Son of Dracula

[PNGwynne]

I can't imagine Lugosi positively as Imhotep--and The Mummy was basically a remake of Dracula tailored for Karloff. Karloff had physical aspects and an ascetic element to his mummy performance that Lugosi lacked IMO.

Maybe I should mail Tom Weaver and ask him--he's about as full of himself as I am lol.

With Son, I always think of Bram Stoker's Dracula: visually compelling, but deficient in central casting.

[hedrap]

I'm not a big fan of either Lon or Carradine as Drac. They're too American. Always felt they should have just handed the role to the Spanish Drac.

To me it's ironic that Karloff would have been the best option for Drac after Lugosi, and Bela was better suited for Im Ho Tep but it wasn't possible because of Karloff and Lugosi.

[Mikey]

I'd much rather they played the one with Harry Nilsson

[PNGwynne]

You know, I can give you that about Carradine--and I'm pretty sure he lost his moustache at the end of [I]House of Frankenstein[/I ] lol. But I think he was also limited by the scripts. He had performed as Dracula on the stage, and Son of Dracula was a more vivid, meatier role.

I can't concede that Chaney is vital or very vibrant in the role. His height makes him imposing, but his facial characteristics and diction are lacking. He can't play suave, and there's not much chemistry between him and Allbritton. She so easily betrays him--can you imagine Lee tolerating that? As Dracula, he's trying to suppress the humanity that made him so effective as Talbot or Dynamo Dan and the result is staid IMO. I wouldn't compare him with Lee, but I think Lee is somewhat over-rated as Dracula: It's a dynamic but one-note portrayal.

So, barring Chaney, whom might Universal have cast? I always wanted to see Conrad Veidt as Dracula--he was in the running against Lugosi initially--but he died in '43.

*Palitoy beat me to the suave comment as I typed.

[palitoy]

He's miscast, although I think he tries hard and I love the guy but suave ain't really his thing.

I do agree with the sentiment on Carradine though, never big on his Dracula either.

[enyawd72]

Carradine strikes me as way more birthday party magician than Dracula in House of Dracula.

LOL Werewolf...that is too funny!

Yeah, Carradine was my least favorite...he always seemed kinda like grandpa Dracula. (Pre-Munsters of course!)

[Werewolf]

I agree he is a bit ill cast as Dracula. But I feel he is still better in the role than Carradine. Carradine strikes me as way more birthday party magician than Dracula in House of Dracula. I feel Chaney does his best with the role and makes a physically imposing and threatening Dracula.

[enyawd72]

I disagree...I think it's one of the best in the Dracula series. Chaney displays a vitality and power in the role that wouldn't be seen until Christopher Lee. I especially like the scene where he first arrives at Dark Oaks following the death of Kay's father and the servant tries to turn him away. "I said announce me!"

[PNGwynne]

SPOILER: This is really a Mummy thread.

So I'm rewatching Son of Dracula on Svengooli. I like nearly everything in this film, except the casting of Chaney, Jr. He's just too stolid and one-dimensional to play the Vampire Lord. No charisma.

I keep thinking, Carradine (or Lugosi of course) would have been better. I'm not trying to start a Chaney "hate thread"--I just feel his casting really pulls down an otherwise slick, inventive film.