The Return of Dracula ** (1958, Francis Lederer, Norma Eberhardt, Ray Stricklyn ) – Classic Movie Review 5818

Director Paul Landres’s 1958 chiller stars Francis Lederer as escaping Balkans vampire Bellac Gordal, who uses the passport of a Czech artist he has killed to assume his identity to go to America.

There he settles down cosily in a California small town with the artist’s cousins, Rachel and Cora Mayberry (Norma Eberhardt, Greta Granstedt) – and does what vampires do. Rachel’s best friend Jennie Blake (Virginia Vincent) dies suddenly and the Count has plans for Rachel.

Lederer is fine as the titular vampire, Count Dracula, who is only posing as Bellac Gordal. But alas Pat Fielder’s original screenplay is not nearly so fine, in this cheaply made schlock horror entry.

Director Landres stirs up some tense scenes and an eerie atmosphere, and throughout the movie there’s some unexpectedly imaginative camerawork, with shooting in black and white by Jack McKenzie.

Also in the cast are Ray Stricklyn, Jimmie Baird, John Wengraf, Gage Clark, John McNamara and Harry Harvey Sr.

It is a United Artists release, produced by Jules V Levy and Arthur Gardner, and scored by Gerald Fried.

The GB title is The Fantastic Disappearing Man, and it is also known as The Curse of Dracula.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5818

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