The Return of Dracula (1958) (Olive Films) - October 18, 2016

[MifuneFan]

Olive films will be releasing The Return of Dracula (1958) on October 18th

Originally released as The Return of Dracula (and also known by the irrelevant title The Fantastic Disappearing Man), this interesting vampire variant on Shadow of a Doubt finds the infamous Count (Francis Lederer) leaving his castle digs in Transylvania and departing for the United States after killing an artist and assuming his identity. Passing himself off as a distant relative, he settles in with the Mayberry family in California, where he begins seeking fresh victims. The suspicions of young Rachel Mayberry (Norma Eberhardt) regarding her pale visitor's eerie nocturnal habits prove well-founded after the mysterious death of her best friend, and she soon discovers her own ghastly role in the Count's master plan; her only hope lies with an expatriate police inspector, who may be familiar with the ways of the undead. Played refreshingly straight, this modest Universal production benefits from Lederer's compelling performance as the seductive Count and several unique plot twists (including a blind girl who becomes sighted on turning into a vampire).

Amazon Pre-order

[Jbug]

Saw this on Netflix a couple of years ago when I was home from work sick but can't remember if I liked it.

[sa5150]

Don't Olive titles go for about $16.99 when released ? This is got a $19.99 pre-order at a few places .

[TravelSteveR]

I am not sure if my comments below would be considered spoilers, so I am erring on the side of caution. This movie scared me when I was a kid. The vampire woman in the white shroud/nightgown and that color sequence with her, which is still a shocker, gave me nightmares. What's worse is my dad looked a lot like Francis Lederer, so that made it even creepier. For a low-budget American take on the Dracula story, it has atmosphere to spare. We had the 50 ft. B/W Super 8mm version, and that was my introduction to it prior to seeing the full film on TV. Fans of THE SHINING will recognize "Dies Irae," the Gregorian chant whose melody was used in that film so effectively by Wendy Carlos employed here as the title music--a very haunting tune. There is supposed to be another color sequence at the end, but I don't recall its being included in the MGM Midnight Movie DVD release, so I hope it's on the Blu-ray. It's worth picking up.

[babybreese]

Never heard there might be a second color insert....that would be awesome.

[TravelSteveR]

There's a discussion about it on IMDB.COM:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052131/...9?ref_=tt_bd_1

Steve

[MifuneFan]

Down to $12.99 at BB, and Amazon matched.

[TanRnet]

Just watched this on youtube and it wasn't that good at all. But if you have good memories the bluray is at good price.

[Automaton-X]

For those interested, DVDBeaver has a review of the new BD of THE RETURN OF DRACULA, here:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...la_blu-ray.htm

[jimqk]

Finally got around to buying this Blu-ray and just finished watching it. This is a must-own if you like 1950's era horror movies. I found it highly enjoyable.