Bela Lugosi playing a vampire. What's not to like?In Edwardian England, two scientists, Lady Jane Ainsley and Doctor Saunders, investigate an attack and realize it's the work of a vampire, Armand Tesla. They stake the vampire, allow his wolfman slave to return to normal.
Twenty-three years later, Doctor Saunders is killed in a plane crash and his notes on the incident come to the attention of Scotland Yard. Lady Jane has to explain their actions to Sir Frederick, including producing the impaled body of the vampire.
Unfortunately, this is during the Blitz, and the graveyard where they left the body has been bombed- and the graveyard's caretakers remove what they think is a piece of shrapnel, allowing Tesla to come back to life.
Tesla returns to take his revenge on Lady Jane's son, the fiancee of Doctor Saunders' granddaughter.
The Return of the Vampire is Lugosi doing prime menace, but matched by Lady Jane's resourcefulness and determination.
The effects are pretty good for the era, especially the wolfman transformation.
Lady Jane is a pretty good match for Tesla as a female counterpart to Van Helsing.
It's not often I think there should be a sequel to something, but I would have loved to have seen Lady Jane match wits with Tesla again.
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