Lew Landers directed a lot of crap during his long, prolific career, but when he was on his game, as in The Raven (1934), and this film, he could produce a horror movie as good as any. The Return of the Vampire may be nothing more than a little Columbia B picture, but it exhibits more craft, care, and professionalism than 90 percent of what comes out of Hollywood today. The foggy, expressionistic photography and sets are fantastic, with excellent use of shadow and camera movement, and the early scenes of Lugosi prowling through mist and darkness, shot mostly from behind, or in silhouette, are striking in their spectral intensity. Lugosi once again shows why he ranks among the immortals; he is more commanding and magnetic walking from point A to point B in his top hat and tails than most actors are emoting through pages of dialog. Screenwriter Griffin Jay and director Landers go out of their way to showcase Lugosi's unique talents; he is given a great part with many substantial scenes to play, and Landers shoots him to his fullest advantage. Frieda Inescort, as Lugosi's nemesis, is sublimely up to the challenge, and their scenes together, especially their climactic confrontation at the pipe organ, are the best in the film. Sure, Return of the Vampire has its weak elements, such as Matt Willis's unfortunate talking werewolf, but let them pass. There are few moments in cinema as inspiring as watching Lugosi at full throttle, and Return of the Vampire has that in spades.
78 Reviews
The Return of the Vampire (1943) ***
JoeKarlosi18 August 2006
It's interesting that even though Bela Lugosi enjoys an eternal reputation of playing the most imitated vampire of all (the legendary Count Dracula), the actor really didn't star as a true bloodsucker in that many motion pictures. But he's nothing less than the real deal here, in an enjoyably misty and moody horror offering which was produced by Columbia Pictures, yet could be easily mistaken for any one of the 1940s classics that Universal Studios was churning out at this time.
Though Bela looks and sounds much like Dracula with his trademark flowing cape and piercing eyes, this time he plays a different character called Armand Tesla, a vampire who rises from his grave in ravaged WW II times to seek revenge many years after being destroyed with a metal spike. Frieda Inescort is a welcome change of pace as a female "Van Helsing" type of protector, and the Lon Chaney-ish Matt Willis is cast as a pitiable servant named Andreas, who becomes corrupted by Tesla and is transformed into a werewolf that TALKS! Adding this hirsute Renfield character in fangs and fur was possibly an effort by Columbia to compete with Universal's current monster rally, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. Nina Foch is the pretty young damsel in distress whom the vampire plots to possess. Fans of Bela Lugosi and the classic old Universal monster movies will not want to skip this one. *** out of ****
Though Bela looks and sounds much like Dracula with his trademark flowing cape and piercing eyes, this time he plays a different character called Armand Tesla, a vampire who rises from his grave in ravaged WW II times to seek revenge many years after being destroyed with a metal spike. Frieda Inescort is a welcome change of pace as a female "Van Helsing" type of protector, and the Lon Chaney-ish Matt Willis is cast as a pitiable servant named Andreas, who becomes corrupted by Tesla and is transformed into a werewolf that TALKS! Adding this hirsute Renfield character in fangs and fur was possibly an effort by Columbia to compete with Universal's current monster rally, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. Nina Foch is the pretty young damsel in distress whom the vampire plots to possess. Fans of Bela Lugosi and the classic old Universal monster movies will not want to skip this one. *** out of ****
Lugosi's best '40's film
bgh4820 October 2006
This has got to be one of Bela's most underrated performances, a bright spot among the dreariness of Monogram potboilers. Columbia allows him to both reference Dracula while at the same time expanding the definition of vampirism by having him play Dr. Armand Tessla, the "depraved Roumanian scientist" who is so obsessed with evil that he actually becomes a bloodsucker. (there is also a nifty sketch of Lugosi drawn in a book about his character) Lugosi is alternately sinister, avuncular, lovestruck, arrogant, and commanding. His voice, usually cause for laughter at its ripe indelibility, is used extremely effectively as a whisper when he is calling Nina Foch into the graveyard. ("Just a little bit further--further--further!") This is actually quite eerie. His exchanges with Matt Willis are atmospheric and believable, in that someone undead would naturally have supernatural acolytes surrounding him. (so what if they sprout facial hair; that just gives the acolyte more "texture") I have to disagree with viewers who think Willis is ridiculous as a talking wolf; I happen to think he's the best thing in the film. Willis' natural speaking voice is kind of strange, half Southern, half something..and when he's the werewolf with those teeth his line readings are really creepy. My favorite is when he's saying "as if they could tell what happened!" and then he chuckles. He is really effective. The whole production is sort of tongue in cheek and the Britishness at its height. (Frieda Inescort: "The Gerries have rather taken things out of your hands") The WWII element adds more interest, and Lugosi has a droll line that he is going out of his hotel but, "whether I can be reached is another matter." A jarring note is Foch's boyfriend, who has "Lady Jane" as his mother and yet speaks with a German or Dutch accent. All in all, a must for Lugosi fans and all other horror film fans interested in how Columbia does this kind of movie as opposed to Universal.
