mark.waltz The death of Bela Lugosi in 1956 didn't instantly create a legend. That took time. But shortly after his death, an independent film honored him (sort of) by naming a character in this "Dracula" film "Bellac", obviously influenced by the forgotten old man of horror who had died in obscurity. Certainly, he had unreleased films ("Plan Nine From Outer Space"), but Bela Lugosi had slipped so far into obscurity that the only films he could get were so down the line of poverty row that they made his Monogram films look as if they had come from MGM. "Dracula" here is Francis Lederer, a grand old villain of the silver screen, once a romantic lead, but later cast in a variety of sinister roles, and now cast as the infamous Hungarian count. Somehow brought back from the dead after being killed in various ways under the acting chops of Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and John Carradine, Dracula made a major comeback in the late 1950's. Not only was there Lederer in this enjoyable but predictable programmer, but Christopher Lee, who would create another legend in a series of Hammer films where he took over the role of the count, playing him more times on screen than any other actor.Lederer's dashing older count has immigrated from Hungary to the United States, pretending to be "Bellac", a cousin of the Mayberry family (no relation to Andy Taylor's Mayberry). Strange occurrences begin to happen, including the sudden death of their cousin (Virginia Vincent), and when pretty Norma Eberhardt meets Lederer, she becomes disturbingly fascinated with him, even though she's involved with Ray Stricklyn. It's apparent that something involving Vincent's death is tied in with Lederer, and it is ironically on Halloween (during a stereotypical local party) that Eberhardt's obsession comes to its full power, following Lederer to an abandoned mine while a local priest and a European vampire hunter decide to check in on Vincent's casket.Some amusing character performances includes a Margaret Hamilton like aunt who dresses as a witch, Eberhardt's younger brother (Jimmy Baird) who gets some really good lines (especially while in costume when asked where is costume is!), and John Wengraf as the visiting vampire hunter. This is a fine mixture of light comedy and gothic horror, with Lederer good in his one appearance as Mr. Toothy. Unfortunately, he is never seen exposing his fangs, so that does take away some of the horror element. I can see why this one has fallen into obscurity when compared to the Hammer series which took off right at the same time.

dougdoepke Plot-- A European vampire travels to America for fresh feeding grounds. While there he impersonates the relative of an average American family. In the process, he's drawn to the family's spirited daughter who's his assumed cousin. So what will happen now that the suburbanites have a new blood(y) relative with very strange habits.Pretty good little programmer that benefits from interesting premise. Actor Lederer has a strong physical presence but unfortunately doesn't exude the evil of a Lee or Lugosi. Nor, for that matter, does he appear to be trying that hard. Thus his vampire is more a presence than evil. In my little book, it's really actress Eberhardt's charm and expressive range that carries the story. She gets the most screen time, while projecting personality into a rather fuzzily written ingénue part. The location photography of an average American neighborhood lends a touch of realism and is certainly a long way from the usual murky hilltop castle. But note that except for the brief scenes in the cavern, there's little spooky shadow to create mood. But then it's hard to work pervasive shadow into well-lit suburbia. So I guess Dracula needs his castle. Nonetheless, the lack of spooky lighting undercuts a needed mood of evil menace. Also, what's with that color flash of gory blood in an otherwise b&w flick. It's a needlessly disruptive effect that simply calls attention to the fact that this is a movie of uneven effects. Happily, the flick does manage to avoid the hokey, the usual pitfall of cheap horror productions. All in all, however, the 73-minutes may be imaginative but still fails to rise above programmer level.

LeoB-2 This well made and nicely restored vampire film takes the basic set-up of Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943)--sinister relative comes to visit wholesome family in small town, where young girl of family has an unspoken affinity with him--and reveals the vampire subtext of Hitchcock's more psychologically oriented film. Without excessive blood and gore and teeth, it manages to create an eerie atmosphere that many more expensive horror films never quite achieve. Francis Lederer, in one of his last roles before he retired from movies to live prosperously from his real estate investments, does a great job. For fans of Hollywood locations, Dracula's crypt is set in Bronson Caves, more usually a setting for low-budget westerns.

vtcavuoto "The Return of Dracula" is a good film that updates the story from the late 1890s to present day(for the release of the film)1958. Dracula poses as an artist who comes to America to be free from Communism(a real blow to freedom for Eastern Europe after WW2). He seems distant and reclusive toward his American relatives. He starts by killing a blind girl and then sets his sights on his younger cousin. She slowly falls under his influence but at the end he is destroyed by falling into a pit filled with jagged wood pieces. He has been hiding in a cave where he can be safe. The acting, music score and direction are very good for this type of low budget movie. A nice variation on the vampire films from the 1930s and 40s. If you're a fan of vampire movies, check out this little gem.