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Dracula's Daughter/Son of Dracula | 
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Directors: Robert Siodmak, Lambert Hillyer
Actors: Robert Paige (iv), Louise Allbritton, Evelyn Ankers, Frank Craven, J. Edward Bromberg
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $6.15
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New (39) Used (14) Collectible (2) from $5.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 20412
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 153
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: 61021398
ISBN: 0783260245
UPC: 025192139826
EAN: 9780783260242
ASIN: B00005LC4J
Theatrical Release Date: November 5, 1943
Release Date: July 24, 2007
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Dracula's Daughter This cut-rate sequel to Dracula, sans Bela Lugosi, turns out to be an unexpectedly sleek and stylish movie. Gloria Holden, tall, dark, and continental, is the aristocratic title character fighting her nature and seeking a cure for her affliction. A sympathetic psychiatrist, Dr. Garth (Otto Kruger), encourages her to "face her fears," but when she lures a pretty young streetwalker to her room to model for a painting, the temptation of her fleshy offering proves too much to overcome. Edward Van Sloan reprises his role as Van Helsing, held by the police for the murder of Count Dracula (the film opens on the final scene from Dracula) but released in the nick of time to help Garth, now at the mercy of the bitter and vindictive vampire. Director Lambert Hillyer makes the most of his low budget, with austere, angular sets and an almost abstract sense of the foggy city night. Holden's mysterious face and tall, willowy body make her an even more striking vampire than Lugosi, and Irving Pichel's offbeat servant is like an American gangster with the breeding of a European aristocrat: thick and thuggish, but always proper. The script falls into the usual rut of Universal's later horror films, losing the mood in the busy plot, but the smooth style and Holden's dignified performance lift Dracula's Daughter above most Universal sequels. Son of Dracula It was perhaps inevitable that, after playing the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, and the Mummy, Lon Chaney Jr. would round out his horror resume with a turn at the great bloodsucker himself (not, as the title would suggest, his son). Looking dapper and dignified under the cape, if not exactly threatening, Chaney plays Count Alucard (that's Dracula spelled backwards), a mysterious Carpathian summoned to America by a "morbid" heiress (Louise Allbritton). Eric Taylor's script is rather clunky, but the story (by horror specialist Curt The Wolfman Siodmak) is often quite clever, playing like a supernatural twist on a psycho-thriller. Allbritton's frustrated fiance Robert Page accidentally "kills" her while trying to shoot Alucard (who imperiously stands up to the hail of bullets) and then goes stark raving mad as he watches the dead rise to life and the living disappear in wisps of smoke and morph into creaky stage bats. Future film noir legend (and Curt's brother) Robert Siodmak (The Killers) does wonders with the swampy, misty Deep South setting despite his obviously threadbare budget, transforming the usual cliches into moments of inspired melodrama. Only the clumsy antics of the skeptical cops and the plodding exposition spouted by an old Carpathian doctor (he just happens to be the local MD) get in the way of this moody minor horror gem. --Sean Axmaker
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
More Worthwhile Than You Might Expect! July 19, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Well no, there's nothing on the level of "Bride of Frankenstein" contained in this collection, but these movies aren't as awful as they might sound. Sure, Universal was a factory back in the day, pumping out sequels without any real concern for the content. Still, there's some very good stuff to be found here.
Dracula's Daughter is, in my opinion, the weaker of the two Dracula sequels. Perhaps it's just too much of a departure from the original premise, featuring an almost likable vampire who enlists the aid of a psychiatrist to cure her of her blood addiction. There's little development in plot or character, no honest progression from point A to point B. Still, the acting and directing are both adequate, and Marguerite Churchill (Janet) really steals the show as the goofy, vivacious love interest who speaks her mind and cuts her over-serious boss down to size whenever she gets the chance. Add to that a truly unusual premise (even when it fails to deliver much), and some incredibly sexually charged subtext, particularly when the Countess abducts a young woman under the false pretense of having the girl "model" for her. This is one odd-ball film, full of concepts, sexual issues, and gender politics that were way ahead of its time. Not a great film in and of itself, but it certainly deserves a viewing.
Son of Dracula is a much stronger film in contrast. It comes dangerously close to being an incredibly impressive film, with stunning special effects (we actually SEE Dracula transform into a bat, as well as turn into vapor), an incredibly complex, emotionally charged plot, and some breath-taking acting (particularly from Robert Paige and Louise Allbritton). Unfortunately, there are two things that prevent the film from achieving greatness. The first is most certainly Lon Chaney Jr., assuming the role of Lord Alucard (Dracula backwards). Chaney never seems comfortable in the cloak, portraying a weirdness that is too subtle and unfocused for the role he is attempting to undertake. He's never an impressive character, neither as monster nor villain.
Perhaps the bigger problem with Son of Dracula is the camera work. Director Robert Siodmak is clearly a master of the technical aspects of directing. Movement and camera angles are almost always highly impressive, as well as smooth and unimposing upon the film. However, in a picture that contains such strong elements of passion, desperation, fear, insanity, and (of course) the supernatural, the camera always resists these forces, maintaining a stubbornly grounded and literal perception of the scene. The film always feels too realistic, unwilling to surrender to escapism, never daring to achieve something artistic and powerful. This is particularly disappointing in the final scene, which could have easily been immortalized as the greatest, most moving moment in Universal Monster Movie history had it been shot differently.
All in all, Dracula's Daughter and Son of Dracula are both worthwhile sequels that hold their own merit. While I would probably never watch Dracula's Daughter a second time, the first time viewing experience was certainly worthwhile. In contrast, I expect to return to Son of Dracula again and again. It's almost a brilliant film, and "almost brilliant" is still good enough for me.