A very good 40's vampire movie
jrcindy200013 March 2003
Bela Lugosi stars as Armand Tesla vampire, but this is the only movie I've ever seen that had a talking werewolf who carries the vampire's laundry in a package tied up with string. This was the only bad part of an otherwise very good 40's vampire movie. I'll give it an A.
The vampire and the werewolf
chris_gaskin12331 January 2006
Return of the Vampire is, despite its title not a sequel to Mark of the Vampire.
In this vampire movie, a vampire is staked during World War 1 but then in the Second World War, two gravediggers bury him again after an air raid. They don't realise this corpse is a vampire after pulling the stake out his chest. He regenerates and gets a job in a lab. He has the help of a werewolf that can talk and killings once again start...
One of the best things about this movie is that talking werewolf. I don't think I've seen another movie with one. Unusual.
The cast is lead by Bela Logosi as the Dracula-like vampire. I've never heard of anybody else in this.
Return of the Vampire is worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of Bela.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
In this vampire movie, a vampire is staked during World War 1 but then in the Second World War, two gravediggers bury him again after an air raid. They don't realise this corpse is a vampire after pulling the stake out his chest. He regenerates and gets a job in a lab. He has the help of a werewolf that can talk and killings once again start...
One of the best things about this movie is that talking werewolf. I don't think I've seen another movie with one. Unusual.
The cast is lead by Bela Logosi as the Dracula-like vampire. I've never heard of anybody else in this.
Return of the Vampire is worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of Bela.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
Evil Never Dies...
simeon_flake8 August 2005
In the 18th-century, Dr. Armand Tesla, a "depraved" Romanian scientist, developed an unhealthy obsession with the supernatural--vampires in particular--and became a foul creature of the night shortly after his death. Flash forward to 1918 and Tesla, with the help of his rather pathetic werewolf slave, has relocated to a desolate cemetery in London. After preying on the young niece of the intrepid scientist Walter Saunders, who immediately deduces a vampire is on the loose, Saunders and his colleague Lady Jane Ainsley find the vampire in his lair & drive a spike through his heart.
Twenty-five years later, German bombers disturb the cemetery where Tesla lays at rest & two cockney civil-defense workers remove the stake from the vampire's unearthed body. That night, Tesla sets out to reclaim his now reformed flunky, Andreas, whose "iron-will" shows through as it takes no more than a few minutes in Tesla's presence before he's furring out again. The vampire sets out to take revenge on those responsible for his quarter-century dirtnap, but like all malevolent beings in these types of horror films, his cruel mistreatment of his servant will eventually come back to bite him...
"The Return of the Vampire", while no masterpiece, is chock full of some wonderful atmosphere & images: the fog-bound cemeteries, Lugosi's outstretched cape, the entranced young beauty (Nina Foch) hypnotically walking through the graveyard. Speaking of those graveyards, have you ever stopped to wonder how this vampire can be so repulsed when a cross is shoved in his face, yet has no trouble stalking around cemeteries littered with giant stone-crosses.
Lugosi, of course, still has his vampire-mojo working, his line readings being as priceless as ever. As for his servant, was there any point in subjecting Matt Willis to a werewolf makeup, aside from Columbia feeling the need to jump on the bandwagon in light of that "Wolf Man" character that was making money for Universal Pictures. Matt's role could've just as easily been played as a totally human lapdog (ala Renfield). Being in a lycanthropic state doesn't enhance the character in anyway--the only thing the fur does is give Willis the dubious distinction of being one of the sorriest specimens of werewolf to prowl through a Hollywood movie.
Twenty-five years later, German bombers disturb the cemetery where Tesla lays at rest & two cockney civil-defense workers remove the stake from the vampire's unearthed body. That night, Tesla sets out to reclaim his now reformed flunky, Andreas, whose "iron-will" shows through as it takes no more than a few minutes in Tesla's presence before he's furring out again. The vampire sets out to take revenge on those responsible for his quarter-century dirtnap, but like all malevolent beings in these types of horror films, his cruel mistreatment of his servant will eventually come back to bite him...
"The Return of the Vampire", while no masterpiece, is chock full of some wonderful atmosphere & images: the fog-bound cemeteries, Lugosi's outstretched cape, the entranced young beauty (Nina Foch) hypnotically walking through the graveyard. Speaking of those graveyards, have you ever stopped to wonder how this vampire can be so repulsed when a cross is shoved in his face, yet has no trouble stalking around cemeteries littered with giant stone-crosses.
