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:

Nina comes to cell in the dungeon of Frankenstein’s castle. She starts searching for the key to open the cell. Halsey tells her to hurry, Dracula is planning to use Talbot to channel the energy to recharge the Frankenstein Monster and then the Springfield Death Ray. Nina finds the key and opens the door. The two of them rush out of the room.

FINAL CHAPTER: DRACULA’S END

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 coming off of the creature’s electrodes. Dracula fires his gun, 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.

Down in the village of Valaria, the townspeople look up at the flashing lights from the castle in consternation. Many are starting to think the man from the pub had been right to be worried about what was going on in castle. Others say that his idea of blowing up the dam was wrong as it would destroy the village as well as the castle. Someone asks where he is, no one seems to know. The man they are talking about is on the dam, planting a large stack of dynamite on it. Once done, he lights a long fuse and hurries away.

The Monster, feeling himself at full power gets up off the table, snapping his straps like tissue paper. Dracula commands him to lay back down so he can recharge the Death Ray. The Monster stalks toward Dracula menacingly. The vampire realizes too late that at full power Frankenstein’s creation cannot be controlled. Dracula is backed into a corner, where the Monster pulls some loose beams free, causing part of the ceiling and wall to collapse on top of the vampire, burying him.

Miliza comes out of her trance. Seeing the scene before her, she screams. The Monster, becoming aware of her, grabs the frightened woman and starts to carry her off. While this has been going on no one has noticed that the full moon rose and Talbot is now a werewolf. Snapping his own straps, the Wolf Man leaps on the back of the Monster, causing him to drop Miliza as the two creatures grapple with each other.

Milza hears Raymond calling for help. As the fight continues on around her, she finds the injured secret agent, and helping him to his feet, carries him out of the lab. They run into Halsey and Nina. After explaining how Dracula is dead and the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster are fighting to the death in the lab, they all four make their way out of the castle.

Back in the lab the two combatants have destroyed most the repaired equipment and furniture in the room. The Monster motions to the werewolf to do his worst. Snarling defiantly, the Wolf Man leaps at the Monster. As the two try to strangle each other, the dynamite explodes, destroying the dam.

Some rubble in the corner of the lab moves and the resilient Dracula emerges from the pile of wood and stone. Seeing the two creatures locked in a death struggle, he decides it is time to take his leave of the place. Turning toward a window, his eye open wide in horror. A massive torrent of water hits the castle carrying everyone and everything in it over a cliff, missing the village below.

While Nina holds up Raymond, Miliza buries her head in Halsey’s chest and cries over the sight of her husband’s death. Halsey tries to comfort her, saying that Talbot couldn’t have lived locked up forever and may have preferred it this way, he died trying to protect her. Miliza says she knows that and looks up at Halsey with gratitude for his understanding.

THE END