SON OF DRACULA (1943)

How much you enjoy Son of Dracula depends on how willing you are to accept Lon Chaney in the role of the blood-sucking Count. I’m willing.

A common criticism of Chaney’s performance is that he’s a little too heavy for the role, which I think is a bit harsh. He’s a big man, but he’s not out of shape and his bulk gives Dracula another dimension of menace. So now, not only can he hypnotize you and bite your neck, he can also punch your lights out as well. See the scene where he throws the hapless Frank through a set of thick double doors for proof. Yes, I’m a fan of Chaney's performance in this film and am more than willing to overlook the fact that he doesn’t even try to put an accent on.

The film is set somewhere in The South. Swamp country. In the Bayou, whatever that means. A rich American woman invites the strange Count Alucard over from his homeland in Europe and before any of her friends and family can say “Internet relationships never last” she marries him! You see, she knows that he’s Dracula, and is more than happy to accept a quick bite in exchange for eternal life. In a noir-ish twist however, once bitten (don’t worry I won’t make a ‘twice shy’ pun) she double-crosses Dracula and calls on her ex-boyfriend to ‘Whack Drac’ and stake a claim for her heart (sorry). She needs him to ‘take Dracula out’. Into the sunlight, preferably.

Highlights include Alucard’s sly little look into the camera – right at the audience!!! – before he makes his entrance. And you will also have the pleasure of experiencing one of the eeriest scenes in cinematic history - the first glimpse of the newly undead Louise Albritton, resplendent with a supernatural glow and the merest trace of an unholy smile… it’s a brilliantly acted and directed set-piece. Unforgettable.

You’ll also spot the lovely Evelyn Ankers, who was Larry’s love interest in The Wolf Man.

Here, she plays the good sister, as opposed to her naughty ‘morbid’ sister.

I’ll leave you with one final thought. Is Count Alucard the son of Dracula? Or is it Dracula himself? That, dear reader, would be telling... myoohahaha! Myoohahaahahahaaaa! Myoo...cough!

THE WOLF MAN (1941)

Surely every Horror blog worth it’s salt has a review of The Wolf Man hiding somewhere?

But here’s the problem… surely ever Horror fan knows all about it anyway? You’ve all spotted the goof where the door opens twice, and you’ve already spent way too long wondering why Bela is telling fortunes minutes before a full moon when he knows he’s a werewolf… and where The Wolf Man’s boiler suit comes from… and where the family resemblance between Calude Raines and Lon Chaney Jnr is supposed to lie?

So, no need for an actual review. I’d just like to suggest, recommend, nay order you to listen to Tom Weaver’s wonderful commentary that adds so much to this timeless classic. It's my favourite Universal Horror, and one that I keep coming back to at least, oh, once a month. When the wind moans dolefully outside and the rain beats it’s weary lament ‘pon your window… AYE! and a Full Moon appears from behind yonder cloud – that’s when The Wolf Man makes his appearance!

Why do I love it so much? Well, I’m a big Larry Talbot fan. He gets a raw deal here, because he selflessly rushes to the aid of a damsel in distress, and manages to fight of a wolf bare-handed (apart from a certain silver topped can of course) – the guy’s a hero! He should be thanked profusely, receive a bravery award and have the run of all the local women. Instead, everyone thinks that ‘there’s something tragic about that young man’ and he turns into a werewolf. With the usual consequences.

But hey, maybe next time I watch it things’ll turn out better for Larry. Maybe Bela will remember what time it is, shut down the fortune-telling booth and take an early night. Maybe.

THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (1959)

"You'll come out of that laboratory looking just fine, Paul!" Says Jane to her troubled husband.

Sometimes people say things in these movies that are just tempting fate, don't they?And it’s not longer after Jane has come out with that line, that Dr Mark Sinclair explains to Jane that the radiation experiment can’t go on for ONE SECOND longer than is planned. Or Paul will be in big trouble. ‘NOT ONE SECOND!’ he repeats, just in case we don’t get it.The fact that Paul is so keen to get a massive dose of radiation from the same Doc that basically turned him into a walking handbag is also a little silly – hasn’t he seen any sci-fi flicks? Radiation is bad, and so it proves in this case unfortunately.But I’m getting ahead of myself. The story, told in flashback, is a cracker – Jane’s wife Paul does a runner on their honeymoon. Her search takes her deep into swamp territory where she meets a manic Lon Chaney with a hook for a hand – worth the price of the DVD alone.The story that unfolds is probably THE most ridiculous even amongst the cheesiest of monster movies - and the ending is just the best. From the moment Jane and the Doc start tempting fate with the phrases I mentioned above, and a drunk Lon Chaney storms into the lab, the film becomes jaw-droppingly, awesomely, hilariously, erm, stupid. And completely unmissable.In summary, probably THE best alligator-themed monster movie featuring Lon Chaney available. It gets my thumbs up.