House of Dracula (1945)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writer:

Edward T. Lowe Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

7 December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

HORROR UPON HORROR in the HOUSE OF DRACULA

Plot:

Count Dracula and the Wolf Man seek a cure for their afflictions; a hunchbacked woman, a mad scientist and the Frankenstein monster have their own troubles.

Plot Keywords:

Dracula | Monster | Cure | Frankenstein's Monster | Cave

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Lawrence Stewart Talbot / The Wolf Man (as Lon Chaney)
John Carradine	...	Count Dracula
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Miliza Morrelle
Lionel Atwill	...	Police Inspector Holtz
Onslow Stevens	...	Dr. Franz Edlemann
Jane Adams	...	Nina
Ludwig Stössel	...	Siegfried (as Ludwig Stossel)
Glenn Strange	...	The Frankenstein Monster
Skelton Knaggs	...	Steinmuhl

Also Known As:

The Wolf Man's Cure

Runtime:

67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Spain:13 | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (Certificate #11300) | Finland:(Banned) (1947) | USA:Unrated (DVD) | Sweden:7 | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-11 (2004)

Filming Locations:

European Village set, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

This is the only film in which the character Lawrence Talbot sports a mustache.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the blood of Dracula has overtaken Dr. Edlemann, we see his reflection in the mirror disappear. However, later in the film, as the doctor leads Larry Talbot out into the garden as the full moon rises, we clearly see his visible reflection in the window.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Edelman: What are you doing here? Who are you?
Count Dracula: I am Baron Latos. I have come to you for help.
Dr. Edelman: It's five o'clock in the morning.
Count Dracula: I must apologize for the intrusion. But travel is very difficult for me, and I've come a long way.
Dr. Edelman: I don't understand.
Count Dracula: Perhaps you will, after you've led me to the basement room of this castle.
Dr. Edelman: Eh - a very strange request. This castle is my home!
Count Dracula: Have no fear, doctor. Had conditions permitted, I would have presented myself in the usual manner.
Dr. Edelman: Well, it is most unusual...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Creature Features: House of Dracula/The Lady and the Monster (#1.22)" (1971)

Terrific Ghoul-fest

This moody, creepy horror flick begins on a castle atop a cliff overlooking the sea, a great setting, as a vampire bat flies in and creeps toward a sleeping doctor (Onslow Stevens). The bat changes into a man known as Baron Latos, in reality Count Dracula (John Carradine). He seeks Dr. Edelmann's help to cure him of his vampirism. Eventually the good doctor also wants to help his hunchbacked nurse-assistant (Jane Adams), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney), and Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange). But Dracula's trickery contaminates the doctor's blood, and he becomes a Jekyll/Hyde vampire himself. This is somewhat better than the prior year's "House of Frankenstein", being less episodic and more exciting visually. There's a haunting scene where Dracula tries to lure the second nurse (Martha O'Driscoll) into his world, where she is initially playing "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano, which soon gives way to terrifying music. Director Erle Kenton uses expressionistic shadows and eerie music to frame many sequences, including a wonderful montage sequence that the studio frequently used in their horror features. Two performers are of note: Stevens, with his wonderful voice, is at first sympathetic, then convincingly menacing. Adams, her beautiful face in alarming contrast to her twisted body, exhibits great pathos and sympathy. It all ends in a slam-bang climax, typical of 1940s Universal horror, a little abrupt, with footage borrowed from "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942). I hope Universal releases it soon on DVD (it was left out of their Double-Feature releases).