#Lambert Hillyer

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Dracula’s Daughter (1936) dir. Lambert Hillyer

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Dracula's Daughter (1936)

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Dracula’s Daughter (1936)

Gloria Holden as Countess Marya Zaleska

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Dracula's Daughter (1936) dir Lambert Hillyer

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Dracula's Daughter (1936) Lambert Hillyer

March 9th 2024

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Sylvia Breamer-William S. Hart "The narrow trail" 1917, de William S. Hart, Lambert Hillyer.

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On May 19, 1938, Dracula’s Daughter debuted in Portugal.

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The Invisible Ray (1936)

"It was on such a night that Janos first caught his ray from Andromeda. Your father worked the guides. I held the detecting lens and... never saw again."

"Dear Mother Rukh."

"My son will not learn until too late, I fear, that the universe is very large, and there are some secrets we are not meant to probe."

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Movie Review | Dracula's Daughter (Hillyer, 1936)

Like those eight-hour-long crackling fireplace videos, they should make one for Spooky Season. It'll be a monochromatic fog animation. On the soundtrack it'll be wind noises and wolf howls. And I will log it on here with a five-star rating. (Just kidding, I don't really do ratings anymore. But it'll get the heart.)

But until then, Fog Freaks like you and me will have to get your Fog Fix from movies with things like plot and character and interior scenes getting in the way of the Fogginess. Movies like this one, which has some pretty juicy Fog whenever we go outside, especially if we're in a cemetery but even when we walk down the street at night. So if you like your movies nice and Foggy or just need a few more stamps on your Foggy Movie punchcard so you can get your submarine sandwich, this'll do the trick.

Otherwise, this has a lot of stuff for a seventy-one minute movie, some of what what you'd want in a movie called Dracula's Daughter and some maybe less so. There's a lot of comic relief, is what I'm saying, and your mileage may vary on how funny it is. This is a nice reminder that bumbling cops have been a mainstay of horror movies going back almost a century. So the next time you complain about the buffoonish scenes in The Last House on the Left or The Town That Dreaded Sundown, know that they are part of a long and storied tradition. Much more compelling is the comic relief provided by Marguerite Churchill, who messes up the hero's tie and later prank calls him with a German accent.

From a spookier angle, Gloria Holden has a pretty strong presence as the titular Dracula's daughter, who is maybe not as otherworldly as Bela Lugosi when he played her father in the preceding film, but finds sympathetic dimensions to her characters. Smarter people than myself have written about the movie's queer subtext, so I'll direct you to one of them.

I think that this movie suffers from its lead. Whether it be the writing or Otto Kruger's performance, he's a little too stodgy a character to ground something like this. You need someone who can be credibly tempted by Holden and her vampirism, and can hold up his end of the flirtatious antagonism with Churchill, and I don't think this character manages to do either very well.

That being said, if you like Fog or lady vampires or prank calls, you'll have a good time with this.

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Lobby cards for Dracula's Daughter, 1936.

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Dracula's Daughter lobby cards (1936)

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A Look at Lydia Knott and Lambert Hillyer

…And Adelbert Knott (1858-1933), as well, for he came onto the scene first. Hailing from Tyner, Indiana (about a half hour from South Bend), Knott was both a writer and an actor. He was only 21 years old when he published a book called The Queen of Huckleberry Marsh, about Mary Helms, a former circus acrobat who settled in the area and became a trouble-making local madam. Two copyrighted sketches…

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Dracula's Daughter (1936) dir Lambert Hillyer

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Dread by the Decade: Dracula's Daughter

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★★★

Plot: After her father's death, Dracula's daughter seeks to undo her vampiric curse and rejoin society.

Review: Though there are issues with the story and pacing, an interesting early portrayal of a conflicted vampire and queer subtext make this worth a watch.

Source Material: "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu Sequel to: Dracula (1931) Year: 1936 Genre: Vampires, Gothic Country: United States Language: English Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes

Director: Lambert Hillyer Writer: Garrett Fort Cinematographer: George Robinson Editor: Milton Carruth Composer: Heinz Roemheld Cast: Gloria Holden, Otto Kruger, Marguerite Churchill, Edward Van Sloan, Irving Pichel, Gilbert Emergy

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Story: 2.5/5 - Messy. Its recapping is awkward and climax rushed. It also devotes too much time to inessential comedic relief. Still, Marya is a tragic character, and Jeffrey and Janet's relationship is fun.

Performances: 3.5/5 - Holden, echoing some of Lugosi's mannerisms, is the standout as a vampire combating loneliness. Also, Kruger and Churchill play off each other well.

Cinematography: 3.5/5 - Not as gothic and distinct as its predecessor, but still features some striking shots.

Editing: 3/5 - A few really good uses of dissolves.

Music: 2.5/5 - Generic.

Sets: 3/5 - Proficiently dressed and realistic if a bit generic.

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 3/5

Trigger Warnings:

Mild violence