John T. Ryan .........BUT THEN AGAIN sometimes it far surpasses anything that we would expect. Such is the case of this Columbia 1944 release of THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE. Normally, one could understandably prejudge the movie on several levels.FOR ONE, IT is not a product of Universal Pictures; which of course, we all know is the home of truly "Classic" horror flicks. Didn't Carl Laemmle's studio bring us the Lion's share of cinematic frights dating from the days of the Silents? WAS NOT THE star, Mr. Bella Lugosi over the hill, with some even believing him to have passed away? WELL, THIS EXPECTED bit of schlock double crossed everybody and proved to be an excellent reworking of the legend of "The Undead, the Nosferatu." It was and is a solid, intelligent and near "A" class production. If not truly a "B" picture pot-boiler (produced to fill out the bottom portion of a Double Feature); but rather it is a "B+" movie.TO BE SURE, there are many aspects of the movie that are very likely intended to capitalize on Mr. Lugosi's signature role as Dracula (Universal, 1931). First of all, the very appearance of Armand Tesla (Bella) is virtually the same as his image as Drac, 13 years earlier. From his Top Hat, white bow tie, Tux and fancy cape, Tesla is the spittin' image of the famous Transylvanian Count.EVEN THE TITLE has a certain suggestive ring to it. The very careful crafting of "...THE VAMPIRE", rather than "......A VAMPIRE" would seem to subliminally suggest Dracula; who is after all THEE Vampire of Vampires.ONE THING THAT we have always admired, ever since having first seen this movie on WBKB TV's "SHOCK THEATRE", circa 1957*, is the make-up devised for actor Matt Willis's portrayal of Andreas. He, like Renfield in Bram Stoker's original Dracula is a "Familiar"; that being a poor soul who is enslaved to be a servant to the Vampire. In this case, unlike Dwight Frye's character, Andreas takes the form of a Werewolf when doing the beckoning of the undead one. This Werewolf make-up is as good an interpretation as any cinematic lycanthrope that there is. WHAT REALLY IS surprising and very fulfilling to this film's total impact is a surprising ending. The climax is a highly charged scene featuring the final triumph of Good over Evil.IN THE YEAR of Our Lord 1944, we all needed a positive charge like this; which is not unlike something right out of the Bible.NOYTE: * The local Chicago "SHOCK THEATRE" was hosted by Terry Bennett, whose 'Marvin' character was the Windy City equivalent of Zacherly or Vampira in the other big markets.

ctomvelu1 While Lugosi's character is not called Dracula in this wartime quickie, he is most definitely Dracula in everything but name. His vampire character is accidentally resurrected during the Blitz, and he picks up where he left off, putting the bite on people and re-enslaving his old werewolf servant (Matt Willis as a poor man's Lon Chaney Jr.). The vampire sets his sights on a young woman who is clearly modeled on Mina Harker from Dracula. No one seems to be able to stop him. Moody and atmospheric and beautifully photographed for a no-budget B flick, although the ending is badly blocked and choreographed. By 1944, Lugosi was a shell of his former self, so the big showdown between vampire and werewolf at the end (obviously inspired by Universal's FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN) is a letdown. However, this minor effort has endured over the decades.

Glen McCulla Bela Lugosi returns as the dreaded vampire Count, here going under the name of Armand Tesla due to Columbia being unable to get the Dracula copyright (owned exclusively at the time by Universal). Despite this, Lugosi here gives in my opinion his finest Dracula performance - much improved over his halting and stagey efforts in the Universal classic twelve years previously.Dracula / Tesla returns from the grave to wreak vengeance upon the vampire hunters who staked him decades previously, after a Nazi blitz raid unearths his tomb and a comedy Cockernee (played as usual by the reliable Billy Bevan) mistakes the stake through his heart for shrapnel and removes it. Lugosi sets his sights on vampirising the lovely Nina Foch (and you can't blame the guy), and even adopts the identity of a German doctor fleeing the Nazis to get closer to his prey. Lugosi gets more top do here than in most of his 1940s horror movies, and rises to the challenge with a great performance.We also get Matt Willis (not the one from Busted!) as Lon Chaney-a-like werewolf Andreas, in thrall to his vampiric master my night, but yearning to destroy him whilst in tormented human form. Also featuring good solid performances by Frieda Inescort as the decidedly MILFy Lady Jane, and Miles Mander as the disbelieving police inspector. He doesn't believe in werewolves or vampires. Do YOU people?

