Son of Dracula Blu-ray Movie

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Son of Dracula Blu-ray Movie United States

Universal Studios | 1943 | 80 min | Not rated | May 16, 2017

Son of Dracula (Blu-ray Movie)

Price

Movie rating

6.3
 / 10

Blu-ray rating

Users5.0 of 55.0
Reviewer3.5 of 53.5
Overall3.5 of 53.5

Overview

Son of Dracula (1943)

Count Alucard finds his way from Budapest to the swamps of the Deep South after meeting Katherine Caldwell, of the moneyed Caldwell clan that runs a plantation called Dark Oaks. She's obsessed with occult matters. Who better to guide her through this supernatural world than Count Alucard, whose name no one bothers to spell backwards? No one, that is, except the wily Dr. Brewster, an old family friend. He'll join Professor Lazlo, a specialist in the occult, in fighting this "Alucard" and the woman he's influenced. Or has Katherine influenced him? Meanwhile, Katherine's fiancé, Frank Stanley, will find his courage and his sanity sorely tested when he accidentally shoots Katherine to death, yet finds that she goes on living...

Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Robert Paige (IV), Louise Allbritton, Evelyn Ankers, Frank Craven
Director: Robert Siodmak

Horror100%
Fantasy3%
RomanceInsignificant
DramaInsignificant

Specifications

  • Video

    Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
    Video resolution: 1080p
    Aspect ratio: 1.35:1
    Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

  • Audio

    English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)

  • Subtitles

    English SDH, French, Spanish

  • Discs

    Blu-ray Disc
    Single disc (1 BD)

  • Playback

    Region A (B, C untested)

Review

Rating summary

Movie3.0 of 53.0
Video4.0 of 54.0
Audio3.5 of 53.5
Extras1.0 of 51.0
Overall3.5 of 53.5

Son of Dracula Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 22, 2017

After dealing with one kid in 1936’s “Dracula’s Daughter,” the horror franchise finds more family trouble in 1943’s “Son of Dracula.” Of course, there’s no real connection between the “Dracula” movies, as attention to series detail isn’t valued. It’s a brand name, and one that introduces Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular vampire, preserving all the dead-eyed menace the character is known for, but now enjoying a few technical upgrades to shock audiences. And the film needs all the visual help it can get, often struggling mightily with a lukewarm screenplay filled with exposition that rarely leads to excitement.


Trouble comes to New Orleans in “Son of Dracula,” with plantation heiress Katherine (Louise Allbritton) inching into trouble when she decides to romance Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.), who’s visiting from his home in Hungary. Vampirism begins to spread, triggering confusion with an ex- boyfriend and curiosity from another Hungarian, keeping Alucard on the move as he begins his reign of terror. “Son of Dracula” takes some time to even touch on genre basics, providing a weirdly intricate study of family issues and relationship woes, only periodically indulging in vampire shenanigans. However, the monster mash has more visual punch, with the production animating Alucard’s bat transformations, while special effects also construct his ability to float over water. While low-fi, the tricks are fun to watch, adding a pinch of cinematic sophistication, which helps to sell the fantasy of Dracula.


Son of Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality  4.0 of 5

"Son of Dracula" arrives on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation. The results look similar to "Dracula's Daughter," with detail best served in close-ups, getting up into faces to survey aging and make-up achievements, and some costuming retains its fibrous qualities. Delineation isn't troublesome, but a few sequences struggle with solidification. Whites are comfortably balanced. Source is largely clean.


Son of Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality  3.5 of 5

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix manages dialogue exchanges to satisfaction, delivering suspenseful surges without slipping into distortive extremes. Accents are easy to understand as well. Scoring isn't precise, but it works well, supporting the picture with hearty volume, but never steamrolling over the drama. Sound effects preserve their intended spirit, with shrieking bats and snappy gunplay. Hiss is present throughout the listening experience, but it's not distracting.


Son of Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras  1.0 of 5

  • A Theatrical Trailer (1:37, SD) is included.


Son of Dracula Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation  3.5 of 5

Chaney Jr. isn't an especially inspired Dracula, failing to match his intimidating looks with a disquieting performance. "Son of Dracula" fares much better with the rest of the cast, but even their commitment to the moment can't break the screenplay's inertia, with far too much time spent explaining theories and threats, and not enough time sharing macabre events with the viewer.