Sunday, September 24, 2023

Sven- Return of the Vampire (1943)

 

Dracula Armand Tesla is stalking WWI London.  He gets "spiked" but does not turn to ash (like that ever stops vampires).   In WWII, workers unspike the vampire after a blitz and Tesla returns to power.  He also has an assistant, and werewolf named Andreas.  He can speak in his lycanthropic form, which is really unusual.  Lady Jane goes after Tesla.  However, it is Andreas who stops the vampire, along with another blitz.

This was a Dracula movie without him being called that.  Columbia was worried that Universal would sue them- like the name Dracula wasn't public domain already.  It is the first time a werewolf was featured with a vampire, the first talking werewolf, and the first time we get to see a vampire melt.  I don't know if Andreas was shot with a silver bullet, though.  There is only one way to kill a werewolf.

It is a good, short movie.  At 71 minutes, we did not need two and a half hours of Sven's air time, though I sure enjoyed some of the interviews from 2017.  

Next- Trilogy of Terror, an airing I will be skipping for the most part.

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