Son of Dracula (1943)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Curt Siodmak (story)
Eric Taylor (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 November 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Can You Take It? More Startling . . . More Blood-Curdling Than Anything You've Ever Seen!

Plot:

Count Alucard (read his name backwards) finds his way from Budapest to the swamps of the Deep South; his four nemeses are a medical doctor, a university professor, a jilted fiancé and the woman he loves.

Plot Keywords:

Swamp | Professor | Occult | Doctor | Plantation

Cast

Robert Paige	...	Frank Stanley
Louise Allbritton	...	Katherine Caldwell
Evelyn Ankers	...	Claire Caldwell
Frank Craven	...	Doctor Brewster
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Professor Lazlo
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Judge Simmons
Adeline De Walt Reynolds	...	Madame Zimba (as Adeline DeWalt Reynolds)
Pat Moriarity	...	Sheriff Dawes (as Patrick Moriarity)
Etta McDaniel	...	Sarah
George Irving	...	Colonel Caldwell
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Count Dracula (as Lon Chaney)

Also Known As:

Destiny (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Spain:13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Sweden:15 (original rating) | Sweden:7 (re-rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #9194) | Germany:12 | Finland:K-11 (2004)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Count Alucard walks toward Colonel Caldwell's room, he casts a reflection in the hallway mirror.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Sheriff Dawes: You mean, that's all that's left of Count Alucard?
Prof. Laszlo: Look at the ring on his hand. It bears the Alucard seal, just as on his luggage.
Sheriff Dawes: Well assuming it is Alucard, or Dracula, or whoever he calls himself - where is Frank Stanley? He's still wanted for murder.
Prof. Harry Brewster: You still think that Frank killed Kay deliberately?
Sheriff Dawes: Look, Doctor, I'm only the Sheriff. I'm not the Judge. It's my job to bring him in, and the court's to decide his guilt.
Prof. Laszlo: Of course. But I think our testimony will have some bearing on their decision.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: Son of Dracula (1943) (#1.3)" (1979)

Big Drac Attack

When Lon Chaney, Jr., looking like he's just eaten about two dozen Big Macs, introduces himself at the Louisiana estate of Dark Oaks, as Count Alucard (spell it backwards), the fun begins. For those who like atmospheric horror, Son Of Dracula is a treat. The Siodmak brothers, director Robert and author Curt, both worked on this one. Made during the Second World War, at a time when Universal was producing mostly inferior horrors, this is one of the studio's best efforts of the period, with cinematographer George Robinson's camera prowling the homes, woods and bayous of American South with the surefooted gracefulness of a black panther. The acting is fine, with even such limited players as Robert Paige, Evelyn Ankers and Louise Albritton all turning in good work. Character actors Frank Craven and J. Edward Bromberg make a nice vampire-hunting duo, and their scenes together suggest a real alliance and not merely two actors going through the motions. Big Lon, as the Count, is very effective. He lacks Lugosi's old world charm, but makes up for it in bulk, drawing nicely on the natural arrogance that some big men are prone to, his vampire is a baleful figure, often prone to violence. There's more local color than one might expect in this sort of movie, with the character of the swamp-dwelling Queen Zimba providing an interesting link to the Cajun and Voodoo traditions. By today's standards I suppose Son Of Dracula is none too frightening, though it nicely suggests the link between horror and everyday life, normal emotions and regional traditions, which, while this might not mean much nowadays, certainly resonated in the America of sixty years ago, which it effectively evokes.