Horror Movie a Day: Dracula’s Daughter

OMG! First the Hunger, Then Vampyros Lesbos and now Dracula’s Daughter brings us MORE Lesbian Vampires. This time shockingly in 1936.

After the success of Bride of Frankenstein, Universal Pictures decided to get the ball rolling with a female taking over the reins for Drac. This film is an immediate sequel to the original Bela Lugosi Dracula. It takes place just after Jonathan Harker and Mia have left Van Helsing’s side at the end of the last film. But the police have now arrived and Van Helsing has two explain the two dead bodies, Renfield with his neck broken, and Count Dracula with a stake through his heart.

I give the film credit for showing us the aftermath of the original. After many of these horror films I always wonder how the hero explains away killing all his zombified neighbors, the were wolf who just turned back into a man, or the vampire masquerading as an affluent Count. Here Van Helsing faces charges from Scotland Yard, so he requests helm from a former pupil of his. A psychiatrist turned action hero, named Dr. Garth.

Meanwhile the famous artist Countess Zaleska has come to town to take possession of Dracula’s corpse and destroy it. It seems she’s seeking release from her Vampiric curse. The movie has given us another first, the remorseful Vampire. Not sure if the world, in film or literature had been acquainted before this film with the whiny Vampire who hates his immortality, but as I suspected, Louis from Interview With A Vampire and Angel from Buffy owe their roots to a woman. They certainly bitch like one. ;)

Countess Zaleska also seeks help from Dr. Garth. She hopes to be cured, if not of Vampirism, then of her desire to kill and wants to stop being so gloomy all the time. Her undead curse is unbeknownst to Garth, so he agrees to help her with whatever is troubling her. But as a Vampire she still has to feed and she’s leaving a trail of corpses around town. Which of course Dr. Garth is investigating for his Van Helsing’s case.

Zaleska enlists the help of Sandor her creepy manservant to bring women to her. Women that serve a double purpose, first they undress and pose for her, then they become a late night snack.  Unfortunately while there are strong lesbian overtones in the seduction of her prey, No contact is ever actually made with the Countess and any of her victims, male or female. While Bela Lugosi is able to approach his victims and cast a cape over them as he gets down to business, the Countess can only stare at them menacingly before the scene cuts away. We never even see fangs.

Eventually Dr. Garth puts two and two together and follows her all the way to Transylvania to stop her evil plans. By now Zaleska knows she can’t be cured, but wishes to turn the good Doctor so he can accompany her throughout eternity. Since she was never truly evil the movie uses this as reason for why she must be destroyed in the end.  Sandor is now upset because the Countess had promised him immortality. And we soon learn he really has been calling the shots the whole time. He kills the Countess to stop her from turning the Doctor, and then tries to kill the doctor as well.

This movie is major letdown. While I was hoping we’d have a female villain who would be more than just a screaming plot device, like the Bride of Frankenstein. She turned out to be just a weak and ineffectual woman controlled and or pushed around by the men she encountered. First Dracula who’s grasped she wished to escape. Then the good Doctor who just pushed her out of the way a few times to learn her secrets. Where was her Vampiric strength? She couldn’t even glamour her male victims. She had to hypnotize them with jewelry. The final insult was her destruction at the hands of her jealous manservant.  Hollywood would have a long way to go before offering us a strong female lead.

I definitely enjoyed this movie more than the vanilla version of Dracula. It had a decent score that kept the film moving along. And despite it sharing the exact same plotline as almost every single vampire movie ever made. It at least was innovative in offering us a Female Vampire as the headliner. Also an interesting subplot with Van Helsing, The very first remorseful Vampire, and of course the very first Lesbian Vampire scene ever.  I totally recommend it to Dracula fans and lesbians.

I give the film Two Grandpa Munsters!!