House of Dracula
House of Dracula | |
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Edward T. Lowe | |
Story by |
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Produced by | Paul Malvern |
Starring |
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Cinematography | George Robinson |
Edited by | Russell Schoengarth[1] |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures Company, Inc. |
Release date |
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Running time | 67 minutes[1] |
Country | United States[2] |
Language | English[2] |
House of Dracula is a 1945 American
The film was developed initially with the title Wolf Man vs. Dracula to be directed by
Plot
Edelmann finds Talbot in the cave, where they come across the catatonic Frankenstein's monster, still clutching the skeleton of Dr. Niemann. The humidity in the cave is perfect for propagating Clavaria formosa, and a natural tunnel in the cave connects to a basement of the castle. Dr. Edelmann takes the monster back to his lab, but considers reviving him to be too dangerous. Meanwhile, the count tries to seduce Milizia and make her a vampire, but Milizia wards him off with a cross. The doctor interrupts to explain he has found strange antibodies in the count's blood, requiring another transfusion. Edelmann's assistant Nina shadows Milizia and discovers that the count casts no reflection in a mirror. She warns Edelmann of the vampire's danger to Milizia. The doctor prepares a transfusion that will destroy the vampire. During the procedure, the count uses his hypnotic powers to put Edelmann and Nina to sleep. He reverses the flow of the transfusion, sending his own blood into the doctor's veins. When they wake, the count is carrying Milizia away. They revive Talbot and force the count away with a cross; Dracula returns to his coffin as the sun is rising. Edelmann follows him and drags the open coffin into the sunlight, destroying him.
The doctor begins reacting to Dracula's blood and finds he no longer casts a reflection in a mirror. Falling unconscious, he sees strange visions of a monstrous version of himself performing unspeakable acts. Edelmann awakens and tries to perform the operation on Talbot. The doctor begins transforming into a more monstrous personality and murders his gardener. When the townspeople discover the body, they chase Edelmann, believing him to be Talbot. They follow him to the castle, where Holtz and Steinmuhl interrogate Talbot and Edelmann. Steinmuhl is convinced the doctor is the murderer and assembles a mob to execute him. The operation cures Talbot, but Edelmann again turns into his monstrous self. The doctor revives Frankenstein's monster, with the others witnessing Edelmann's transformation. Edelmann breaks Nina's neck and throws her body into the cave. Holtz and Steinmuhl lead the townspeople to the castle, where the police attack the monster, but are subdued by the creature. The doctor kills Holtz by accidental electrocution, and Talbot shoots Edelmann dead. Talbot starts a fire that traps the monster and the townspeople flee the burning castle. The burning roof collapses on the monster.
Cast
Cast adapted from the book Universal Horrors:[4]
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Lawrence Stewart Talbot / The Wolf Man
- John Carradine as Count Dracula
- Martha O'Driscoll as Milizia Morelle
- Lionel Atwill as Inspector Holtz
- Onslow Stevens as Dr. Franz Edelmann
- Jane Adamsas Nina
- Ludwig Stössel as Ziegfried
- Frankenstein's Monster
- Skelton Knaggs as Steinmuhl
Production
Development
The first news of a follow-up to
House of Dracula is a continuation of the film House of Frankenstein and used much of that film's crew.[4] Lowe is credited as the screenwriter. He based his screenplay on the uncredited story by George Bricker and Dwight V. Babcock.[6] Despite being a follow-up, the script does not explain the resurrection of Count Dracula or the Wolf Man and moves Visaria's location to a cliff top on the seacoast.[6] Elements of an earlier draft of a script dated September 20, 1945, features a scene where Edlemann examines a seven-year-old boy whose leg he has healed.[13] Despite being cut, the finished film references this scene.[13] Actor John Carradine commented that around the time the film's script was finished, soldiers were returning from World War II. Many families were dealing with relatives suffering from the horrors of war. This led to film studios "running scared from any type of horror film. The public now wanted musicals and light fantasy. The horror and monster company on the lot was reduced to what could be compared today as a weekly television soap opera or series".[14] In 1986, Carradine said Universal in the 1940s "was like a factory anyway and there was little room for creative talent when it stood in the way of box office profits. The studio had little interest in making big budget pictures. It actually was very much the counterpoint of the television industry [in 1986]".[15] Malvern echoed these statements in a later interview, noting that in the 1940s, Universal's structure was set up as a "forerunner of the modern day television production company".[16]
Pre-production
The film was announced initially with
Filming
