DRACULA’S DAUGHTER (1936)
Article #40 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 4-25-2001
Posting date: 9-7-2001

The Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) is the title character, and she attempts to find a cure for vampirism with the help of Dr. Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger), despite the insistence of her manservant Sandor (Irving Pichel) that she cannot be cured. Meanwhile, Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) finds himself arrested for the murder of Dracula: that is, until his body disappears.

I’ve never had trouble staying awake through this sequel to Universal’s DRACULA; I find it quite atmospheric, eerie and fascinating. I particularly like the relationship between the countess and the manservant: it can be a little interesting to compare the latter with the assistant who pops up in many mad scientist movies who ends up serving as the scientist’s conscience. I also like the fact that the movie is a very direct sequel to the original; taking up almost immediately from the point where the original left off, and then taking the story in a very different direction indeed. Van Helsing’s arrest for murder adds a nice realistic touch to the movie.