Ratlehed
08-08-2005, 11:32 AM
No Big Spoilers
A "BLOOD" relative of Dracula terrorizes a southern swamp of the U.S.
The third installment in the Universal Dracula series is about a woman who befriends Count Alucard (Lon Chaney jr.) in his country and invites him back to the U.S. Of course he accepts her offer because his years of bloodsucking has dried out his homeland. Once there the Count starts his attack and its up to a doctor, who is a friend of the woman, and an Hungarian proffesor to solve the mystery and kill the vampire.
This film seems to have lost the steam that drove Dracula and Draculas Daughter. Instead of gothic castles and foggy alleyways we get a southern plantation and a not so scary swamp. The charectors are also very similar to the ones in Dracula. We have a Dr., Prof., (who is also a vampire expert) and a couple soon to be married. There also is no back story to Count Alucard. Granted these Universal horrors are usually short on time and plot it would have been interesting to see how the Count became a vampire.
Lon Chaney Jr. gives a medicore performance as Count Alucard. I thought he was great as Tabolt the Wolfman. He was also good as Frankensteins monster in Ghost of Frankenstein. But here he just doesnt pull off the Dracula monster. Where Lugosi and the actress that played Dracula's daughter had a very gothic, dark, and menacing yet romantic look, Chaney looks like a guy in a cape. He sports a cheesy mustache and his walk and talk aren't that frightful. But being Chaney was who he was I accepeted it in the end. He was also not given much screen time. Maybe a few more attack scenes would have helped.
As with most Universal and Hammer horror films the ending wasnt great. Count Alucards demise was nothing spectacular. The final battle also felt rushed. The man to bat effects where good for the time.
2 outta 4 stars no scares and kinda boring. Worth seeing if you like Universal/Hammer films though.
A "BLOOD" relative of Dracula terrorizes a southern swamp of the U.S.
The third installment in the Universal Dracula series is about a woman who befriends Count Alucard (Lon Chaney jr.) in his country and invites him back to the U.S. Of course he accepts her offer because his years of bloodsucking has dried out his homeland. Once there the Count starts his attack and its up to a doctor, who is a friend of the woman, and an Hungarian proffesor to solve the mystery and kill the vampire.
This film seems to have lost the steam that drove Dracula and Draculas Daughter. Instead of gothic castles and foggy alleyways we get a southern plantation and a not so scary swamp. The charectors are also very similar to the ones in Dracula. We have a Dr., Prof., (who is also a vampire expert) and a couple soon to be married. There also is no back story to Count Alucard. Granted these Universal horrors are usually short on time and plot it would have been interesting to see how the Count became a vampire.
Lon Chaney Jr. gives a medicore performance as Count Alucard. I thought he was great as Tabolt the Wolfman. He was also good as Frankensteins monster in Ghost of Frankenstein. But here he just doesnt pull off the Dracula monster. Where Lugosi and the actress that played Dracula's daughter had a very gothic, dark, and menacing yet romantic look, Chaney looks like a guy in a cape. He sports a cheesy mustache and his walk and talk aren't that frightful. But being Chaney was who he was I accepeted it in the end. He was also not given much screen time. Maybe a few more attack scenes would have helped.
As with most Universal and Hammer horror films the ending wasnt great. Count Alucards demise was nothing spectacular. The final battle also felt rushed. The man to bat effects where good for the time.
2 outta 4 stars no scares and kinda boring. Worth seeing if you like Universal/Hammer films though.