Draculas Blutnacht

With Dracula coming to live with a nice normal family in a small town in California, there's a trace of "Shadow of a Doubt" in the design of the story. He arrives by train (a la Joseph Cotten) in the person of FRANCIS LEDERER who has fled from Europe.

He's given a cordial welcome from the family and then the fun begins. The daughter seems to have the Teresa Wright role as the cousin who admires her uncle but senses something strange about him. Dracula keeps his distance from her. When invited to a Halloween party, he declares: "I have no social graces for large gatherings." Nevertheless, suspense builds as a series of incidents arise behind which we know he has played a part.

Lederer plays the part with such sinister glances that it's a wonder nobody in the household suspects anything except the girl's cynical boyfriend. The ending in the cave makes for a suitable climax to the story.

Summing up: Not quite as chilling as any of the Dracula films with Bela Lugosi, but still above average low-budget thriller.