The film began production on September 17, 1945.[4][27] A scene involving Glenn Strange rising from quicksand holding the skeleton of Dr. Niemann from House of Frankenstein was difficult for the actor, who recalled it was extremely cold. Strange said Chaney had offered him some alcohol which warmed him up, and after shooting he rushed to his dressing room, which had a roaring fire. Following the removal of his monster make-up, Strange said he was "so looped I could hardly get up. I got warm and then I got tight. But I think [Chaney] just about saved my life that day".[28]
According to Malvern, the budget for sets was $5,000. To save on lumber and nails for the war effort, existing props and sets from films such as The Invisible Woman and The Mummy's Hand were reused.[29] Several scenes from previous Universal horror films were reused in House of Dracula,[30] including the dream sequence that lifts parts of Bride of Frankenstein (1935); sequences from The Ghost of Frankenstein's fiery climax reappear in the burning of Edelmann's castle.[30] The film's score reuses pieces from Black Friday, Man-Made Monster, The Wolf Man, The Ghost of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, House of Frankenstein, The Scarlet Claw, and The Invisible Man's Revenge.[30] Shooting of House of Dracula finished on October 25.[31]
Release
Prior to a public theatrical release, House of Dracula was previewed at Universal on November 28, 1945.[32] The Universal Pictures Company distributed House of Dracula, which opened on December 7, at the Rivoli Theatre in New York.[33][1] It was later shown at New York's Rialto Theatre on December 21.[32] At the film's screenings on the West Coast of the United States, House of Dracula was a double bill with The Daltons Ride Again (1945), a western also featuring Chaney.[32][34] The 1946 National Box Office Digest Annual placed House of Dracula earnings between $250,000 to $500,000 in 1945. It was not the highest grossing film from Universal that year; that honor went to Lady on a Train (1945), which grossed over $500,000. The film performed worse financially than other horror films of the year, such as The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), but earned more than RKO's Isle of the Dead, The Body Snatcher and Zombies on Broadway.[35]
MCA/Universal released House of Dracula on VHS in 1993.[36][37] The film was released on DVD in 2004 in a set titled The Legacy Collection, which also included Dracula (1931), the Spanish-language Dracula (1931), Dracula's Daughter (1936) and Son of Dracula.[38] The film was released on Blu-ray on May 16, 2017, as part of the Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection set.[39]
Reception
In contemporary reviews, Jack D. Grant of
Outside of New York,
In later critical analysis, Carlos Clarens wrote about the Monster Rally films in his book An Illustrated History of the Horror Film (1967) summarizing that "the sole charm of these films resides in the very proficient contract players that populated them, portraying gypsies, mad scientists, lustful high priests, vampire-killers, or mere red herrings".[42] John Brosnan wrote in his book The Horror People (1976) that both House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein were "interesting curiosities" and that House of Dracula was "the better of the two with plenty of gothic atmosphere and some impressive moments that helped one ignore the absurd plot".[43] Bruce Eder commented on a home video release of the film in 1994 finding that both were "great fun" but "curiously, House of Dracula - which is padded with a lot of footage from earlier films - is the more interesting of the two", noting its more interesting premise and that the "characterizations were interesting and the film makes excellent use of shadows".[44] Craig Butler of the online film database AllMovie found that while the film had an interesting premise, the idea was not developed efficiently and that "coincidence runs rampant, further erasing the delicate 'believability' line that is so difficult to maintain in supernatural flics". The review noted the film had "very little horror", with one exception being the "marvelous sequence involving Dracula and his intended victim, the latter seated at the piano and playing 'Moonlight Sonata' as the good Count begins to work his spell upon her".[45]
Legacy
Mank describes House of Dracula as "the final serious entry of Universal's Frankenstein saga".[3] On November 28, 1945, Universal joined with British entrepreneur J. Arthur Rank, who bought one-fourth interest in the studio.[46] In 1946, Universal reported a profit of only $4.6 million. They responded by dropping many actors from their contract roster.[41] On July 31, 1946, an official merger began. The company, now called Universal–International, had only Deanna Durbin, Abbott and Costello, Maria Montez and a few other actors remaining on their payroll.[46][41] House of Dracula was the final time make-up artist Jack Pierce would create the make-up for the Wolf Man, Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, as Universal released him in 1947.[47]
Chaney and Strange appeared in several films and television series, including reprising the roles of Larry Talbot and Frankenstein's monster in Universal-International's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).[48][47] Chaney appeared again as a werewolf in the Mexican production La Casa del Terror.[48] Carradine reprised the role of Dracula on stage, television and in several low-budget feature films.[47]
See also
- John Carradine filmography
- List of horror films of the 1940s
- List of Universal Pictures films (1940–1949)
References
- ^ a b c d Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 501.
