Son of Dracula Review

Here's another tasty slab of classic horror from Hollywood's golden age. When Universal Pictures had a big hit with BRIDE OF FRANKENSTIEN in 1935, they quickly turned out DRACULA'S DAUGHTER the following year. In 1939, the studio struck box office gold with SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, so it was inevitable that they would produce a movie called SON OF DRACULA. It was made in 1943, directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Lon "Don't Call Me Junior" Chaney as Count Alucard -- That's "Dracula" spelled backwards, kids. Chaney was the only actor to play all of the major movie monsters: Dracula, or at least the son of, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and of course the Wolf Man.

He's a little too bloated for the part of Dracula, but he has some good moments in this movie, believe me. He may be a tad robust for the role, a shade on the porky side, he might not be as svelte as Bela Lugosi or John Carradine, but he can still throw a scare into you. And, as he proved in his performances as Larry Talbot, the reluctant werewolf in THE WOLF MAN, big Lon knew how to play haunted.

Also in the cast are Louise Albritton as a beautiful young heiress with a taste for danger and Lon's WOLF MAN co-star Evelyn Ankers, the self-proclaimed "Queen of the Bs." Unlike other Dracula movies that take place in Transylvania or London, this one's got a more down home setting: the Louisiana bayou, with the swampy locale adding a little cajun spice to the spooky goings on.

The movie drags a bit in places, and is a bit too talky, but is a worthwhile entry in the series. He's no Lugosi or Christopher Lee, but Chaney's one performance in the Dracula role made it possible for him to hit for the cycle, monster-wise.

This movie is not to be confused with the 1974 horror-musical of the same name released by Apple Films starring Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, and Keith Moon. That SON OF DRACULA was billed as the first Rock & Roll Dracula movie, it's a drug-drenched mess with some good tunes and a lot of terrible acting, directed by Hammer horror veteran Freddie Francis. It's never been released on video, but you can find a copy on the internet if you're a huge fan of Dracula movies or of Nilsson's music. If you're not, you're much better off watching the original.

Available on DVD from Universal Home Video, as a double feature with DRACULA's DAUGHTER, and as part of DRACULA: THE LEGACY COLLECTION.