Sadly Over-hyped

Crappy film

Blistering performances.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Tod Browning's and Bela Lugosi's Dracula (1931) is my favourite of the Universal monster classics. this sequel, starring the beautiful Gloria Holden in her first leading role, doesn't quite measure up to the former but has its own charms it's likely to be the first lesbian or bisexual vampire film ever made; though censors from the Production Code Administration made certain that Countess Zaleska's sapphic inclinations are not overt, it's still fairly obvious whom she prefers. this is also the first film to my awareness to feature the reluctant vampire trope, à la Anne Rice's and Brad Pitt's Louis de Pointe du Lac, with Holden's performance seemingly made more poignant by her displeasure at being assigned the role — i guess auditioning worked differently in the 1930s the acting, setting designs and filming all have the look and feel of a stage play. the film's alluring string-heavy score is composed by Heinz Roemheld, music supervisor of Dracula and uncredited composer of the stock music used in Werewolf of London, Reefer Madness and about a hundred other films i'd love to see this movie remade with more emphasis on the titular character's sexuality — let her leave two puncture marks on the breasts of her victims rather than in the jugular — and the ending rewritten and brought up to date. i like the film as it is, though, and recommend it for fans of Dracula and other Universal Studios classics. be sure to bring the kiddies!

Pleasant surprise. I expected horror in 30's style and got decent drama instead. This movie is not similar to most of the classic horrors from that era. It's just an hour long, there's very little action and no special effects at all. Nothing spectacular, but very enjoyable to watch. It has good atmosphere and it is not tiring at all. I really enjoyed it and, however silly it could sound, I think it's better than famous Dracula from 1931, which is direct prequel to this movie (Daughter begins with ending scene of Dracula).7,5/10

Draculas Daughter its perhaps one of the most underrated gems in horror history, its great at creating atmospheric, chilling and intense scenes.The film picks up right after Dracula (1931) ended, with Von Helsing having just killed Dracula, hes arrested by the murder of Dracula, Von Helsing its the only character from the first movie that returns, Edward Van Sloans acting its improved here.Our new vampire is Contessa Marya Zeleska, shes as good as Lugosi was in the first movie, at first she only wants to be a normal person, but as the movie goes on you start realizing how obsessed she is with being normal that makes her do evil deeds, and that makes her a villain.Overall, the film its really enjoyable, great acting from both the main characters and the rest of the cast, great atmosphere and its also a bit intense at times.

Dracula'S DAUGHTER occupies a fairly unique niche in the world of Universal Monster horror. It was not long after this film was made that Carl Laemle (overseer of Universal's golden age) was ousted from the studio. There is a pretty clear demarcation between the Uni monster movies made during his era and those that would come afterward. The later sequels were really "reboots", made up of new characters and new settings using the same monsters or themes. Under Laemle's supervision the studio created Dracula, FRANKENSTEIN and THE MUMMY and really just two sequels. In '35, the released THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and its' success led to this movie a year later. They would be much different than the later sequels in that they were direct sequels with many of the same characters and actors that were featured in the originals.Sadly, this movie doesn't come close to the majesty of Dracula or the sequel that precipitated it BRIDE OF FRANK. The movie picks up immediately after the events of Dracula, with the police discovering the vampire's corpse and Van Helsing. Soon after, Drac's daughter shows up to steal his corpse and set his soul free, then commences on her own reign of terror. Along the way, she meets a psychiatrist, who she is convinced can free her from her curse and in that storyline we get the main impetus of the plot.There are several noteworthy things about this movie. 1) The countess has a human medium named Sandor, who has been promised eternal life and, in exchange, watches over her during the day. To my knowledge, this is the first real use of this horror archetype that would become a staple of the vampire genre in both movies and literature. Of course, much has been made of the lesbian subtext, as well. 2) Another vampire pattern that seems to start here is the idea of the "tortured soul". Before this vampires were always beings of pure evil, with no empathy invoked in the audience. This is one of the first examples created of the vampire lamenting their fate and seeking to escape the curse of eternal life. 3) This movie borrows from Bram Stoker's unused chapter DRACULA'S GUEST, as well as the CARMILLA story. By featuring a woman vampire who preys on other women (and touches on the sexuality between them), we get the blueprint for much of what would come later in many lesbian vampire movies, including the Ingrid Pitt movies from Hammer.Those are just museum curiosities, though, and historical relevance does not equate to entertainment. I, personally, find this one of the least interesting of the entire Universal monster catalog. Except for the intro and finale pieces, there is little atmosphere or mood invoked. Most of the action takes place in parlors, with characters discussing things. While this is very common in early cinema, Universal was typically better at creating worlds for their monsters to inhabit. The vampire herself never feels very threatening or scary and except for one scene (when Sandor brings her home a midnight snack) there is really very little horror here, at all.There are many who praise this film as an unheralded treasure and, naturally, those in the homosexual community who view it as an early champion. As a lover of the Universal monsters, who has seen pretty much the entire catalog, I can tell you that you can do better on a dark Saturday night.