The Return of the Vampire

Return of the Vampire is, despite its title not a sequel to Mark of the Vampire.

In this vampire movie, a vampire is staked during World War 1 but then in the Second World War, two gravediggers bury him again after an air raid. They don't realise this corpse is a vampire after pulling the stake out his chest. He regenerates and gets a job in a lab. He has the help of a werewolf that can talk and killings once again start...

One of the best things about this movie is that talking werewolf. I don't think I've seen another movie with one. Unusual.

The cast is lead by Bela Logosi as the Dracula-like vampire. I've never heard of anybody else in this.

Return of the Vampire is worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of Bela.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

I watched this Lugosi outing he made at Columbia a second time as well, and I guess I can say that I liked it better now too. The atmosphere really is everything in this one as the film is enveloped in fog and the prowling camera-work is top-notch throughout; despite being clearly a B-movie, the film's production values are more polished than in most of Universal's stuff of this period! Lugosi isn't offered anything new to do here but he is suitably authoritative in his role of Armand Tesla; until he reprised the role of Dracula one last time in ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), this was arguably his best work of the 40s (which I admit isn't saying much). The contributions of the rest of the cast - Frieda Inescort (for once the vampire expert/hunter is a woman!), Miles Mander, Nina Foch and Gilbert Emery - are quite professional as well. Matt Willis is not bad as a man enslaved by Lugosi and turned by him into a werewolf(!) and, even though the character's psychological torment is as palpable as that of Lon Chaney Jr.'s Larry Talbot in the Universal "Wolf Man" saga, the actor is defeated by the shaggy-dog make-up, the fact that he is allowed to speak when transformed(!!) and, well, the very pointlessness of his presence since he never does much at all except serve Lugosi (a task which could easily have been handled by a mere human, who would certainly have aroused a great deal less suspicion than a werewolf)! The climax, while somewhat abrupt, is nicely handled.

If you're looking for a movie that will give you some good, old fashioned, escapism and not try to preach to or lecture you, you will enjoy this movie. Lugosi, with the aid of Andreas (his werewolf assistant) is once again trying to capture the heart and soul of a young woman. But, the young womans' soon to be mother-in-law is on to Lugosis' plot and a real battle royale is soon underway. This is a down to earth, old time vampire movie which takes place during the WW II years. Enjoy it for what it is and don't take it too seriously. IMHO, the walking, talking, sharp dressing vampire assistant is one of the best parts of the story. Andreas has a real inner conflict while trying to decide whether to help his evil vampire master or to help the heroine rid the earth of this monster.

I really enjoyed this movie. It was unique in that the Vampire had a werewolf as his assistant. This werewolf wears a suit, talks, smiles and, in general, acts like a normal human being. The movie was basically a sequel to Dracula but the vampire played by Bela Lugosi could not use the name Dracula because this was a Columbia picture and Universal Studios had the legal rights to the Dracula character. But, it was still Lugosi at his scary, pompous best.

Pop quiz: How many times did Bela Lugosi portray Dracula on film? If you answered "twice," in the 1931 "Dracula" and in 1948's "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," give yourself a silver crucifix. If you answered "three times," well, you're kind of right, too. In "The Return of the Vampire," Lugosi plays a hickeymeister identical to old Dracky, but because this is a Columbia picture and not a Universal, he is here saddled with the name Armand Tesla. By any other name, and all that. Less creaky than the original "Dracula" but at the same time far less amusing than "A&C Meet Franky," this film is a modest little outing that nevertheless succeeds in the entertainment department. The picture's setting--1941 London during the Blitz--and the bloodsucker's assistant--another sympathetic werewolf--add some novel touches to the usual vampire fare, and Frieda Inescort makes for a very pretty and no-nonsense adversary for the nocturnal neck nosher. Indeed, she is probably the single best aspect of the picture. Bela is fine, of course, but his screen time is limited to a few memorable scenes. With an uncluttered screenplay and a running time of only 69 minutes, the picture does move along quite briskly; you won't be bored, that's for sure. I'm still unclear as to just why Frieda's Lady Jane character doesn't recognize Tesla, after having helped "slay" him 23 years before the main action in the film, but I suppose that this is a minor matter. My suggestion: Rent this one out along with the 1959 film "The Alligator People" and have a Frieda Inescort horror double feature one rainy night. You could do a lot worse.