Dracula's Daughter

Dracula's Daughter is a Universal monster movie made in 1936, picking up where the original Dracula left off. The opening scene has the police discovering that Dr. Van Helsing has just staked Count Dracula. The plot moves quickly on with two strands, one involving a friend of Van Helsing.....Dr. Jeffrey Garth....in pursuit of defending his colleague and the other strand involving the daughter of Dracula....Marya Zaleska....in London trying to rid herself of her family curse finding it an impossible task. The two strands finally meet and intertwine. The movie has some rather obvious shortcomings. One is Otto Kruger, whom is irritating as one reviewer earlier stated. He is lacklustre and pompous in a very hollow way. The film also lacks a credible story line and is given in to the temptation of assuming a great deal from the viewer. However, Dracula's Daughter still is a very enjoyable film. It has wonderful atmosphere, grand sets(particularly when in Translyvania), and a good performance from Holden as the lead and Van Sloan in a reprise of his role as the good doctor Van Helsing. Above all it has a wonderfully eerie, disturbing, and macabre performance from Irving Pinchel as the servant of the female vampire. He is her reminder of what she is, and he never lets her forget that curse which forces her to live by night and sleep by day.