Lugosi, of course, still has his vampire-mojo working, his line readings being as priceless as ever. As for his servant, was there any point in subjecting Matt Willis to a werewolf makeup, aside from Columbia feeling the need to jump on the bandwagon in light of that "Wolf Man" character that was making money for Universal Pictures. Matt's role could've just as easily been played as a totally human lapdog (ala Renfield). Being in a lycanthropic state doesn't enhance the character in anyway--the only thing the fur does is give Willis the dubious distinction of being one of the sorriest specimens of werewolf to prowl through a Hollywood movie.
By Any Other Name...
ferbs5412 December 2007
Pop quiz: How many times did Bela Lugosi portray Dracula on film? If you answered "twice," in the 1931 "Dracula" and in 1948's "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," give yourself a silver crucifix. If you answered "three times," well, you're kind of right, too. In "The Return of the Vampire," Lugosi plays a hickeymeister identical to old Dracky, but because this is a Columbia picture and not a Universal, he is here saddled with the name Armand Tesla. By any other name, and all that. Less creaky than the original "Dracula" but at the same time far less amusing than "A&C Meet Franky," this film is a modest little outing that nevertheless succeeds in the entertainment department. The picture's setting--1941 London during the Blitz--and the bloodsucker's assistant--another sympathetic werewolf--add some novel touches to the usual vampire fare, and Frieda Inescort makes for a very pretty and no-nonsense adversary for the nocturnal neck nosher. Indeed, she is probably the single best aspect of the picture. Bela is fine, of course, but his screen time is limited to a few memorable scenes. With an uncluttered screenplay and a running time of only 69 minutes, the picture does move along quite briskly; you won't be bored, that's for sure. I'm still unclear as to just why Frieda's Lady Jane character doesn't recognize Tesla, after having helped "slay" him 23 years before the main action in the film, but I suppose that this is a minor matter. My suggestion: Rent this one out along with the 1959 film "The Alligator People" and have a Frieda Inescort horror double feature one rainy night. You could do a lot worse.
The Return Of The Vampire (1943) **1/2
Bunuel19769 August 2005
I watched this Lugosi outing he made at Columbia a second time as well, and I guess I can say that I liked it better now too. The atmosphere really is everything in this one as the film is enveloped in fog and the prowling camera-work is top-notch throughout; despite being clearly a B-movie, the film's production values are more polished than in most of Universal's stuff of this period! Lugosi isn't offered anything new to do here but he is suitably authoritative in his role of Armand Tesla; until he reprised the role of Dracula one last time in ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), this was arguably his best work of the 40s (which I admit isn't saying much). The contributions of the rest of the cast - Frieda Inescort (for once the vampire expert/hunter is a woman!), Miles Mander, Nina Foch and Gilbert Emery - are quite professional as well. Matt Willis is not bad as a man enslaved by Lugosi and turned by him into a werewolf(!) and, even though the character's psychological torment is as palpable as that of Lon Chaney Jr.'s Larry Talbot in the Universal "Wolf Man" saga, the actor is defeated by the shaggy-dog make-up, the fact that he is allowed to speak when transformed(!!) and, well, the very pointlessness of his presence since he never does much at all except serve Lugosi (a task which could easily have been handled by a mere human, who would certainly have aroused a great deal less suspicion than a werewolf)! The climax, while somewhat abrupt, is nicely handled.
Lugosi's back, and Satan's got him!
mark.waltz22 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, the bloodsucking vampire is back in the form of its most popular portrayer, Bela Lugosi, but this time, he's not Dracula, but an 18th Century scientist whose research on vampirism turned him into Mr. Toothy. 200 years go by before he is destroyed by a spike in the heart, and his wolf man like assistant (Matt Willis) returns to normal. But when the blitz hits London, his grave is unearthed, and two well-meaning (but stupid) gravediggers pull the stake out of his heart. Before you can say "I Bid You Welcome", Lugosi is once again out looking for unvolunteered plasma, and soon his wolf assistant is back at his beck and call. So not only do the British have living monster Hitler to fight, but a non-dead monster as well.
Lugosi is perfectly cast, being so adept as Dracula that he can swing his cape and bare his fangs better than Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine were doing over at Universal in his old role. Matt Willis goes down the road of another famous Lugosi role by being the perfect "Igor" type, while Freida Inescort and Nina Foch are appealing heroines. Inescort is particularly memorable as the doctor who makes the vampire's demise her main concern in life. Add on a spooky cemetery with the London fog and you've got a neat little "B" horror yarn that briefly took Lugosi away from the "Z's" he was doing over at Monogram and bit parts at the majors. Even in his 50's, Lugosi cuts a dashing figure, and it's nice to see him as the vampire again even if his character of Armand Testa isn't the Bram Stoker villain.
