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Greetings, and welcome to VIEWING THE CLASSICS. Here you'll find capsule reviews of vintage movies from the early days of cinema through the 1970s, with a special emphasis on sci-fi, horror, and mystery movies. Be sure to check out the Pages links, where you can find a Film Index of all my reviews, links to the reviews organized by cast members, directors, and other contributors, and links to my reviews of the films of talented young director Joshua Kennedy.

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Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Return Of The Vampire (1944)

Starring Bela Lugosi, Frieda Inescort, Nina Foch, Miles Mander, Roland Varno
Directed by Lew Landers
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A pair of scientists track down the resting place of a vampire and destroy him, but two decades later, the vampire is resurrected, and seeks revenge on them and their children.

Providing Bela Lugosi one of his final starring roles for a major studio, this film is a worthwhile and atmospheric chiller, with sets drenched in fog and a perfect mood-setting score from Mario Tedesco.  As a vampire film, it doesn't offer anything more to the genre besides Inescort's female protagonist, rare for a horror picture, and its wartime blitz setting, but is welcome for offering Lugosi an opportunity to return to the screen in another Dracula-like role.  Actor Matt Willis also provides a memorable performance as the vampire's loyal werewolf henchman.

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