Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Director:

Lambert Hillyer

Writers:

Bram Stoker (based on work by)
David O. Selznick (suggestion)

Release Date:

11 May 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Look out, she'll get you!

Plot:

Hungarian countess Marya Zaleska seeks the aid of a noted psychiatrist, in hopes of freeing herself of a mysterious evil influence.

Plot Keywords:

Corpse | Dracula | Murder | Scotland Yard | Curse

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Otto Kruger	...	Jeffrey Garth
Gloria Holden	...	Countess Marya Zaleska - Dracula's Daughter
Marguerite Churchill	...	Janet
Edward Van Sloan	...	Prof. Von Helsing
Gilbert Emery	...	Sir Basil Humphrey
Irving Pichel	...	Sandor
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Hawkins (as Halliwell Hobbs)
Billy Bevan	...	Albert
Nan Grey	...	Lili
Hedda Hopper	...	Lady Esme Hammond
Claud Allister	...	Sir Aubrey (as Claude Allister)
Edgar Norton	...	Hobbs
E.E. Clive	...	Sergeant Wilkes

Also Known As:

Daughter of Dracula

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (2004) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #2019) | Sweden:7 | Germany:12

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Director Lambert Hillyer was injured on the 9th day of production (according to publicity, Friday the 13th) when a free-standing fill light toppled on his head. Nearly half a day of shooting was lost when he was briefly hospitalized. However, filming started February 4, 1936 and finished March 10, 1936, and there was a Thursday the 13th, but no Friday the 13th in that time interval.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the early part of the film, which follows directly on from Dracula (1931), one of the uber-British police officers specifies the location as "Whitby Jail". Furthermore, in the previous film, the location of Carfax Abbey is at first specified as Whitby and later as "near London": Whitby is over 200 miles from London. (This is presumably in reference to Bram Stoker's novel, much of which was set in Whitby.)

Quotes:

Countess Marya Zaleska: Sandor, look at me. What do you see in my eyes?
Sandor: Death.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Son of Svengoolie: Son of Svengoolie's Halloween Draculathon: Dracula (1931)/Dracula's Daughter (1936)/House of Dracula (1945) (#1.19)" (1979)

Soundtrack:

Nocturne No.5 in F Sharp Major, Op.15-2

Not A Classic But Very Unusual Horror Film That Will Please Fans

This belated, weird sequel to the 1931 Bela Lugosi movie, is actually a very interesting film, if a bit imperfect. Director Hillyer (wisely) chooses not to compete with the original movie, and this time around horror is replaced by a strong sexual subtext. In movies, sex has always been an important part of vampirism, but this film almost looks like sexploitation. Nothing wrong with that, but at times, the film almost forgets that this is supposed to be a horror film. It's like nothing Hollywood did in the 1930s. However, I do think the movie succeeds in exploring different aspects of the vampire myths. Here Dracula's Daughter (magnetic Gloria Holden in a Garbo-like performance) is presented as a tragic figure who is eventually forced to accept her heritage. There is one scene (Holden killing a beautiful model) that evokes both sympathy and horror. It is a great sequence among many memorable moments. I liked the film a lot, but I wished they had allowed Lugosi to reprise his famous role. Still, recommended to horror fans.