zardoz-13 This atmospheric World War II era horror chiller constitutes a rare treat. Skillfully, the filmmakers have intertwined serious, real-life events with supernatural fictional proceedings. Meaning, few monster movies appropriated the contemporary crisis of World War II and exploited it strictly as a backdrop. Remember, during World War II, American and British films served as propaganda for the masses and championed democracy over fascism. Usually, these horror films skirted political ideologies, with only the most marginal references to the war. Mind you, "The Return of the Vampire" doesn't weave World War II entirely into the fabric of its yarn, but the titular fangster does arise as a consequence of the German Luftwaffe. Moreover, the evil that National Socialism posed to England is comparable to the bloodlust of the vampire. Like the autocratic Nazis that manipulated millions into submission, the vampire here exerts total control over its powerless prey. During a London air raid, bombs shatter the tranquility of a cemetery where the vampire has been consigned to oblivion with a stake in his chest. Director Lew Landers and "Mummy's Hand" scenarist Griffin Jay have taken Kurt Neumann's original story idea and done a splendid job of integrating the war with the vampire's reign of terror. The cinematography of lensers L. William O'Connell and John Stumar creates a creepy feeling with its reliance on a fog machine and some graceful camera movement. Today's audiences will probably find nothing scary about this old-fashioned ghoul fest with its use of expressionist shadows to tell a story. "The Return of the Vampire" is quite unusual as it foreshadowed the combo chiller that brought together two supernatural creatures. A vampire and the werewolf work hand-in-hand for the first fifty minutes before they clash with each other. "Twilight" fans may initially find this film disconcerting because the vampire wields power over the werewolf, but they will savor the ending.Bela Lugosi doesn't appear during the opening 23 minutes. Nevertheless, the first scene where a werewolf, Andreas Obry (Matt Willis), enters a gloomy cemetery and awakens vampire at dusk is mildly spooky. Sure, Willis appears rather ridiculous in his furry make-up, but this scruffy canine look may have been frightening to early twentieth century audiences. Anyway, Landers and his lensers pay tribute to German Expressionist filmmakers when they present the vampire as a shadow against a wall as he emerges from his coffin. The only flesh and blood shot is a close-up of the bloodsucker's hand as it raises the coffin lid. Similarly, they stage the action of a man driving a stake into a vampire's heart in silhouette against a wall. Initially, use of silhouettes was a Hollywood method of depicting violence without nauseating the audience. The vampire, Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi of "Dracula"), differs considerably from Count Dracula. A depraved Romanian scientist who lived 200 years ago in 1744, Tesla published a book about vampires, but he fell victim to his obsession with the undead and turned into one after his death. No, the filmmakers never explain what specifically turned him into a vampire. Tesla is preying on young women in 1918 when the action unfolds and the werewolf acts as his servant. Meantime, Dr. Walter Saunders (Gilbert Emery of "The House of Rothschild") and Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda Inescort of "Mary of Scotland") track him down to his tomb and hammer a spike through his heart. Ironically, everything that Dr. Saunders knows about vampires he has learned from Tesla's writing. Landers and his scenarists use Dr. Saunders as a mouthpiece so that non-horror movie audiences would not be left in the dark about the procedure for killing a vampire.The second act of "The Return of the Vampire" occurs in 1940 before America had entered World War II with the British. Dr. Saunders has died in a plane crash and left behind a manuscript of his exploits, principally the killing of Armand Tesla, and Scotland Yard's Sir Frederick Fleet (Miles Mander of "South of Suez") has no alternative but to exhume Tesla's body to verify the killing. Of course, Sir Frederick flatly refuses to believe in vampires. Later, a bomb devastates the graveyard where Tesla has been buried. Two laborers stumble upon Tesla's grave and mistakenly believe that the bomb hurled a spike into the corpse. Their conversation about this incident serves as comic relief. Dutifully, the laborers remove the spike and bury the coffin. Nevertheless, Tesla arises, and Andreas reverts to his werewolf days. Since Tesla's demise, Andreas has been a tireless laboratory assistant to a now older Lady Ainsley. Lady Ainsley's son John (Roland Varno of "Zanzibar") has grown up. A former Royal Air Force pilot, he has now become a concert pianist, while the late Dr. Saunders' daughter Nicki (Nina Foch of "Illegal") serves in the women's corps. The two plan to marry in the future. Tesla enters Nicki's bedroom and bites her. Later, Nicki bites John. Nothing that Lady Jane tells Sir Frederick about Tesla convinces him that Tesla is a supernatural being. Meanwhile, when his detectives question Andreas, Andreas turns into a werewolf and escapes from them. The detectives show Sir Frederick the wolf hairs that they collected in their brief struggle with Andreas, but Sir Frederick remains dubious.Meanwhile, Lady Jane has been asked to help a scientist fleeing from the Nazis. Dr. Hugo Bruckner has escaped from Axis-occupied France with the help of the Resistance. He comes to London to meet our heroine. Tesla has Andreas dispose of Bruckner, and Tesla assumes the scientist's identity. Eventually, Sir Frederick discovers this deception. Tesla visits Lady Jane. Since she knows his true identity, he decides it is time for him to exact his revenge against her and turn Nikki into a vampire. Before Tesla can carry out his morbid plan, Andreas kills him. "The Return of the Vampire" is one of those vampire movies where the vampire can enter a residence without the permission of its owner.