Discuss The Return of the Vampire

A decade after the brilliant Dracula, Lugosi returns to Dracula (or at least a rip off of Dracula). The film is from Columbia, so they couldn't use the name Dracula or Wolf Man. Instead the vampire is played again by the now cash-strapped actor. The film, although much more modern than Dracula (which struggled with new film technology at the time. The sound and some camera movements are almost hard to take watching today) this film veers into Plan 9 from Outer Space territory at times. Lugosi does not appear until late in the film. The guy they got to body double him is clearly taller and walks with the cape in front of his face -- the only reason is to hide the fact that it wasn't Lugosi! Also, the old timer playing the scientist actually picks up the script and reads from it during some scientific nonsense part of the film. They eventually disguise it as his "notes" but it's clear it's the sides for his part. And the wolf man guy is very well spoken. The film isn't for everyone but I enjoyed it.

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@felixxx999 said:

A decade after the brilliant Dracula, Lugosi returns to Dracula (or at least a rip off of Dracula). The film is from Columbia, so they couldn't use the name Dracula or Wolf Man. Instead the vampire is played again by the now cash-strapped actor. The film, although much more modern than Dracula (which struggled with new film technology at the time. The sound and some camera movements are almost hard to take watching today) this film veers into Plan 9 from Outer Space territory at times. Lugosi does not appear until late in the film. The guy they got to body double him is clearly taller and walks with the cape in front of his face -- the only reason is to hide the fact that it wasn't Lugosi! Also, the old timer playing the scientist actually picks up the script and reads from it during some scientific nonsense part of the film. They eventually disguise it as his "notes" but it's clear it's the sides for his part. And the wolf man guy is very well spoken. The film isn't for everyone but I enjoyed it.

As long as I have been a fan of the horror genre, almost sixty years, I can't believe I've never seen this one! I will have my chance on October 6th, 2018. It will be shown on Svengoolie. I hope (NOT) to pick up on the film's foibles described above, but Sven being Sven, I probably can't avoid it. With a run time of 69 minutes, there will have to be a lot of Sven-filler. relaxed

Yes, it's silly ... that I am replying to my own post. I had a chance to watch Return of the Vampire on Svengoolie last weekend, for the very first time. I certainly enjoyed it. The World War II backdrop was a nice touch. It did not overwhelm the plot, but moved it forward when needed. A stunning 19-year old Nina Foch was another reason it was well worth watching. Yes, this is the same actress who portrayed the mother of Dr. Ducky Mallard on NCIS! A great talent at an early age. I did smile at the werewolf makeup. It reminded me of the 1970's version of The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (not the later version with Brooke Shields). A great way to spend two hours on a Saturday night.

According to MeTV.com, this will be shown on Svengoolie on Saturday, December 12, 2020. A chance for a second look!

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