Janet0312 Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 What a pre-Halloween fest today was! I haven't see Return of the Vampire in quite a while. This film has all the earmarks of the typical spooky cemetery scenario complete with comic relief in the guise of a couple of bumbling air raid wardens. How about the enemy dropping bombs on those vital military installations - the churchyards and cemeteries??? Doesn’t Andreas seem to be one hell of an intelligent werewolf? And kudos to Matt Willis for spouting all that dialogue through those pointed teeth! Good movie. Hope it's on again soon. If not, Amazon, here I come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 What a pre-Halloween fest today was! I haven't see Return of the Vampire in quite a while. This film has all the earmarks of the typical spooky cemetery scenario complete with comic relief in the guise of a couple of bumbling air raid wardens. How about the enemy dropping bombs on those vital military installations - the churchyards and cemeteries??? Doesn’t Andreas seem to be one hell of an intelligent werewolf? And kudos to Matt Willis for spouting all that dialogue through those pointed teeth! Good movie. Hope it's on again soon. If not, Amazon, here I come! Didn't get a chance to watch it as I arrived in London this evening, but I do like the film. I seem to recall Matt Willis carrying what appears to be his laundry around for much of the film. Am I remembering correctly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet0312 Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Didn't get a chance to watch it as I arrived in London this evening, but I do like the film. I seem to recall Matt Willis carrying what appears to be his laundry around for much of the film. Am I remembering correctly? Well, he was carrying his master's laundry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I haven't see Return of the Vampire in quite a while. Good movie. Hope it's on again soon. If not, Amazon, here I come! I was at a discount store looking through their DVDs and found Return of the Vampire on sale for $3.99. I bought it and watch it quite often. There are no extras and the picture is fine, as I recall. As a classic horror fan, I bemoan the fact that Lugosi never got to play a vampiric role in a movie where the whole shebang comes off really well; but Return of the Vampire comes as close as the original Dracula did. Wonderful sets, good score, a killer first few minutes, a smart enough script that cleverly weaves together the real life horrors of WWII Europe with the fantastical elements of fantasy horror; and the intriguing choice to make the chief protagonist a women (Frida Inescort, who was a charming actress.) The only real issue I have with Return of the Vampire is- that for Columbia to have gotten the score and the atmosphere and the direction and the sets and the talent right, they didn't invest enough time and money into some makeup for Lugosi, who needs it baaaaaaaad. He looks older than he does four years later in Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, but that was a Universal film and likely Jack Pierce did a great job with the hairpiece and makeup for Bela. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 The best vampires are in author Ann Rice's great novels but the movies made from her books were terrible. The theater of the mind while reading her vampire novels is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc1 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I should've watched this today. As it was, I was busy & only saw bits of it. I'm sure that the werewolf is the same one who leads off Iron Maiden's 'Number Of The Beast'(1982) video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBJ Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I was at a discount store looking through their DVDs and found Return of the Vampire on sale for $3.99. I bought it and watch it quite often. There are no extras and the picture is fine, as I recall. As a classic horror fan, I bemoan the fact that Lugosi never got to play a vampiric role in a movie where the whole shebang comes off really well; but Return of the Vampire comes as close as the original Dracula did. Wonderful sets, good score, a killer first few minutes, a smart enough script that cleverly weaves together the real life horrors of WWII Europe with the fantastical elements of fantasy horror; and the intriguing choice to make the chief protagonist a women (Frida Inescort, who was a charming actress.) The only real issue I have with Return of the Vampire is- that for Columbia to have gotten the score and the atmosphere and the direction and the sets and the talent right, they didn't invest enough time and money into some makeup for Lugosi, who needs it baaaaaaaad. He looks older than he does four years later in Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, but that was a Universal film and likely Jack Pierce did a great job with the hairpiece and makeup for Bela. Watched Mark of the Vampire this morning (0300) to fall asleep to but caught the very end where Bela is an actor that says to his leading lady "I will be the vampire,... I gave all of me, I was greater than any real vampire" Una replies for him to take off his makeup and a stage hand adds to help him pack up. The last thirty seconds of the movie. Just played it again to try and get the quote right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet0312 Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 I was at a discount store looking through their DVDs and found Return of the Vampire on sale for $3.99. I bought it and watch it quite often. There are no extras and the picture is fine, as I recall. As a classic horror fan, I bemoan the fact that Lugosi never got to play a vampiric role in a movie where the whole shebang comes off really well; but Return of the Vampire comes as close as the original Dracula did. Wonderful sets, good score, a killer first few minutes, a smart enough script that cleverly weaves together the real life horrors of WWII Europe with the fantastical elements of fantasy horror; and the intriguing choice to make the chief protagonist a women (Frida Inescort, who was a charming actress.) The only real issue I have with Return of the Vampire is- that for Columbia to have gotten the score and the atmosphere and the direction and the sets and the talent right, they didn't invest enough time and money into some makeup for Lugosi, who needs it baaaaaaaad. He looks older than he does four years later in Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein, but that was a Universal film and likely Jack Pierce did a great job with the hairpiece and makeup for Bela. Yeah. I noticed that as well. This was the first time watching on my big screen TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Faiola Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I've always had a soft spot for RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE. Great score by Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco; very fine work by Frieda Inescort and the always-welcome Miles Mander. I can even forgive Mander breaking the fourth wall at the end. But Lugosi really is terrific in this picture - very restrained. The two funnies were Billy Bevan and Harold deBecker - both members of the Sherlock Holmes stock company at Universal (as were Miles Mander, Olaf Hytten and Leslie Denison). BTW - Bela's makeup for "A&C" was done by Bud Westmore & crew. Jack Pierce had been shown the door after Universal merged with International Pictures. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I've always had a soft spot for RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE. Great score by Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco; very fine work by Frieda Inescort and the always-welcome Miles Mander. I can even forgive Mander breaking the fourth wall at the end. BTW - Bela's makeup for "A&C" was done by Bud Westmore & crew. Jack Pierce had been shown the door after Universal merged with International Pictures. Really agree about the score. I can hear it in my head now. I think Mander breaks the fourth wall at the end of RotV to downplay the horrific incidents that have passed (and it's a film that doesn't otherwise apologize for some real horrific things- like the fate of the poor refugee Dr. Brookner or the fact that Tesla preys on a young child at one point)- just as the ludicrous epilogue and cast call to The Bad Seed and the prologue to Frankenstein were meant to do. It's also a bit of a holdover from the "Scooby Doo" endings of years before that always explained or dismissed the supernatural elements of the story...I'm sure many a kid went to see this in original release and re-issue and that was kept in mind. Thanks for schooling me on the makeup. I am so ashamed I forgot about the Westmore coup and Pierce's dismissal over at Universal. I watched a doc about the Westmores once, that was one twisted family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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