Francis Lederer in the Return of Dracula
The Return of Dracula - 1958
Not everybody`s kind of thing but I enjoyed this film.
The story involves Count Dracula (played by Francis Lederer) finding his way to the United States and setting up home in 1950s small-town America, lodging with a family who believe him to be a distant relative (in fact he`s murdered the real relative and taken his identity).
When it first became apparent that this was the plot I had grave reservations but in fact the film won me over. The contrast between the wholesome host family and the their far-from-wholesome lodger makes for an effective film.
It`s true that some aspects of the plot are fudged - Dracula divides his time between the home of the family he lodges with and a disused mine but it is unclear how he manages to function in a small town while avoiding daylight - but let`s not worry about that.
The film poster and lobby card I`ve used to illustrate this post are rather more lurid than the film itself !
If you have a love of the lurid this film may not be for you, it is more suited to those who seek the sinister. I would recommend it for anyone with a taste for vintage celluloid vampirism.
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