricia Penny, and her first story and screenplay was 1957's, "The Vampire". A twist on the traditional tale and a part of my article linked in "Dracula's Daughter". Also in 1957, Pat Fielder co-wrote the screenplay for the cult science fiction horror picture, "The Monster That Challenged the World".
This feature film was directed by Paul Landres, who also directed 1957's, "The Vampire". Landres started directing in "B" features in 1937. In the early 1950's, he was a television director, with among other programs, 23-episodes of "The Lone Ranger", 31-episodes of "The Cisco Kid", 9-episodes of "The Adventures of Kit Carson", 20-episodes of "Brave Eagle", and 14-episodes of the comedy show, "Blondie".
Francis Lederer portrayed "Uncle Bellac Gordal", actually "Count Dracula". Lederer was a major European movie star from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire city of Prague. In 1933, Francis Lederer like Peter Lorre and Fritz Lang, left Germany with the rise of Adolph Hitler. After escaping the Nazi's, Lederer would become known in the 1940's for portraying Nazis.
When he arrived in the United States, he purchased a large piece of land in the North West Corner of the San Fernando Valley. Today, we call his purchase Canoga Park, California.
My article is "FRANCIS LEDERER the Forgotten 'DRACULA': A Stage and Film Actor's Life" at:
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2016/02/francis-lederer-forgotten-dracula-stage.html
Ray Stricklyn portrayed "Tim Hansen". "Rachel's" teenage boyfriend was portrayed by 30-years old Stricklyn. Not to push the age difference, but in Irwin Allen's, 1960 version, of British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World". Ray Stricklyn portrayed Jill St. John's younger brother. St. John was 19-years-old at the time of filming, and Ray was 31-years-old.
For science fiction fans, Wengraf portrayed "Dr. Zeitman", in producer Ivan Tors, 1954 3-D, "GOG". He also co-starred with Paul Burke and Allison Hayes in the 1957 horror picture, "The Disembodied".
Virginia Vincent portrayed "Jennie Blake". Her career of 103 different roles, between 1950 and 1988, started in the Forest Tucker western, 1950's, "California Passage". She is remembered for this one-role, but did appear as "Ethel Carter", in the 1977, Wes Craven, horror movie, "The Hills Have Eyes".
The day after his arrival, "Mickey's" cat goes missing and its mutilated body is found near a dangerous abandoned mine shaft. "Rachel" is a student of art and wants to be a clothing designer. She hopes to spend some time with her new cousin to discuss his art and get advise. However, "Bellac" seems to have a rather eccentric behavior pattern, he asked for the mirrors in his bedroom to be removed, and other than that, his bedroom always seems to be exactly as "Rachel's" mother made it before his arrival.
At the parish house, "Rachel" has befriended and takes care, at night, of blind "Jennie Blake".
After "Jennie's" funeral, at their home, "Rachel" and her mother are approached by "Mack Bryant", portrayed by Charles Tannen. "Bryant" is from immigration and way tipped off by "Meierman" and asks questions about "Cousin Bellac". He does mentions that an unidentified man was thrown from the same train "Bellac" was on.
Later, "Dracula/Bellac" goes to the crypt that contains "Jennie Blake's" coffin and awakens his vampire bride, and sends her on a mission.
"Mack Bryant" hears "Jennie Blake's" voice beckoning him into the woods, going to investigate, "Bryant" is fatally mauled by a white wolf.
Next, a large crucifix is placed on "Jennie's" body to hold the woman vampire in place.
The screenplay was based upon a novel by Soto-o Tachibana. He passed away four-months after this movie's release.
Shigeru Amachi portrayed "Shiro Sofue/Nobutaka Takenaka". Between 1952 and 1985, Amachi, portrayed 165-roles.
Yoko Mihara portrayed "Miwako Matsumura". Mihara started on-screen acting in 1952 and at the end of her film career in 1977, had 136-roles to her credit.
The main vampire is "Shiro Sofue" and the screenplay takes the viewer back to Feudal Japan for his back story. Which is a version of the backstory of "Count Dracula", as written by Bram Stoker.