Lugosi is perfectly cast, being so adept as Dracula that he can swing his cape and bare his fangs better than Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine were doing over at Universal in his old role. Matt Willis goes down the road of another famous Lugosi role by being the perfect "Igor" type, while Freida Inescort and Nina Foch are appealing heroines. Inescort is particularly memorable as the doctor who makes the vampire's demise her main concern in life. Add on a spooky cemetery with the London fog and you've got a neat little "B" horror yarn that briefly took Lugosi away from the "Z's" he was doing over at Monogram and bit parts at the majors. Even in his 50's, Lugosi cuts a dashing figure, and it's nice to see him as the vampire again even if his character of Armand Testa isn't the Bram Stoker villain.
"It's getting so it ain't even safe to be dead."
utgard146 April 2014
Very interesting horror movie from Columbia with a WW2 backdrop. Nazi bombing has unearthed the coffin of vampire Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi). Two bumbling gravediggers remove the stake from Tesla's body, freeing the vampire to once again terrorize London. The vampire here has a werewolf sidekick. Actually, more like a weredog as he resembles some kind of terrier more than a wolf. He even growls and barks like a dog.
The cast is very good. Lugosi is Lugosi, of course. Classy Frieda Inescort is excellent as Lady Jane Ainsley, a rare case in the '40s where a woman gets to be the primary vampire hunter. This is the first full-length movie for Nina Foch, soon to become Columbia's B movie queen, For some reason Matt Willis talks normal as a human but in werewolf form he channels Henry Hull. Miles Mander is very good as the skeptical Scotland Yard inspector.
Columbia didn't make many horror films in the '40s and this is probably the best of the few. But it does seem to be missing something. While I do like the foggy streets and spooky graveyard, for the most part it's lacking that atmosphere the Universal horrors had in spades. Still, it's very entertaining and unique for the period. The ending is terrific.
The cast is very good. Lugosi is Lugosi, of course. Classy Frieda Inescort is excellent as Lady Jane Ainsley, a rare case in the '40s where a woman gets to be the primary vampire hunter. This is the first full-length movie for Nina Foch, soon to become Columbia's B movie queen, For some reason Matt Willis talks normal as a human but in werewolf form he channels Henry Hull. Miles Mander is very good as the skeptical Scotland Yard inspector.
Columbia didn't make many horror films in the '40s and this is probably the best of the few. But it does seem to be missing something. While I do like the foggy streets and spooky graveyard, for the most part it's lacking that atmosphere the Universal horrors had in spades. Still, it's very entertaining and unique for the period. The ending is terrific.
I am Tesla, and I can never die
JohnSeal29 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
One of the more unusual horror flicks of the forties, Return of the Vampire takes place amidst the rubble-strewn streets of wartime London. A bomb has unearthed the coffin of Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi), a blood-sucker whose previous reign of terror struck fear into the hearts of the Ainsley family during World War I. With a helping hand from the Wolf Man (where'd he come from? – Matt Willis), Tesla is once again free to roam the Earth, but chooses to update his image and masquerade as Hugo Bruckner, a German émigré scientist. Can Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda Inescort) save daughter Nicki (Nina Foch) from his hypnotic gaze—and will Scotland Yard's Sir Frederick Fleet (Miles Mander) ever admit to the existence of the supernatural? Return of the Vampire is a surprisingly effective and atmospheric feature from Columbia, a studio whose horror output was generally unimpressive, to say the least.
Good escapism
reve-222 April 2000
If you're looking for a movie that will give you some good, old fashioned, escapism and not try to preach to or lecture you, you will enjoy this movie. Lugosi, with the aid of Andreas (his werewolf assistant) is once again trying to capture the heart and soul of a young woman. But, the young womans' soon to be mother-in-law is on to Lugosis' plot and a real battle royale is soon underway. This is a down to earth, old time vampire movie which takes place during the WW II years. Enjoy it for what it is and don't take it too seriously. IMHO, the walking, talking, sharp dressing vampire assistant is one of the best parts of the story. Andreas has a real inner conflict while trying to decide whether to help his evil vampire master or to help the heroine rid the earth of this monster.
OK but forgettable
preppy-320 October 2006
In 1918 Lady Jane Amsley (Freida Inescort) helps kill Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi) with a stake through the heart and reform his werewolf helper Andreas (don't ask). 26 years later Tesla's stake is accidentally removed during a Nazi bombing and he decides to take revenge on Lady Amsley--through her son and his bride to be (Nina Foch).
