Having already appeared as The Wolf Man, The Mummy AND Frankenstein's Monster, Lon Chaney dons a black cape to play yet another classic Universal horror character, Count Dracula (NOT his son, as the title would have us believe). Travelling under the oh-so-clever pseudonym of Count Alucard, Dracula arrives in America, the guest of occult obsessed beauty Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), who intends to marry the vampire and gain immortality.
For much of its running time, Son of Dracula is quite a shambolic affair, the sloppy plot seemingly going nowhere slowly. Eventually, the story gets a little more interesting, as Katherine's sinister intentions become clearer, but, even then, Chaney's lacklustre turn as the Count drains proceedings of much of its lifeblood. Where the film does succeed is with several well-crafted scenes of the macabre—the best being Dracula's silent glide towards Katherine across a swamp—and with its enjoyable special effects, including cinema's first transformation from man to bat, some atmospheric shots of Dracula in mist form, and a few hilarious rubber bats on wires.
For much of its running time, Son of Dracula is quite a shambolic affair, the sloppy plot seemingly going nowhere slowly. Eventually, the story gets a little more interesting, as Katherine's sinister intentions become clearer, but, even then, Chaney's lacklustre turn as the Count drains proceedings of much of its lifeblood. Where the film does succeed is with several well-crafted scenes of the macabre—the best being Dracula's silent glide towards Katherine across a swamp—and with its enjoyable special effects, including cinema's first transformation from man to bat, some atmospheric shots of Dracula in mist form, and a few hilarious rubber bats on wires.