When
I was a kid, old movies were pretty much the main staple of daytime local
television programming. This of course, allowed me to become hooked on
horror movies during my formative years. Anytime I saw the names Bela
Lugosi, Boris Karloff or Lon Chaney Jr. in the TV Guide, I knew
I was in for a treat. It was at this point in my life that I became familiar
with a little film entitled THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE ($20), which
featured Lugosi as a vampire, who just happened to have a werewolf slave
to do his dirty work. Now for me, having both a vampire and werewolf in
the same movie was like hitting the jackpot, and THE RETURN OF THE
VAMPIRE became an instant childhood favorite.
THE
RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE opens in 1918 with vampire Armand Tesla (Lugosi)
terrorizing the English countryside. Physician Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda
Inescort) can’t seem to explain the rash of strange anemic deaths
that have plagued her clinic. Turning to her friend Professor Walter Saunders
(Gilbert Emery) for assistance, the two ultimately determine that a vampire
is responsible for deaths. Uncovering the vampire’s hiding place,
the scientists are able to drive a spike through his heart during the
daylight hours, while his werewolf servant Andreas (Matt Willis) is away.
Springing
forward to 1943, a German bombing raid accidentally releases Armand Tesla
from his grave, allowing the vampire to rise once again. Tesla immediately
subjugates Andreas to his will again, turning the poor soul back into
a werewolf. Utilizing Andreas as a pawn, Tesla begins a campaign of revenge
against Lady Jane and all those she loves. The cast of THE RETURN OF
THE VAMPIRE also includes Nina Foch, Miles Mander, Roland Varno, Leslie
Denison, William Austin, Billy Bevan and Harold De Becker.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE available
on DVD in a nice looking full screen transfer that frames the movie
in its proper 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Dust particles and minor blemishes
serve as a reminder that the movie is nearly sixty years old, but in other
respects the black and white film element has held up rather well. The
transfer itself is rather pleasing; offering a fairly sharp and detailed
image. Film grain is noticeable much of the time, but it is never bothersome.
Blacks are pure, whites are clean and stable, plus the picture produces
a wonderful grayscale and smooth contrast. Darker scenes are intentionally
shadowy, but the image creates a nice sense of depth. Digital compression
artifacts remain out of sight throughout.
While
the Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack if free from noticeable background
hiss and surface noise, fidelity of the nearly sixty-year-old soundtrack
is decidedly limited. Music sounds a bit reedy, but it isn’t bad,
provided that one doesn’t overdo the amplification. Dialogue is generally
crisp and completely understandable, one can even make it past Lugosi’s
thick Hungarian accent without problems. All and all this is a pretty
good sounding track for a film of this particular vintage. While there
are no other soundtrack options, English, French, Spanish and Japanese
subtitles are included on the DVD. The basic interactive menus provide
access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
trailers for BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA and THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN.
THE
RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE is as enjoyable now as I remember it being when
I was a warped little kid who lived on horror movies. Columbia TriStar
has done a pretty nice job with the presentation, short of giving the
film an expensive restoration. Lugosi fans and classic horror buffs will
want to add this DVD to their collections. Hopefully, Columbia TriStar
will keep delving into the vault and give horror fans a few Karloff titles-
anyone for THE BLACK ROOM, THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG,
BEFORE I HANG or THE DEVIL COMMANDS?
When
I was a kid, old movies were pretty much the main staple of daytime local
television programming. This of course, allowed me to become hooked on
horror movies during my formative years. Anytime I saw the names Bela
Lugosi, Boris Karloff or Lon Chaney Jr. in the TV Guide, I knew
I was in for a treat. It was at this point in my life that I became familiar
with a little film entitled THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE ($20), which
featured Lugosi as a vampire, who just happened to have a werewolf slave
to do his dirty work. Now for me, having both a vampire and werewolf in
the same movie was like hitting the jackpot, and THE RETURN OF THE
VAMPIRE became an instant childhood favorite.
THE
RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE opens in 1918 with vampire Armand Tesla (Lugosi)
terrorizing the English countryside. Physician Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda
Inescort) can’t seem to explain the rash of strange anemic deaths
that have plagued her clinic. Turning to her friend Professor Walter Saunders
(Gilbert Emery) for assistance, the two ultimately determine that a vampire
is responsible for deaths. Uncovering the vampire’s hiding place,
the scientists are able to drive a spike through his heart during the
daylight hours, while his werewolf servant Andreas (Matt Willis) is away.
Springing
forward to 1943, a German bombing raid accidentally releases Armand Tesla
from his grave, allowing the vampire to rise once again. Tesla immediately
subjugates Andreas to his will again, turning the poor soul back into
a werewolf. Utilizing Andreas as a pawn, Tesla begins a campaign of revenge
against Lady Jane and all those she loves. The cast of THE RETURN OF
THE VAMPIRE also includes Nina Foch, Miles Mander, Roland Varno, Leslie
Denison, William Austin, Billy Bevan and Harold De Becker.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE available
on DVD in a nice looking full screen transfer that frames the movie
in its proper 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Dust particles and minor blemishes
serve as a reminder that the movie is nearly sixty years old, but in other
respects the black and white film element has held up rather well. The
transfer itself is rather pleasing; offering a fairly sharp and detailed
image. Film grain is noticeable much of the time, but it is never bothersome.
Blacks are pure, whites are clean and stable, plus the picture produces
a wonderful grayscale and smooth contrast. Darker scenes are intentionally
shadowy, but the image creates a nice sense of depth. Digital compression
artifacts remain out of sight throughout.
While
the Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack if free from noticeable background
hiss and surface noise, fidelity of the nearly sixty-year-old soundtrack
is decidedly limited. Music sounds a bit reedy, but it isn’t bad,
provided that one doesn’t overdo the amplification. Dialogue is generally
crisp and completely understandable, one can even make it past Lugosi’s
thick Hungarian accent without problems. All and all this is a pretty
good sounding track for a film of this particular vintage. While there
are no other soundtrack options, English, French, Spanish and Japanese
subtitles are included on the DVD. The basic interactive menus provide
access to the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
trailers for BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA and THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN.
THE
RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE is as enjoyable now as I remember it being when
I was a warped little kid who lived on horror movies. Columbia TriStar
has done a pretty nice job with the presentation, short of giving the
film an expensive restoration. Lugosi fans and classic horror buffs will
want to add this DVD to their collections. Hopefully, Columbia TriStar
will keep delving into the vault and give horror fans a few Karloff titles-
anyone for THE BLACK ROOM, THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG,
BEFORE I HANG or THE DEVIL COMMANDS?