I saw this many times on TV as a kid and loved it. Seeing it as an adult it (sadly) doesn't hold up. The lapses in logic in the plot that I happily ignored in my youth come glaring out now. For starters--a WEREWOLF assistant? How? And why? Also the makeup on Andreas is pretty laughable. And it seems he does Tesla's laundry (!!!) too. How did all the fog get in the house when Tesla goes after Nicki? And a stake in a heart doesn't totally kill a vampire? Lugosi also looks pretty terrible here--but he was in his 60s and a drug addict.
As for the good things--the acting is good. Inescort and Foch are very good and Lugosi is excellent (but he always was). Matt Willis is also pretty good as Andreas. The movie looks great and is very atmospheric. Also I like how they worked WWII into the story. I LOVE the glowing crucifix on the organ (always impressed me as a kid) and the final scene is memorable.
This is probably remembered as one of the three times that Lugosi played an actual vampire--the other two were "Dracula" and "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" ("Mark of the Vampire" doesn't count). Overall it's OK but the gaps in logic were too big for me to forget. It's OK viewing--just turn your brain off.
I saw this many times on TV as a kid and loved it. Seeing it as an adult it (sadly) doesn't hold up. The lapses in logic in the plot that I happily ignored in my youth come glaring out now. For starters--a WEREWOLF assistant? How? And why? Also the makeup on Andreas is pretty laughable. And it seems he does Tesla's laundry (!!!) too. How did all the fog get in the house when Tesla goes after Nicki? And a stake in a heart doesn't totally kill a vampire? Lugosi also looks pretty terrible here--but he was in his 60s and a drug addict.
As for the good things--the acting is good. Inescort and Foch are very good and Lugosi is excellent (but he always was). Matt Willis is also pretty good as Andreas. The movie looks great and is very atmospheric. Also I like how they worked WWII into the story. I LOVE the glowing crucifix on the organ (always impressed me as a kid) and the final scene is memorable.
This is probably remembered as one of the three times that Lugosi played an actual vampire--the other two were "Dracula" and "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" ("Mark of the Vampire" doesn't count). Overall it's OK but the gaps in logic were too big for me to forget. It's OK viewing--just turn your brain off.
Bela is back
ctomvelu127 October 2010
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.
Lugosi still had it, but the script......?
DavidAndBeecher29 August 2002
This beautifully shot B&W 1940s vampire film is loaded with the kind of old fashioned, spooky atmosphere that fans of classic Gothic horror will love. The fogbound sets are deliciously creepy, the graveyard & crypt sets nothing short of fabulous! The spooky music adds a lot as well. Bela Lugosi, about 60 here and well into the undeserved waning days of his career, is damn good. Tall, imposing, and as strong a screen prescence as ever, he raises questions as to why the often heartless and stupid film industry did not make better use of his talents. He shows here that he could certainly still carry a film and command the screen. But the script needed work. Matt Willis as the talking werewolf is laughable. When he's seen entering the graveyard carrying what looks like a package of Chinese laundry, I howled! I just couldn't see him running shopping errands in his werewolf garb! And no explanation is offered as to why the vampire's slave turns into a werewolf, a state he retains regardless of whether or not the moon is full. He's a wolf even in broad daylight. Still, this is a fun, somewhat creepy film, and Lugosi is always worthy of your time.
Vampire stalks London during the Blitz, aided by talkative werewolf
mlraymond27 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Sheer, all out fun. This movie had its tongue in its cheek even in 1944, and seems even more enjoyably loony today. It is by no means lacking in
Gothic atmosphere. The opening scene of the vampire rising from his grave to leave the decrepit cemetery, and vanish into the fog, is marvelous. Lugosi is at his most arrogant and commanding here, giving you an idea of how great he must have been on stage in live performances of Dracula. He gives orders to his werewolf henchman and sneers threats and insults at his enemies, all in that ominous Transylvanian baritone. Frieda Inescourt is a wonderful no-nonsense female version of Van Helsing, and lovely Nina Foch has a dreamy, sleepwalking air that suits her maiden in distress role perfectly. Veteran British comic actor Billy Bevan has a nice bit as an air raid warden, arguing with a timid coworker ,about whose duty it is to re-bury the dead that have been tossed all around after German bombs have hit the cemetery. The film is largely an uncredited remake of Dracula, with bits of Dracula's Daughter thrown in also. There are some funny parts that really are funny, such as when two befuddled Scotland Yard men report to their chief that they were trying to apprehend a suspect, but he got away when...The chief irritably asks what happened next and they report that " He turned into a wolf, Sir." The werewolf in question is the long-suffering Andreas Obry, played by Matt Willis, who in face and manner of dress suggests Lon Chaney, Jr. This movie is worth seeing if for no other reason than the wonderful scenes in which the chatty werewolf discusses their plans with his vampire boss. He not only talks, but laughs, grins and speaks in a strangely melodious voice, while gleefully rocking back and forth. Not many viewers have seen a talkative werewolf very often, and especially not one who puts so much enthusiasm into his conversation. He is sonorous and almost poetic when he raps on the coffin and advises his master that it's time to get up, because it's " beautiful silent night, with the fog creeping in." This movie is simply priceless, an almost forgotten little gem from Hollywood's Golden Age of horror movies. Don't miss it if you get the opportunity to see it.