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2020/10/bram-stokers-dracula-as-inspiration-for.html
ANNETTE VADIM - ET MOURIR DE PLAISIR (LE SANG ET LA ROSE)
For my non-French speaking readers, the title translates as:
--- And die of pleasure (The blood and the rose)
The English language version of the picture was entitled:
BLOOD AND ROSES
The motion picture was directed by Rodger Vadim. Some men collect cars, or sport's memorabilia, Rodger Vadim collected wives, five to be exact, and one domestic partner. This movie starred his second wife. I look at her, and Vadim's first, Bridget Bardot, and his third, Jane Fonda, in my article "Rodger Vadim: Three Wives and Three Motion Pictures" at:
http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2016/08/rodger-vadim-three-wives-and-three.html
Mel Ferrer portrayed "Leopoldo De Karnstein". He had co-starred in director Fritz Lang's, 1952, Western, "Rancho Notorious", with Marlene Dietrich, portrayed "King Arthur" in 1953's, "Knights of the Round Table", co-starring with Robert Taylor and Ava Gardner. Ferrer was in director King Vidor's, 1956's, version of Russian author Leo Tolstoy's, "War and Peace", co-starring with Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda and Samuel Bronson's, 1964, "The Fall of the Roman Empire", starring Sir Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, and Christopher Plummer.
Elsa Martinelli portrayed "Georgia Monteverdi". Italian actress Martinelli's third motion picture was the American made, 1955, "The Indian Fighter", starring Kirk Douglas, in 1962, the actress was in her second American made motion picture, "Hatari", starring John Wayne, and followed it with her third American feature film co-starring with Charlton Heston, in the Second World War comedy, "The Pidgeon That Took Rome".
Annette Vadim portrayed "Carmilla". Her first on-screen appearance was in Rodger Vadim's, "Les liaisons dangereuses". When the production started for the Jeanne Moreau film, she was Annette Stroyberg, and halfway through production she was engaged to Roger Vadim.
From my article:
The original French film as shot by Roger Vadim runs approximately 87 minutes and begins with a doctor discussing Carmilla's strange case. This was dropped in the English language cut "Blood and Roses" and some narration is used to explain certain sequences. The English language cut, which is very good, runs approximately 74 minutes. Apparently there are DVD versions with running times between that of the original French release and the American release by Paramount Pictures.
The reason for the Doctor in the French version, and the narrator at times in the English language cut, is because Roger Vadim uses a lot of imagery and dream sequences without dialogue. The question for the audience, is which is real, which is not, or is everything reality? This technique works very well and Vadim's use of monochrome color with suddenly sharp color against it works exceedingly well. As the scene below of Carmilla shows.
There is a legend in the Karnstein family of a female vampire who supposedly has lived forever. Leopoldo's younger sister Carmilla looks exactly like her ancestor.
That question comes to the forefront when Leopoldo is to marry Carmilla's best friend Georgia. Vadim's use of dream sequences leaves the viewer not completely sure of his sister.
Vadim stages a grand masquerade ball to celebrate the upcoming marriage. Leopoldo appears at one point dressed as a vampire. Carmilla has chosen to wear a dress worn by the Karnstein vampire as her costume.
While the ball is in progress there is a fireworks display. It accidentally sets off some munitions left from the second World War. As if in a dream Carmilla leaves the ball and goes to the tomb of the Karnstein vampire. It has apparently been disturbed by the munitions blowing up. Is she being possessed, or is this the vampire returning home ?
Carmilla returns to the estate of her brother and starting the following morning is not herself as a series of vampire like killings start occurring. She also continues her affair with her brother's future wife.
More strange events unfold and Carmilla has been roaming the estate. She returns to the area of the tomb and the damages caused by the munitions explosion. As she wonders there is another explosion and she falls forward impaling herself. Did she do this on propose? Is the Karnstein vampire dead?
The film ends with Georgia and Leopoldo together in happiness aboard a passenger airplane, but has the vampire found a new body in Georgia?
There is an Italian/Spanish version of "Carmilla" entitled "La cripta e l'incubo (Crypt of the Vampire) from 1963 starring Christopher Lee during his Italian movie period. In 1970 Hammer films released "The Vampire Lovers" the first of their "Karnstein Trilogy". It was followed in 1971 by "Lust for a Vampire" and "Twins of Evil". The first and third films feature Peter Cushing playing two different roles. The Hammer trilogy changes Carmilla in to Marcilla.
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