Director: Robert Siodmak
Writers: Eric Taylor, Curt Siodmak
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr., Robert Paige, Louise Allbritton
1 Hour, 20 Minutes
Get it from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Z7RmCd
A couple of men are at the train station to pick up Count Alucard, but he’s not there. All his luggage is there, including a big, long box. Immediately, one of the men notices that Alucard Is Dracula spelled backwards. Kay and Claire stand on the steps to the plantation house and discuss telepathic communications, and Kay knows Count Alucard will be arriving tonight. Kay is the 1940s version of a Goth Girl, obsessed with death and the occult.
Kay runs off into the forest and runs into an old witch, Queen Zemba. She warns Kay to stay away from Alucard, “I see you marrying a corpse and living in a grave.” She passes out when a bat flies through the room. Queen Zemba dies later that night. Kay knows the old woman died by occult causes, but no one else believes her.
Meanwhile, back at the big house, there’s a lavish party going on, and the Count arrives outside. The Colonel, a frail old man, is tired and heads to bed early. A bat flies into the house and smoothly changes into Dracula (a nicely done effect) just before going into the Colonel’s bedroom.
Frank tells Kay that Alucard is a fake; they’ve never heard of him at the Hungarian Embassy. Word comes down that the old Colonel is dead. The Colonel has marks on his throat. Alucard knocks on the door, he’s arrived officially now. Kay inherits the Dark Oaks plantation, and Claire gets all the money.
Dr. Brewster calls a Hungarian friend, Professor Laslow, and he explains who Dracula was, and that this man cannot be that Dracula. Claire explains to Brewster that Kay isn’t really planning to marry Frank, she wants Alucard. They go to check out the guest house, where they suspect Alucard is staying. The large trunks are gone. Brewster asks Claire to leave the plantation and come live in town. He wants to force Kay to do the same, even if that means declaring her insane.
Kay goes into the swamp and the coffin rises out of the muck. Dracula appears from the mist. They get into her car and go to the Justice of the Peace. They get married, just like that! Alucard talks about their lives going on through eternity, and he’s leaning in for a bite or kiss when Frank shows up. He doesn’t take the marriage news well.
Alucard throws him into the next room, and Frank shoots him three times and then runs away. The bullets went right through Alucard and hit Kay, who was standing behind him. Alucard doesn’t even flinch. The bat follows Frank through the swamp. Frank passes out in the cemetery, and Alucard can’t go near because of the cross-shaped tombstones. Later, Frank stumbles into Dr. Brewster’s house and tells him everything.
Kay is dead. Alucard sets up a coffin with soil and lays her in it. He’s starting to bury her as Brewster drives up. Brewster finds a box of dirt in the basement, but Alucard brings him up to the bedroom where Kay is sitting in bed. Kay explains that she tired of Frank and that she’s not going to be seen in public much any more. Alucard tells Brewster not to come back.
Frank turns himself into the police for killing Kay, but Brewster says that’s not true because Brewster just talked to her. She’s fine. Frank and the police go over to the house to look around. One of the cops goes into the cemetery, to the crypt, and opens up a lid, finding Kay inside, dead as anything.
Professor Laslow arrives, and he thinks Alucard is a descendant of Dracula. He explains the vampire rules and how to kill him. Alucard appears in the room with the two during the conversation. Laslow pulls out a cross and Alucard poofs away.
A lady rushes in with her small son, and he’s got small bites on his neck.
Frank is bitten by a bat and sees Kay in his cell. She says she really does love Frank, she was only using Alucard to become immortal. She planned the whole thing so she and Frank could become immortal. She wants Frank to track down and kill Alucard for her.
Claire goes to see Frank, and says that she’s going to have Kay cremated. Frank freaks out at hearing that. Kay says they may have to kill both Dr. Brewster and Claire. Laslow and Brewster push for an immediate cremation. Frank escapes jail, and they find Kay’s coffin in the morgue is missing.
Frank finds Alucard’s coffin and Alucard shows up. Franks sets the coffin on fire, and Alucard needs that soil. The sun comes up and kills Alucard. Frank then finds Kay asleep in her coffin, and he burns that too.
Commentary
We watched this one on iTunes, and it was really sharp and clear. Lon Chaney was alright in this one. The effects here were really good. Changing to and from a bat, switching to mist form, all look good. The plot made sense, the story was good, the acting was fair, but it wasn’t great either.