- ^ a b "House of Dracula". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Mank 2020a, p. 39.
- ^ a b c d e f g Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 502.
- ^ Riley 2020, p. 107.
- ^ a b c d e Mank 2020b, p. 50.
- ^ a b Riley 2020, p. 110.
- ^ a b c Riley 2020, p. 112.
- ^ Riley 2020, p. 50.
- ^ Riley 2020, p. 113.
- ^ Riley 2020, p. 114.
- ^ a b c Mank 2020b, p. 63.
- ^ a b Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 506.
- ^ Carradine 2020, p. 34-35.
- ^ Carradine 2020, p. 35.
- ^ Malvern 2020, p. 21.
- ^ Malvern 2020, p. 23.
- ^ Mank 2020b, p. 55.
- ^ Carradine 2020, p. 31.
- ^ Carradine 2020, p. 32.
- ^ Carradine 2020, p. 33.
- ^ Malvern 2020, p. 25.
- ^ a b Mank 2020b, p. 56.
- ^ a b Mank 2020a, p. 41.
- ^ a b Mank 2020a, p. 42.
- ^ Malvern 2020, p. 26.
- ^ Mank 2020b, p. 65.
- ^ Mank 2020b, p. 67.
- ^ Malvern 2020, p. 24.
- ^ a b c Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 507.
- ^ Mank 2020b, p. 70.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mank 2020b, p. 71.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 509.
- ^ Kalmus 1946, p. 18.
- ^ "Stars Shine, But There's No Glow in These Movies". The News & Observer. September 29, 1993. p. 10D.
- ^ "Up From the Depths of the Vault". New York Daily News. August 11, 1993. p. 41.
- ^ Rhodes 2014, p. 308.
- ^ Squires 2017.
- ^ Brog. 1945.
- ^ a b c Mank 2020b, p. 72.
- ^ Clarens 1997, p. 103.
- ^ Brosnan 1976, p. 273.
- ^ Eder 1994.
- ^ Butler.
- ^ a b Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 14.
- ^ a b c Mank 2020b, p. 74.
- ^ a b Mank 2020b, p. 73.
Sources
- Brog. (December 5, 1945). "House of Dracula". Variety. Vol. 160, no. 13. p. 16. Retrieved August 24, 2021 – via Archive.org.
- Brosnan, John (1976). The Horror People. ISBN 0356083942.
- Butler, Craig. "House of Dracula (1945)". AllMovie. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ISBN 978-1629336169.
- ISBN 0-306-80800-5.
- Eder, Bruce (August 1994). "Tapes & Discs". Video Magazine. Vol. 18, no. 5. New York: Reese Communications. p. 54. ISSN 1044-7288.
- Kalmus, Herbert T. (1946). "All Features Released in 1945". National Box Office Digest Annual. p. 18. Retrieved August 24, 2021 – via Archive.org.
- Malvern, Paul (2020) [1993]. "Forward". In Riley, Philip J. (ed.). House of Dracula. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629336169.
- Mank, Gregory Wm. (2020a) [1993]. "An Interview with Jane Adams". In Riley, Philip J. (ed.). House of Dracula. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629336169.
- Mank, Gregory Wm. (2020b) [1993]. "Production Background". In Riley, Philip J. (ed.). House of Dracula. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629336169.
- ISBN 978-0-9566834-5-8.
- Riley, Philip J., ed. (2020) [1993]. House of Dracula. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629336169.
- Squires, John (February 23, 2017). "Movies 'Dracula' and 'The Mummy' Complete Legacy Collections Coming to Blu-ray". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- Weaver, Tom; Brunas, Michael; Brunas, John (2007) [1990]. Universal Horrors (2 ed.). ISBN 978-0-7864-2974-5.
External links
- House of Dracula at IMDb
- House of Dracula at the TCM Movie Database
- House of Dracula trailer commentary by Joe Dante at Trailers from Hell