Dracula's Daughter A+; Son of Dracula C October 21, 2007
Dracula's Daughter is a very nice movie. The plot is solid, and the actors and costumes really shine. The main actors in particular are all impeccable and fabulously adorned. The actors themselves seem to embody the true emotions of their characters. This is much better than the trite and see-through acting of many similar movies from the same time period. Dracula's daughter is also not gory or extremely scary, which seems quaint these days. I would give Dracula's Daughter 5 stars by itself.
Son of Dracula is a fun movie for the period, but it doesn't seem overly serious. The acting and scenes are rather desultory - nothing too clever to uncover here. Of course, Son of Dracula is not even the first sequel after Dracula, so this is no surprise. I would give Son of Dracula 3 stars by itself.
DRAC'S BACK........WELL ALMOST! MORE UNIVERSAL FUN! September 27, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Here are two more films from the Universal vault. They are surprisingly good considering Bela Lugosi isn't in either of them. The first one is 'Draucla's Daughter' which is a pretty good film and much more serious than the title sounds. The second feature is 'Son of Dracula' of course, Drac had to have a son too. This one is not quite as good as the other, but, it's good all the same. Both of these films are far less silly than some of the later Frankenstein films....maybe not as fun though. The DVD transfer is very good and you can find both of these films on the Dracula legacy set.
two great "Dracula" franchise titles September 19, 2007
Universal's "Dracula" franchise was one of the studio's most popular and profitible. This DVD bundles together two of the better titles, "Dracula's Daughter" (1936), and "Son of Dracula" (1943).
DRACULA'S DAUGHTER has always held a fascination, largely thanks to Gloria Holden's nuanced performance in the title role. Countess Marya Zaleska (Holden) is a beautiful member of the aristocracy with a dangerous secret; fits of uncontrollable bloodlust and the need to stalk and kill pretty young girls...not to mention a biological link to the old Count you-know-who. The sexual ambiguity of the Countess adds lots of dark layers in this moodily-lit horror favourite. The performances are very strong, particularly Otto Kruger, Marguerite Churchill and Irving Pichel as the Countess' menacing servant. Gloria Holden's subtle performance in the title role is a marvel to witness.
SON OF DRACULA is the more offbeat title of this double feature. A wealthy Southern heiress with morbid fixations (Louise Allbritton) decides to marry card-carrying vampire Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.) despite the objections of her boyfriend and family. Of course, the Count's true motive is to re-establish his reign of terror in a new country. The performances of Lon Chaney Jr. and Louise Allbritton (who seems to relish her role of the off-kilter heiress) save this film from total failure. Scream queen favourite Evelyn Ankers also has a substantial role here.
Two great "Dracula" titles in one nifty package. You can't go wrong!
 Sons and daughters June 17, 2007
Anything worth doing... is worth making a bunch of sequels to.
That's what Hollywood has always thought, anyway. And in the case of Bela Lugosi's classic "Dracula," it resulted in two decidedly disparate sequels. While "Daughter of Dracula" is creepily erotic and darkly intriguing, "Son of Dracula" is just a tepid, lifeless remake of the original, more or less.
"Daughter of Dracula" is an immediate sequel, taking place only hours after the end of the original film. A beautiful Transylvanian vampire Marya (Gloria Holden) -- created by Dracula -- arrives in England to confirm that her "father" is permanently dead. She mesmerizes the cops, steals Dracula's body, and cremates it with the help of her creepy servant.
With her "dad" burned away, Marya hopes to escape her immortal torment, and live as a normal woman. She even enlists a psychiatrist to cure her of her hunger for blood. But she can't escape her bloodlust, or her longing for the love of Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger) -- and when she abducts his girlfriend, the only one who can stop her is Van Helsing (Edward van Sloan).
"Son of Dracula" has few tangible links to the original story, despite its basic similarity -- a mysterious Count Alucard (whoa, that's original) arrives in the American South from Budapest. The count (Lon Chaney Jr.) was invited by an occult-obsessed heiress, Katherine "Kay" Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), to help her overcome her fear of death.
And of course, odd things happen -- Kay's dad drops dead, and she falls madly in love with Alucard, much to the chagrin of her ex-boyfriend Frank (Robert Paige). Imagine how upset he is when he accidentally shoots her, and she doesn't die -- leading to a battle between the mystery vampire count and the humans who are trying to stop him from setting down roots in the New World.
Basically one film is the best example of a sequel, and the other is the worst kind -- one enhances the original story while telling its own, while the other is basically a stale retread with a silly anagram. I can only see dear ol' Dracula being proud of one of these apparent offspring, although technically we're never told Alucard's origins.
And direction also varies, "Daughter"echoes the original "Dracula's" murky, eerie atmosphere, full of old-world exoticism, dark London flats, midnight pyres and gothic visuals. Unfortunately "Son" has pedestrian direction on par with a mid-level melodrama, with lots of cape-waving in place of spookiness or atmosphere. The creepiest thing is that old voodoo priestess.
Holden deserves heaps of praise for her performance -- she manages to pack in poignant longing, hope, desperation and a bit of lesbian bloodlust into her performance, making viewers repulsed and pitying toward the countess. Chaney, sadly, turns in a horribly wooden performance; he's too husky and ruddy to look like one of the undead.
But in both cases, we get some solid supporting performances -- Allbritton as the passionately weird heiress, Van Sloan as the relentless, intelligent Van Helsing, and Irving Pichel as Marya's murderous, malignant servant, who wants her to stay a vampire and make him into one too.
With their fingers tipping into Bela Lugosi's film, "Dracula's Daughter" and "Son of Dracula" draw heavily on the vampire mythos with varying results. One is sublime, one is too dull to be ridiculous.
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