Gothic atmosphere. The opening scene of the vampire rising from his grave to leave the decrepit cemetery, and vanish into the fog, is marvelous. Lugosi is at his most arrogant and commanding here, giving you an idea of how great he must have been on stage in live performances of Dracula. He gives orders to his werewolf henchman and sneers threats and insults at his enemies, all in that ominous Transylvanian baritone. Frieda Inescourt is a wonderful no-nonsense female version of Van Helsing, and lovely Nina Foch has a dreamy, sleepwalking air that suits her maiden in distress role perfectly. Veteran British comic actor Billy Bevan has a nice bit as an air raid warden, arguing with a timid coworker ,about whose duty it is to re-bury the dead that have been tossed all around after German bombs have hit the cemetery. The film is largely an uncredited remake of Dracula, with bits of Dracula's Daughter thrown in also. There are some funny parts that really are funny, such as when two befuddled Scotland Yard men report to their chief that they were trying to apprehend a suspect, but he got away when...The chief irritably asks what happened next and they report that " He turned into a wolf, Sir." The werewolf in question is the long-suffering Andreas Obry, played by Matt Willis, who in face and manner of dress suggests Lon Chaney, Jr. This movie is worth seeing if for no other reason than the wonderful scenes in which the chatty werewolf discusses their plans with his vampire boss. He not only talks, but laughs, grins and speaks in a strangely melodious voice, while gleefully rocking back and forth. Not many viewers have seen a talkative werewolf very often, and especially not one who puts so much enthusiasm into his conversation. He is sonorous and almost poetic when he raps on the coffin and advises his master that it's time to get up, because it's " beautiful silent night, with the fog creeping in." This movie is simply priceless, an almost forgotten little gem from Hollywood's Golden Age of horror movies. Don't miss it if you get the opportunity to see it.
A vampire and his werewolf servant.
michaelRokeefe20 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A Hungarian vampire(Bela Lugosi)poses as Armand Tesla/Dr. Hugo Bruckner and with his werewolf servant Andreas(Matt Willis)brings a reign of terror to WWII London. The vampire seeks revenge on a family who was responsible for driving a stake through his heart almost twenty years earlier. This is an honest old time vampire classic that is worthy of homemade buttered popcorn and a warm blanket to hide under. Lugosi is...well Lugosi, at his eerie best.
This chilling and spooky film is directed by Lew Landers and has a talented supporting cast featuring: Nina Foch, Miles Mander, Roland Varno, Frieda Inescort and Gilbert Emery.
This chilling and spooky film is directed by Lew Landers and has a talented supporting cast featuring: Nina Foch, Miles Mander, Roland Varno, Frieda Inescort and Gilbert Emery.
Just Plain Fun
joedorchack16 February 2006
This was a fun, eat your popcorn, sit back and enjoy kind of movie. Yes Bela Lugosi was displaying more ham than Hormel's and no one, save perhaps Mr. Obry, distinguished themselves as actors but I had a good time watching it, and isn't that what the movie industry is ultimately about, entertainment? The best part of the film is its sense of humor. At no time does it take itself too seriously. Frieda Inescourt is sufficiently stiff upper lip British aristocrat and Nina Foch looks as good as I've ever seen her. Cheesy? YES Melodramatic? Oh you had better believe it! But you never get the impression that the cast or crew were under any illusions that they were producing HIGH ART. If you have a little over an hour to kill and are looking for a way to fill that kitschy entertainment void in your life, the Return of the Vampire should be right up your alley!
Not Bad, for a ripoff
JoeB13120 January 2008
Columbia borrowed Bela Lugosi for this film, and even though they were prohibited from calling his character "Dracula", that's pretty much who he was playing.
Still, this film has a lot to recommend it. First, it has a steady female hero who stands up to the horror of the vampire and doesn't need to hide behind men. There is the hench-wolf, who apparently does the vampire's laundry for it. (Good laundry service is hard for a vampire to find.) You have the skeptical chief of Scotland Yard and a couple of ironic grave-diggers.
