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CREEPY CLASSICS MOVIE NIGHT: From Saturday May 26, 2012 - MOVIE - Melodrama "DRACULA'S DAUGHTER" (1936) Van Helsing is arrested after staking Dracula. But Dracula's daughter is still on the loose on the foggy streets of London. Well-acted and atmospherically filmed at Universal. Suggested by Bruce Tinkel, Edison, NJ.
First saw this one of Creature Feature on Channel 5, WNEW New York back in the late sixties or early seventies. My oponion of this one is still about the same as it was when I was a kid. While it has great atmoshere and photography, it still feels disappointing. You're hoping and hoping for an appearance of Lugosi, but all you get it a wax figure of him in a coffin for a few seconds before it's burned up. I kind of felt the wax figure was scarier and more intriguing than Gloria Holden in the title role.
  I know I'm going against the grain of a lot of critical opinion over the years....but I just didn't find Holden, scary or interesting...just kind of flat. I felt Edward Van Sloan and other chracter actors do a fine job, including Margaurite Churchill. Irving Pitchell, is a bit creepy as Holden's servant....but I never got his "look." Pasty make-up, dark (red?) lips and bizarre manor....he's seems like a vampire, but we find out that he is a human servant who wants to be a vampire. Now, Otto Kruger. Oh, Otto Kruger. I want to like his character, but he just seems miserable and never likeable. Some of his attitude would have been good for humor in the releationship with Curchill....but, I never find any shred of care for his charcter which hurts the film as a whole. I wanted Pitchell to dispose of him. Kruger always seems unlikeable to me, in everything I've seen him in...COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK, JUNGLE CAPTIVE, and others films. But, he's the most unlikable here.
I guess that's what I find as the biggest flaw. You don't care about ANY of the primary characters. No sympathy for anyone but Edward Van Sloan as "Von Helsing" (not "Van" here) and the poor police, comedy-relief guy at the beginning. Also, Nan Grey is sympathetic as Kruger's bedside manner basically kills her. But, I feel zero all of the major characters.
My least favorite Universal horror film of the 1930s. But, I understand that others seem to love it. Sorry, I respectfully step back from this one.
-Ron Adams, Ligonier, PA
I saw "Dracula's Daughter" on "SvenGOOLie" last month. Good to see BELA "DRAC" back &
Professor Van Helsng (Edward Van SLOAN) back on the case. I could tell the Dracula in coffin was
a plastic-faced dummy but it looked alot ike Bela. I, like many others would have loved to see a
series of "Dracula" movies follow starring Bela LuGosi as The Count, though we did get to see Lon
Chaney, Jr. as The "SON of Dracula" a decade later, then John Carradine as DRAC in "House of
Frankenstein"(1944) & "HOUSE of Dracula"(1945). SEE y'all at "Monster BASH" 2012 June 22-24th,
at The Day's Inn in Butler, Pa., Proof that the World CAN'T end, 'cause we gotta "BASH" The "Monster
BASH" & have a "Goooood", Fun, time, watchin' good ol' "Monsta"(Monster) Movies & meeting our
"Fiends"!
-Your "Fiend", David ROCK
Nelson, Des Plaines, IL
DRACULA'S DAUGHTER was the last Universal under the Laemmle regime
and begins immediately after DRACULA 's ending. Poor Dr Van Helsing
is arrested and charged with murder. Instead of a lawyer, he calls on
Dr. Jeffrey Garth, a former student and psychiatrist to help him. At
the same time, a mysterious woman shows up to claim Dracula's body,
consign it to the flames and thus be cured of the "...Curse of the
Dracula's". Of course, being a Universal Horror film, nothing is as
easy as it could be.
 DRACULA'S DAUGHTER has some great atmosphere and sets. It sure
looks like the FRANKENSTEIN steps Halliwell Hobbes and Billy Bevan
descend in the beginning and it's nice to see the old DRACULA castle
again towards the end. The justly famous scene where Countess Zaleska
tries to avoid temptation as suggested by Dr. Garth and then moves in
on the lovely Nan Grey still works well. Gloria Holden is very good
as the title character although I heard she really did not want to do
the role, but the dislike comes off as a loathing which works well for
her performance (in small world parlance, Gloria's Granddaughter plays
in the TV series THE WALKING DEAD).
 It's always nice to see EE Clive
and Edgar Norton again, even if their roles are small.
