Advertised as "more exciting than Dracula", 'Dracula's Daughter' (1936) is not. Director Lambert Hillyer, best known for his silent westerns, fashions a disappointing and awkward sequel to Universal's first 'Dracula' project. Much to its discredit, the production cheaply and impotently rehashes several lines from Browning's far superior 1931 film. The film also gets off on the wrong foot by delivering too much levity in the opening scenes. The real story here is that Countess Zaleska (AKA Dracula's daughter) longs to defy the "curse of the Draculas" but just can't seem to quench her thirst for the warm, red stuff. A disbelieving Scotland Yard is slow to pursue.
'Daughter' is a B movie that plays more like a C with poor acting and two unappealing leads. Gloria Holden is visually appropriate as the title character, Zaleska, but her acting falls short of convincing, and her inappropriate delivery lacks confidence. Otto Kruger as Jeffrey Garth, the man Zaleska sees as her salvation, is simply unappealing. Irving Pichel's Sandor (Zaleska's whipping boy) is the film's only really interesting role, and Pichel is quite good; unfortunately, the character has minimal screen time, though he does play a major role in the finale (good shot, Sandor!). Bringing up the rear is Edward Van Sloan who again refuses to emote in his predictable Prof. Van Helsing role.
Overall, 'Daughter' lacks energy, the scenes lack scope, the compositions lack dynamics, and the framing is too tight (indicative of the low budget). Making matters worse, the story is mostly verbose, but limited, exposition until the finale. The subplot, concerning Countess Zaleska posing as a painter and killing the model that Sandor brings to her, is played out in similar fashion in Ulmer's 'Bluebeard' (1944) and Jack Hill's 'Track of the Vampire' (1966). 'Dracula's Daughter' is recommended only to those interested in seeing how poorly Universal fared in following up Browning's timeless classic. --- david ross smith
'Daughter' is a B movie that plays more like a C with poor acting and two unappealing leads. Gloria Holden is visually appropriate as the title character, Zaleska, but her acting falls short of convincing, and her inappropriate delivery lacks confidence. Otto Kruger as Jeffrey Garth, the man Zaleska sees as her salvation, is simply unappealing. Irving Pichel's Sandor (Zaleska's whipping boy) is the film's only really interesting role, and Pichel is quite good; unfortunately, the character has minimal screen time, though he does play a major role in the finale (good shot, Sandor!). Bringing up the rear is Edward Van Sloan who again refuses to emote in his predictable Prof. Van Helsing role.
Overall, 'Daughter' lacks energy, the scenes lack scope, the compositions lack dynamics, and the framing is too tight (indicative of the low budget). Making matters worse, the story is mostly verbose, but limited, exposition until the finale. The subplot, concerning Countess Zaleska posing as a painter and killing the model that Sandor brings to her, is played out in similar fashion in Ulmer's 'Bluebeard' (1944) and Jack Hill's 'Track of the Vampire' (1966). 'Dracula's Daughter' is recommended only to those interested in seeing how poorly Universal fared in following up Browning's timeless classic. --- david ross smith