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:

In the World Peace Organization Miller walks into Hawkins’ office saying that he has just gotten word from their agent Frank Raymond. Dracula has gotten control of the Frankenstein Monster and is going to use him to power up the Springfield Death Ray. But since the Monster is in a weakened state he will have to be recharged first. The only way to do that is with the machines at Dr. Frankenstein’s castle. Raymond; along with Prof. Halsey, the Talbots, and Nina, who had befriended the Monster, are on their way there now to try and stop Count Dracula.

CHAPTER EIGHT: SURPRISE ATTACK

Steinmuhl, who is looking through a telescope, says that a car is coming up the mountain. Dracula takes a look through the telescope and recognizes the car’s occupants. It is the Talbots, along with Raymond, Halsey and Nina. He smiles wickedly and rolls the Springfield Death Ray to the window saying it should have just enough power to take care of them. Pointing the Death Ray at a nearby mountain range he fires it, and dislodges tons of rock, causing an avalanche.

Miliza sees the avalanche and screams. Everyone looks and sees the impending doom rushing at them. Unable to outrace the falling rocks, everyone jumps out while the car continues on up the road. The tumbling boulders descend on the empty car and carry it over a cliff, bury it under massive amounts of rubble.

The group surveys the tons of rock and dirt in front of them and quickly come to the conclusion that the road is completely blocked, Frankenstein’s castle is now sealed off from the outside world. Nina asks if this means that the danger is over and Dracula has trapped himself. Raymond voices doubt that the vampire would be so easily defeated. Left with nothing else to do, the five heroes begin the long journey back down the mountain on foot to the village of Vasaria.

Back up at the castle Dracula makes a thorough survey of the damaged equipment and then makes a list of parts for Steinmuhl to order so that he can bring the generators back on line to power the Frankenstein Monster. Steinmuhl asks how he is supposed to do that since Dracula blocked the road down the mountain. The vampire laughs condescendingly and tells his assistant that if he had any intelligence he would know that the road wouldn’t have been barricaded if there wasn’t more than one way to get down the mountain.

Some days pass as the heroes try to figure out what their next move should while staying in the Vasaria hotel. Everyone except Raymond attend the Festival of the New Wine. During the festival one of the villagers sings the song “Faro-La, Faro-Li” and unfortunately directs the line “May they live eternally!” directly at Talbot. The lycanthrope over reacts and disrupts the festivities by screaming about how no one would want to live forever and demanding to know why the man said that to him. After Miliza has calmed her husband down, the villagers give the group of visitors a wide berth.

A bundled up Raymond comes up to their table and sits down. Motioning everyone to pull in closer, he tells how he has been in contact with other WPO members who have been keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. A man matching Steinmuhl’s description was seen ordering a vast array of mechanical and electrical parts. Halsey excitedly blurts out that Dracula must be planning to rebuild the generators and power up the Frankenstein Monster. Raymond and Talbot quickly shush him in case the villagers overhear, the Monster still being a taboo topic in the village. Raymond says that the shipment arrives tomorrow and that the three men should be there to greet Steinmuhl. Talbot and Halsey agree.

The next morning Steinmuhl arrives bright and early at the shipping office in a large wagon. Entering the main office he passes a few pleasantries with the man behind the counter before asking about his delivery. Just then Talbot, Halsey and Raymond come up from behind different boxes and surround the startled man. They start to question him and he calls for help. A loud crash brings everyone’s attention to the door which was just smashed open by the Frankenstein Monster who had been in the back of the wagon. The three men back away in fear as the Monster approaches them, his hands clenching and unclenching in anticipation of killing them.

NEXT WEEK-CHAPTER NINE: WATERY GRAVE