The Movie
This sequel to Dracula opens in the final scene from 'Dracula',
with Edward Van Sloan reprising his role as Van Helsing, arrested
by the police for the murder of Count Dracula.
This is a sophisticated and subtle movie. Gloria Holden, tall,
dark, and very European, is the 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 proves too much.
Van Helsing is 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 does rather lose its way from time to time, but the
smooth style and Holden's dignified performance lift Dracula's Daughter
above most Universal sequels (Based on Amazon's synopsis
and review).
- Directed by Lambert Hillyer
- Screenplay: Garrett Fort
- Cast (listed alphabetically):
Claud Allister as Sir Aubrey Vail
Agnes Anderson as Elena
Billy Bevan as Const. Albert
John Blood as Bobby
Marguerite Churchill as Janet Blake
E.E. Clive as Sgt. Wilkes
David Dunbar as Motor bobby
Gilbert Emery as Sir Basil Humphrey
Douglas Gordon as Attendant
Owen Gorin as Groom's friend
Nan Grey as Lili
Gordon Hart as Mr. Graham (host)
Halliwell Hobbes as Const. Sgt. Hawkins
Gloria Holden as Countess Marya Zaleska
Hedda Hopper as Lady Esme Hammond
Elsa Janssen as Wedding guest
Guy Kingsford as Radio announcer
George Kirby as Bookstore proprietor
Otto Kruger as Dr. Jeffrey Garth
Edna Lyall as Nurse
Eily Malyon as Miss Peabody (nurse)
Paul Mitchell as Messenger
Clive Morgan as Desk sergeant
Edgar Norton as Hobbs (Sir Basil's butler)
Vesey O'Davoren as Butler
Irving Pichel as Sandor
John Power as Police official
Hedwiga Reicher as Innkeeper's wife
Christian Rub as Coachman
William Schramm as Groom in Transylvania
Edward Van Sloan as Prof. Von Helsing
George Sorel as Police officer
Pietro Sosso as Priest
Bert Sprotte as Wedding guest
Vernon Steele as Squires
Joseph R. Tozer as Dr. Graham
Silvia Vaughan as Nurse
Wilhelm von Brincken as Policeman
Fred Walton as Dr. Beemish
Paul Weigel as Transylvania innkeeper
Eric Wilton as Butler
Douglas Wood as Dr. Townsend
Reviews
Extracts of reviews, with links for the complete text:
Gloria Holden is first-rate as the title character, alias "Countess
Marya Zaleska," who after stealing her father's body from the
authorities with the help of her faithful hunchbacked assistant
Sandor (Irving Pichel), sets fire to the corpse in hopes of obliterating
the family curse of vampirism. Full of clever and often surprising
little touches (few other films of the mid-1930s would kill off
a comedy-relief character in the second reel!), Dracula's Daughter
is among the best of the vintage Universal horror films. ~ Hal
Erickson, All Movie Guide
Universal altered the original script of Dracula's Daughter and
made a very tame vampire film. Indeed, even the antagonist is merely
a lonely woman who wants to escape her lifestyle, not evil personified
like her notorious father. Despite this, Dracula's Daughter is a
chilling and moody entry to the Universal Monster Classics series.
The film hinges on the performance of Gloria Holden as Dracula's
female offspring. Aside from being hauntingly beautiful, Holden
is enigmatic and vulnerable. Edward Van Sloan's return as Von Helsing
lends a valuable continuity to the sequel. Otto Kruger is a bit
less impressive, though the sexual tension between him and his assistant
Janet (Marguerite Churchill) is very fun. ~ DVD
Verdict
They don't make them like this anymore. Where today's horror movies
try to one-up each other at shocking their audiences with front-and-center
violence, the early Universal horror films achieved a more gratifying
subtle effect by suggesting evil in the shadows and corners of ordinary
life. Even this middling entry in the Dracula series is effective
in this way. It hangs a creepy composite of humor and horror on
an uninspired story and turns it into something surprisingly compelling.
Gloria Holden is mesmerizing in the title role. ~ At-A-Glance
Film Reviews
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