For a cheap B movie, pretty good overall.
Still, this film has a lot to recommend it. First, it has a steady female hero who stands up to the horror of the vampire and doesn't need to hide behind men. There is the hench-wolf, who apparently does the vampire's laundry for it. (Good laundry service is hard for a vampire to find.) You have the skeptical chief of Scotland Yard and a couple of ironic grave-diggers.
For a cheap B movie, pretty good overall.
Not Dracula Though.
AaronCapenBanner30 October 2013
Lew Landers directed Bela Lugosi as Armand Tesla, an 18th century researcher into occult matters who ended up becoming an evil vampire upon his death. In 1918, he is tracked down and staked by Lady Jane and Professor Saunders, but 23 years later is accidentally resurrected in a German air raid attack, who then goes on a campaign of revenge against Lady Jane and her family by impersonating a refugee(a Dr. Bruckner). Oh yes, he has a talking werewolf named Andreas(played by Matt Willis) in his power as well... Atmospheric but silly and tedious film has good performances by all, but only the settings of both WWI & WWII give the film any novelty; and that talking werewolf was a bad idea!
Your eyes look like burning coals. Don't come any nearer. Don't touch me.
lastliberal-853-2537089 May 2011
Do not look upon this film as a horror movie, but as a history lesson.
In it you will see the great Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Yes, I know he is not called Dracula, but that is because of a dispute between movie studios. They changed his name to Dr. Tesla to avoid a lawsuit.
They also delayed release for two months so as to not compete with another Dracula movie.
This is from the golden age of horror, and it has not only a vampire, but a wolf-man, too. Seldom will you see the two in the same film. It is funny that the wolf-man becomes Dracula's servant.
The film takes place during the bombing of London during WWII. It is a bomb that opens Dracula's coffin.
Here you see the power of the greatest Dracula of all time: "I shall command, and you shall obey,"
In it you will see the great Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Yes, I know he is not called Dracula, but that is because of a dispute between movie studios. They changed his name to Dr. Tesla to avoid a lawsuit.
They also delayed release for two months so as to not compete with another Dracula movie.
This is from the golden age of horror, and it has not only a vampire, but a wolf-man, too. Seldom will you see the two in the same film. It is funny that the wolf-man becomes Dracula's servant.
The film takes place during the bombing of London during WWII. It is a bomb that opens Dracula's coffin.
Here you see the power of the greatest Dracula of all time: "I shall command, and you shall obey,"
The vampire has a companion in wartime London...
Doylenf20 October 2006
Nice little thriller from Columbia has BELA LUGOSI as a man among the undead in black who puts some scares into war-torn London of World War II during the blitz. He has a companion in MATT WILLIS whom he has control over when he's in his werewolf mode. Willis reverts to his human guise as Andreas and becomes the helpmate to Lady Jane Ainsley (FRIEDA INESCOURT) who runs a research lab with Sir Frederick Fleet (MILES MANDER).
The thrills begin when the stake is removed from Lugosi's chest by Willis (a big, hulking man who makes a good werewolf), who then sets out to assume a new identity so he can use his vampire powers on lovely young NINA FOCH and others.
Lugosi has quite a lot of screen time but it's Frieda Inescourt who really is the mainstay of the story, courageously willing to destroy Lugosi before he takes any more victims.
Nicely photographed in appropriately atmospheric B&W settings and building towards a suspenseful climax. Not too bad as these things go and worth watching for a Halloween treat.
Summing up: Better than average thriller from Lugosi and company.
The thrills begin when the stake is removed from Lugosi's chest by Willis (a big, hulking man who makes a good werewolf), who then sets out to assume a new identity so he can use his vampire powers on lovely young NINA FOCH and others.
Lugosi has quite a lot of screen time but it's Frieda Inescourt who really is the mainstay of the story, courageously willing to destroy Lugosi before he takes any more victims.
Nicely photographed in appropriately atmospheric B&W settings and building towards a suspenseful climax. Not too bad as these things go and worth watching for a Halloween treat.
Summing up: Better than average thriller from Lugosi and company.
Interesting take on Vampire movie genre
gnrz18 June 1999
I really enjoyed this movie. It was unique in that the Vampire had a werewolf as his assistant. This werewolf wears a suit, talks, smiles and, in general, acts like a normal human being. The movie was basically a sequel to Dracula but the vampire played by Bela Lugosi could not use the name Dracula because this was a Columbia picture and Universal Studios had the legal rights to the Dracula character. But, it was still Lugosi at his scary, pompous best.
