Return of Dracula. (1958)

It's October and Hallowe'en festivities continue!

Bela Lugosi (see my last mid-week upload) gave us the iconic version of Count Dracula in 1931. Though Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine also played the role in Universal films, there was no real challenge to Lugosi's legacy until two years after his death.

Francis Lederer portrayed a rather modernized iteration of the Transylvanian bloodsucker, using a bit of murder and identity theft to slip into then-contemporary 1950s America. Though the "Return" in the title suggests a sequel, this off-brand film has no connection to the Universal classics that preceded it, or any other Drac film. (Unless you count Lederer reprising the role in one episode of the NIGHT GALLERY television show.)

While it's a pretty good flick, this one was mostly forgotten when Hammer Studios' HORROR OF DRACULA came out a matter of weeks later and curb-stomped it mercilessly... I mean, Hammer had Christopher Lee (Great Wizard of Middle Earth, Sith Lord, and real-world badass, legit Heavy Metal artist, and Knight.) AND Peter Cushing (Dr. Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Who, Grand Moff Tarkin.) Not to mention glorious full color, hot babes with great cleavage, and full fang-fu. It wasn't even close to a fair fight.

So here is RETURN OF DRACULA. aka CURSE OF DRACULA (TV title) and THE FANTASTIC DISAPPEARING MAN (Because the UK distributor must've been quite drunk.)

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