The oddest part of the film is that our hero is not really likeable
at all. Otto Kruger was in a lot of movies and usually played a
scientist or villain , but his Jeffrey Garth is one abrasive, pompous
and prickly cuss and it's hard to understand why Countess Zaleska and
Garth's secretary Janet (Margarite Churchill) would be interested in
him. Janet bickers with him a lot and he is downright rude to her,
but unlike most heroes of the early horrors, he takes action right
away and is willing to give his life for Janet towards the end, so
maybe a heart of marshmallow fluff lurks under that granite outside.
Lastly, Irving Pichel is great as Sandor, the loyal yet taunting
servant , even if it looks like he wears more makeup than his
Mistress!
Rating : ***1/2
Steve Schimming
Sanbornton NH
I enjoy this Universal classic every time I view it; Gloria Holden and Marquertie Churchill,
Edward Van Sloan and 0tto Kruger, couldnt be a better cast, it has the terrific acting and
b/w errieness, you really feel sorry for Countess Zaleska who wants to escape her tainted
family curse, but really cant, and Sandor,(Irving Pichtel) has got to be one of the creepiest,
characters in these Universal classics, I would surely nominate him...fangs,
Jay50smonstakid Maggio, Kingsman, AZ
Hi Ron:
"Dracula's Daughter" is one of my favorite of the Laemmle produced films. It's the first to have a sympathetic vampire and the first to have a female vampire with a personality. Sure the three vampire women in "Dracula" were creepier and weirder but they were interchangeable. Gloria Holden's portrayal is filled with pathos and terror.
 The film is quicker paced than Lugosi's "Dracula". Even Edward van Sloan moves quicker in this one.
Irving Pichel, who directed "The Most Dangerous Game" and "Destination Moon" is suitably creepy as the Countess' Renfield. Maguerite Churchill who was also in "The Walking Dead" is fine as is Otto Kruger.
The subtle performance of Gloria Holden makes "Dracula's Daughter" a classic. You can feel her aguish and then her reluctant acceptance than things
will never change. You can also feel her power as she excerts her vampiric abilities. She was an accomplished actress with a great many credits including "Dodge City"
starring Errol Flynn but this is her finest role.
There is an interesting thing happening in the background of film. When Dr. Garth goes into a bookstore to phone the police, there are several books sitting on
a shelf behind him. The last book on the right is a "Tarzan" novel. It really has no effect on the film, but it just shows Universal's attention to detail.
"Dracula's Daughter" is one of the more memorable horror films Univeral produced that did not have any major stars. It's a teriffic film that just gets better
with repeated viewings.
Bruce Tinkel
Edison, NJ
Hi Ron,
Here is a Chicago-land ad from 1954 for Dracula's Daughter.
-Doug
Ron:
  I have to ring the bell with you as to your opinion of "Dracula's
Daughter."
The film has (some) great atmosphere and a really good setup with
Edward Van Sloan's character,
but then you never connect with anyone else in the film (and Van
Sloan's murder charge seems to
take a back seat to everything else).
In the laserdisc 90's, I asked my friend Steve Jarrett to bring his
copy of the film to my house as
I had never been able to stay awake through the film on late night
viewings of years ago. Well, he
brought the film over and stayed while we watched it — Rather, he
watched it, as once again I fell
asleep. I was really embarrassed as he had gone out of his way to come
over and share the movie,
but "Dracula's Daughter" seems so very slow.
I finally watched the whole thing on DVD a year or two ago, but what
the critics claim this film has is something
that I do not see. When I first learned that a potential James Whale
sequel to Dracula starring Bela Lugosi
was strongly considered, it pains me even more to watch this film. Yes,
some good moments, but, like you,
it is my least favorite Universal horror of the classic era.
-Phil Smoot
Watched Dracula"s Daughter over the weekend. Saw this when I was a kid and didn't think a whole lot about it. It wasn't like the other Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies that I looked forward to watching on Nightmare Theater. But as I got older I began to appreciate it. I could see where it fit in with all the other classics of the golden age of horror (1931-1936). It was one of the last made during that period and the sequel to Dracula.
Even though Bela Lugosi was not in it, it does a good job taking up where Dracula left off. Gloria Holden is great as the daughter and you can see the torment she goes through as a vampire. I thought the rest of the cast did a great job especially Otto Kruger and Margaret Churchill. There is also Edward Van Sloan who always does a fine job in anything he is in. Irving Pichell as Sandor handles the evil assistant role with an eerieness you don't see very often. This may not be up there with the other classics of that period but it is a very enjoyable film . To me it is a classic that gets better with age.
Thanks Dave Myers, Bryant,In
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