Dracula's Daughter has become very influential in its own
way. The lethargic vampires of Anne Rice owe a debt to this movie,
which features a fine performance from Gloria Holden in the titular role, seeking a cure for vampirism. A lush, well-produced movie which well overstepped its alloted budget.
While the pacing is still quite slow, it suits the mood of the picture splendidly. Its closest cousin in the Universal stable is probably The Mummy and its own sequel Son of Dracula.
It mixes humour and horror suprisingly well, and the humour is never overdone in the manner of a lot of 30s horrors. Otto Kruger and Marguerite Chuchill make an excellent bickering couple, contrasting nicely with the mood of death surrounding the Countess Marya Zeleska (Holden). She steals the body of her father early to cremate and exorcise his remains in the hope of gaining freedom from the curse, but to no avail. The subtle lesbian tone of the seduction scene, where Nan Grey's street waif succumbs to the Countess, is pretty remarkable for the time.
The film is set immediately after Dracula, and Edward Van Sloan returns as VON Helsing (why not Van?), which is more than can be said for Dr. Seward, Jonathon Harker and Mina!
All in all a worthy sequel to the Lugosi classic.
While the pacing is still quite slow, it suits the mood of the picture splendidly. Its closest cousin in the Universal stable is probably The Mummy and its own sequel Son of Dracula.
It mixes humour and horror suprisingly well, and the humour is never overdone in the manner of a lot of 30s horrors. Otto Kruger and Marguerite Chuchill make an excellent bickering couple, contrasting nicely with the mood of death surrounding the Countess Marya Zeleska (Holden). She steals the body of her father early to cremate and exorcise his remains in the hope of gaining freedom from the curse, but to no avail. The subtle lesbian tone of the seduction scene, where Nan Grey's street waif succumbs to the Countess, is pretty remarkable for the time.
The film is set immediately after Dracula, and Edward Van Sloan returns as VON Helsing (why not Van?), which is more than can be said for Dr. Seward, Jonathon Harker and Mina!
All in all a worthy sequel to the Lugosi classic.