With "Son of Dracula" Lon Chaney Jr. completed the circle of having portrayed each of Universal's four main monsters (The Wolfman, Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy, Dracula).
Chaney, who was always in the shadow of his more famous father, gives a chilling performance as Dracula. His slicked back greying hair and sinister mustache and domineering presence only add to his character. Louise Allbritton is good as his chief victim, whom he has followed from Transylvania to the U.S. in search of new victims. Robert Paige is the rejected suitor who is almost drawn into the evil. Evelyn Ankers has little to do as Allbritton's sister. Curiously, Ankers, who was known for her blood-curdling scream in a number of other Universal features, does not so much as raise her voice in this one. As always, Universal provided eerie, dark and creepy settings for the action.
It is puzzling, given Chaney's excellent performance, that Universal chose not to make any further Dracula pictures at that time. But then, Hollywood never learned how to fully utilize the considerable talents of Lon Chaney Jr.
Chaney, who was always in the shadow of his more famous father, gives a chilling performance as Dracula. His slicked back greying hair and sinister mustache and domineering presence only add to his character. Louise Allbritton is good as his chief victim, whom he has followed from Transylvania to the U.S. in search of new victims. Robert Paige is the rejected suitor who is almost drawn into the evil. Evelyn Ankers has little to do as Allbritton's sister. Curiously, Ankers, who was known for her blood-curdling scream in a number of other Universal features, does not so much as raise her voice in this one. As always, Universal provided eerie, dark and creepy settings for the action.
It is puzzling, given Chaney's excellent performance, that Universal chose not to make any further Dracula pictures at that time. But then, Hollywood never learned how to fully utilize the considerable talents of Lon Chaney Jr.