One of the better latter-day entries in Universal's famed horror series, 'Son of Dracula' is a short, fast-paced flick with some nifty special effects and a surprise ending. It also marks Lon Chaney, Jr.'s sole appearance as the Count; Chaney was the only actor to portray all four of Universal's major horror figures- Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, Dracula, and of course the Wolfman, for which he was most famous. Some said he was miscast as the Transylvanian vampire; he was too big and bulky, or not debonair enough. Personally, I think he does just fine, particularly during the final scene when he finds his coffin ablaze and rails at Robert Paige's Frank Stanley, yelling "Put it out! Put it out!" He exudes real menace and great strength, his voice a roar of anger and pain. Speaking of Robert Paige, he certainly earns his paycheck as the tormented Frank. The script puts him through the wringer, both emotionally and physically. He is engaged to marry Kay Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), only to find out she has fallen under Dracula's spell even before the Count arrives on the scene. Frank goes from disbelieving suitor to infuriated killer to hounded victim to incarcerated suspect to willing vampire wannabe, then back to normal. There are the requisite discussions about the undead and explanations of Dracula's mysterious powers, and they become more mysterious every time they're explained. I've never been clear, for example, on how Kay becomes a vampire; it appears to me that she's shot dead before Dracula ever bites her on the neck. Oh well. And then there is a befuddling conversation between Professor Brewster and Professor Laszlo (the vampire expert) as to why Kay fell under Dracula's spell in the first place. It's decided it was because she was 'morbid.' That's right, operator, she was morbid. Sounds good to me. The special effects include a fake bat that gets more screen time than it should, but some of the cooler images include the first ever bat-to-man transformation, as well as a great scene in the swamp, where Dracula's coffin rises to the water's surface, then Dracula himself floats across to the other side where Kay is waiting. It's really well done for the time, very atmospheric and eerie, with appropriately spooky music. 'Son of Dracula' is very enjoyable and is a good example of why the Universal horror series is so fondly remembered. The actors, writers, and production crews had these characters and films down to a 't' and they rarely disappointed.
Review of Son of Dracula
