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MOVIES DRACULA'S DAUGHTER
Quick Rating: ** Dracula's Daughter, the first sequel to Bela Lugosi's "Dracula", picks up where the first movie left off. However, none of the characters (or quality) of the original film appear in this, with the exception of Professor Van Helsing, played again by Van Sloan. Even he has changed, though, inexplicably to Professor VON Helsing. Anyway, VH has just staked Dracula, and the police are on the scene (where did they come from?, where are all the other people from the first movie?). They arrest the Professor for murder. The bodies of Dracula and Renfield are brought to a local constable's station, which is soon infiltrated by a mysterious woman. Cloaked in black, she uses her giant ring to hypnotize the guard and steal Dracula's body. You see, she is a vampire, created by the Count, and she hopes to rid herself of the curse by destroying his body in flames. The attempt does not work, and she must turn elsewhere for help. Where does she turn? A psychiatrist! And coincidently, he is defending Von Helsing in his murder charge! Soon, the woman's charm wears off and it is evident she is a vampire and she must be defeated... blah blah blah. This movie had some promise, but didn't live up to it. Dracula's Daughter uses her sexual appeal to trap her victims, just as the Count did, so it was a good spin by having a female be the lead in the sequel. And the actress does a decent job, but I couldn't get over the giant hypnotic ring. Does she really need that? Plus, the plot tried to play up the sexual tension part (for the 30s, anyway) instead of sticking to horror, and it didn't really work. The comic relief is pretty lame, with the bubbling cops and the mischievous assistant. Plus, there were just a lot of holes and loose ends to the story. What was that thing under the ground near the bodies? What happened to Dr. Seward & Mina and others from the first movie who would have helped VH's case? What happened to VH's trial? Why is it common knowledge that there is a "vampire trial" occurring, but when bodies start showing up with fang piercings in their necks and their blood drained that nobody believes it could be a vampire? I don't know... it just didn't do much for me, especially after following the classic Dracula movie. Quality: 3.5 Visuals:
4.5 Intensity: 4.0 reviewed
2005
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