'' is a
1936 Horror Film , a sequel to the 1931 film ''
Dracula ''.
This sequel begins a few moments after the previous film ends:
Count Dracula has just been killed by
Professor Van Helsing . Van Helsing is taken by police to Scotland Yard where he explains that he indeed did kill Count Dracula, but because he was already dead for over 500 years, it can't be considered
Murder . Van Helsing, instead of hiring a lawyer, enlists the aid of a
Psychiatrist who was once one of his star students. The doctor agrees to help Van Helsing anyway he can. Meanwhile, Dracula's daughter, Countess Marya Zaleska (
Gloria Holden ), with the aid of her companion, steals Dracula’s body from
Scotland Yard and burns it so she can be a normal mortal. However, her eternal thirst for human blood can't be quenched; the Countess continues to kill and sleep in her coffin during daylight hours. After a chance meeting with the same doctor who is defending Van Helsing, the Countess asks the psychiatrist to help cure her
Vampirism , without telling the man that she is actually a vampire.
Universal's ''Dracula'' series would continue seven years later with ''
Son Of Dracula ''.
The film received mixed reviews when it was released. Today, the film is considered by some to be one of the weaker
Universal horror pictures of the 1930's because of its lack of well known actors such as
Boris Karloff or
Bela Lugosi . The film is notable for the psychological treatment of the vampire and the suggestion of a
Lesbian vampire victimizing a young woman.
- EOFFTV - The Universal Dracula series
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