As mentioned previously, when Universal was transitioning to sound with 1931’s Dracula, Lon Chaney Sr. was approached for the lead. However, Chaney turned the role down and ironically died of a throat hemorrhage, leading to Bela Lugosi being cast. Years later, the 1940s saw the rise of Lon Chaney Jr. thanks to his lead role in The Wolf Man. Following that film’s success, Chaney became one of Universal’s go-to guys, also playing the Frankenstein monster and the Mummy. Around 1943, screenwriter Curt Siodmak had written a story for a new Dracula film, which was adapted by Eric Taylor. Robert Siodmak, Curt’s brother, reluctantly took the directing job, hoping that he could impress the studio heads at Universal. This panned out well for him since he was offered a seven-year contract after working on some rewrites. Finally, in November of 1943, Son of Dracula was released to theaters.
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Synopsis
Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), daughter of New Orleans plantation owner Colonel Caldwell (George Irving) is awaiting someone’s arrival. Soon, her father dies of a heart attack, leaving his fortune to her and her sister Claire (Evelyn Ankers). Turns out Katherine has been seeing Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr) in secret against her boyfriend Frank Stanley (Robert Paige). She ends up marrying Alucard, and Frank goes to confront them, only to end up accidentally shooting Katherine. Thinking he killed Katherine, Frank goes to see Dr. Brewster (Frank Craven), who confronts Alucard and a still-living Katherine. Frank turns himself over to the police, but Brewster tries convincing them he’s insane until they find Katherine’s body. Brewster soon meets Professor Lazlo (J. Edward Bromberg), who convinces him that Alucard is a vampire controlling Katherine. Will they be able to stop Alucard’s reign of terror, or will Katherine forever remain his bride?
Review
Much like Dracula’s Daughter, Son of Dracula doesn’t quite stack up to the Lugosi original but is still somewhat underrated. Even with its more contemporary setting, the film still has an eerie, almost gothic feel to its atmosphere. Chaney Jr. makes for a good Dracula/Alucard, exhibiting a very quiet charm, though he lacks the creepiness of Lugosi. There are plenty of moments where he has more of a confused look on his face, coming off unintentionally funny. Female lead Louise Allbritton works well off of Chaney, having an icy cold feel similar to Gloria Holden’s Marya Zaleska. Robert Paige, playing the straight man, makes for a somewhat tragic figure, devoted to his girlfriend despite her leaving him. Universal regulars J. Edward Bromberg and Evelyn Ankers both do a good job, even if given not much to do. All in all, the cast does solid work, especially the three leads.
Robert Siodmak does a good job behind the camera, staging some pretty effective sequences and creating a foreboding mood. Interestingly, this was the first film to show a vampire transforming into a bat and mist on camera. Admittedly, the effects are dated and stick out in a bad way, but it’s still impressive for the time. The plot does come off as a bit of a love triangle between Alucard, Katherine, and Frank, but it works. It works as something of a tragic love story, while also remembering that this is a horror film. Admittedly, the film does drag in a few spots, namely towards the middle after Frank shoots Katherine and commits himself. With that said, this is still one of the better Universal horror films to come out of the 1940s. Overall, Son of Dracula is an underrated gem that’s worth giving a watch.
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