Todd’s Serial Blog

DRACULA RETURNS: A UNIVERSAL SERIAL IN 13 CHAPTERS

Producer: Morgan B. Cox
Director: Lewis D. Collins
Photography: Gus Peterson
Script: Joseph Polland
Paul Huston
Barry Shipman
Music: Charles Previn
Make Up: Bud Westmore

Cast:

Larry Talbot: Lon Chaney, Jr.
Miliza Talbot: Martha O’Driscoll
Count Dracula: Bela Lugosi
Frank Raymond: Milburn Stone
Jack Halsey: Dennis Moore
Steinmuhl: Skelton Knaggs
The Frankenstein Monster: Glenn Strange
Kharis, The Mummy: Tom Tyler
Nina: Jane Adams
Inspector Krohl: Harry Cording
Hawkins: C. Montague Shaw
Miller: Edward Keene
Dr. Matthews: Bryon Foulger
Maleva: Maria Ouspenskaya

RECAP:

Washington, D.C., at the offices of the World Peace Organization, Hawkins enters the office of Miller and asks the other man what has happened with the Dracula case. Miller explains that their agent Raymond, who is invisible, has gone with Miliza and Nina to Frankenstein’s castle to both prevent Dracula from recharging the Frankenstein Monster to use to recharge the Springfield Death Ray as well as rescue Miliza’a husband Larry Talbot and Prof. Halsey, who are prisoners of the vampire. Hawkins says he hopes they are successful. Miller agrees.

CHAPTER TWELVE: DRACULA’S SUCCESS

Miliza comes to the dungeon and after a tearful reunion with her husband separated by bars, she tells them that Raymond is trying to destroy the Death Ray. Halsey asks about Nina and is told that they had become separated in the dark. Milza discovers that there are no keys for the door there. She will have to hunt for them. Talbot tells her to hurry because there will be a full moon that night and Halsey is in danger.

Meanwhile Nina has become hopelessly lost. Rounding a bend she is surprised to run into Steinmuhl. Steinmuhl recovers himself first and grabs the startled girl before she can get away. Steinmuhl says he remembered her as the nurse who assisted Dr. Eddleman and must have helped him kill Steinmuhl’s brother. Pulling out a wicked looking knife he tells Nina that he is going to kill her. Nina screams.

As Steinmuhl prepares to thrust his knife into Nina’s chest she begs for him to hear what she has to say. Steinmuhl agrees but says it will make no difference. Nina tells Steinmuhl that when Dracula had come to Dr. Eddleman’s clinic he said it was to be cured of his vampirism, but that had been a lie. Dracula really wanted Miliza and during a blood transfusion to cure the vampire, he had hypnotized Nina not to interfere while he switched the direction of the transfusion, causing Dr. Eddleman to become a partial vampire. It is his master who is really responsible for his brother’s death. Steinmuhl realizes he has been duped by Dracula. He hands a set of keys to Nina and tells her how to get to the dungeon, then heads out to find Dracula.

Dracula has finished with his repairs and has the Monster strapped down to one of the tables and hooks several wires to the creature’s electrodes. Dracula, talking to the Monster, tells him that in order to be properly powered up they will need a human to channel the energy and he has just the person in mind.

Leaving the lab he runs into the frantic Miliza, using his hypnotic powers, the vampire puts her under his spell and decides to put her in the lab. As he is taking her there Steinmuhl comes upon him and accuses his former master of duplicity. Dracula admits his responsibility for the other man’s brother’s death and dismisses Steinmuhl as an insignificant worm he has no further use for. Enraged, Steinmuhl attacks Dracula. With hardly any effort Dracula strangles his former lackey with one hand and then casually tosses him down a flight of stone stairs.

Nina, who has gotten turned around several times finally makes it to the dungeon, both men are frantic for her to release them, but just then they hear someone approaching. Nina hides. Dracula comes into the room. He pulls out a gun, saying Steinmuhl will have no further use for it. He tells Talbot that he has Miliza and if the lycanthrope wants her to remain safe, he will do as Dracula commands. Talbot reluctantly agrees. Dracula unlocks the cell door with his own set of keys and has Talbot come with him to the lab.

When they are at the lab Talbot is horrified to find his wife in a trance. Dracula motions him to the other lab table and after Talbot has laid down, straps him in. Looking over at the Monster, Dracula sees some of the wires magically coming undone from the creature’s electrodes. Dracula fires his gun in a tight circle around the empty area, hitting Raymond, who cries out in pain and lands with a loud thud behind the table. Dracula roughly kicks him out of the way and reattaches the wires.

After attaching wires to Talbot, Dracula fires up the machines. Both Talbot and the Monster start to shake and quiver from the energy passing through them. The Monster slowly opens his eyes and as his power starts returning to him, smiles evilly.

NEXT WEEK-FINAL CHAPTER: DRACULA’S END