"It's getting so it ain't even safe to be dead!"
classicsoncall30 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This picture has all of the creepy atmospherics and moody feel of the original 1931 "Dracula", even if Bela Lugosi is a completely different character wearing the vampire cape. I thought this was fairly well done for a Columbia flick, a company that didn't have the experience of producing the type of horror films that established Universal. Joining Lugosi, actor Matt Willis portrays a Wolf Man character, and because I've mentioned it in other reviews, I'll give credit to Columbia here for keeping their budget in line by not bringing in Lon Chaney for the Wolf Man gig. Not that I wouldn't have loved to see him here, but if you need a hairy guy, why not get anyone else who can do the same job at half the price. Seems logical to me.
Actually, Lugosi gets to portray two characters here, a scientist by the name of Dr. Hugo Bruckner, summoned to investigate a potential vampire related death, and that of Armand Tesla, who received an iron stake to the heart in an opening scene to potentially eliminate the scourge of vampirism in 1918 England. Revived following a German air raid during World War II when a bomb destroys Priory Cemetery, Tesla once again enjoys the dark of night when an unwitting grave yard worker removes the stake from his chest. I'm fairly up on my vampire lore and have never come across this type of dead vampire reversal, but what the heck, it works for the story if you don't think about it too much. It was actually a pretty nifty idea.
The only thing I will quibble about is that scene the morning after Lady Jane Aisley (Frieda Inescort) and Sir Frederick Fleet (Miles Mander) visit the hotel room where Bruckner/Tesla is staying, only to find him missing. Lady Jane speaks to Nicki Saunders (Nina Foch) who was bitten by Tesla in an earlier scene, but the fang marks on her neck were gone! Come on, attention to detail Columbia! How'd they miss that? Better yet, how did Lugosi miss it? An unforced error if ever I saw one.
Actually, Lugosi gets to portray two characters here, a scientist by the name of Dr. Hugo Bruckner, summoned to investigate a potential vampire related death, and that of Armand Tesla, who received an iron stake to the heart in an opening scene to potentially eliminate the scourge of vampirism in 1918 England. Revived following a German air raid during World War II when a bomb destroys Priory Cemetery, Tesla once again enjoys the dark of night when an unwitting grave yard worker removes the stake from his chest. I'm fairly up on my vampire lore and have never come across this type of dead vampire reversal, but what the heck, it works for the story if you don't think about it too much. It was actually a pretty nifty idea.
The only thing I will quibble about is that scene the morning after Lady Jane Aisley (Frieda Inescort) and Sir Frederick Fleet (Miles Mander) visit the hotel room where Bruckner/Tesla is staying, only to find him missing. Lady Jane speaks to Nicki Saunders (Nina Foch) who was bitten by Tesla in an earlier scene, but the fang marks on her neck were gone! Come on, attention to detail Columbia! How'd they miss that? Better yet, how did Lugosi miss it? An unforced error if ever I saw one.
You'd almost swear Ed Wood made it
cutter-1221 October 2006
Actually, I take that back. Nothing of Ed Wood's I've seen was this bad. This is the height of horror schlock, a thinly veiled continuation of sorts to Universal's Dracula released by Columbia. Pulling out all the stops in creating the mood of a Universal chiller, you could almost say it was an unfunny attempt at parody. Unfunny anyway in that the director and stars are playing it serious, some of the lines in this are howlers.
Bela Lugosi, that one note wacko from Hamsylvania, is on hand reprising his famous Count though this time with a new name & MO, and a werewolf valet in a suit running his errands. Is it just me, or did Lugosi play Dracula in everything he was ever in? It just seems like it I guess.
Anyway, the script here is strictly a hack job tailored by Columbia for Lugosi in order to make a little easy cash at the box office. The story is ridiculous and full of holes and none of the acting is above the cheese shelf. Nina Foch shows why she became essentially a character actress in the 50's and 60's.
The show is all Lugosi, God help us, with the assistance of a half dozen fog generators and his aforementioned wolf boy. If you like 4th rate crapfests that aren't nearly as funny as Plan 9 From Outer Space, you'll love this.
Bela Lugosi, that one note wacko from Hamsylvania, is on hand reprising his famous Count though this time with a new name & MO, and a werewolf valet in a suit running his errands. Is it just me, or did Lugosi play Dracula in everything he was ever in? It just seems like it I guess.
Anyway, the script here is strictly a hack job tailored by Columbia for Lugosi in order to make a little easy cash at the box office. The story is ridiculous and full of holes and none of the acting is above the cheese shelf. Nina Foch shows why she became essentially a character actress in the 50's and 60's.
The show is all Lugosi, God help us, with the assistance of a half dozen fog generators and his aforementioned wolf boy. If you like 4th rate crapfests that aren't nearly as funny as Plan 9 From Outer Space, you'll love this.
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