The Return of the Vampire is a great little horror flick from Bela Lugosi and features some solid direction by Lew Landers, really capturing and highlighting the shadows, giving it an almost film noir vibe.
The Return of the Vampire
(1943)
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy
Shout Factory | NR – 70 min. – $27.99 | February 19, 2019
Date Published: 02/19/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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Shout Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
PLOT SYNOPSIS |
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In 1918, Armand Tesla (BELA LUGOSI), a 200-year-old Hungarian vampire, prowls the English countryside, feeding from the jugulars of the villagers. But Tesla’s reign of terror is interrupted when a pair of scientists, Lady Jane (FRIEDA INESCORT) and Sir John Ainsley (ROLAND VARNO), drive a railroad spike through his heart. The “un-dead” Tesla remains safely entombed for two decades until the impact from a stray Nazi bomb releases him. Along with his werewolf servant, Andreas Obry (MATT WILLIS), the resurrected vampire now plots vengeance on the family that put a halt to his nocturnal feasting. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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No slip cover here but there are no less than three Audio Commentaries with Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin, Author/Film Historian Gary Don Rhodes and Film Historian Troy Howarth. Also included is an Image Gallery (5:15) and Theatrical Trailer (1:06). There is also the option to watch the silent version of the film. In regards to the commentary tracks, each one obviously more on the academic side providing deep historical information on the production, direction and acting. Also available is the Silent Version (8:19) of the film. |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Shout Factory releases The Return of the Vampire onto Blu-ray through the Scream Factory line where it’s presented with a 1.33 full frame aspect ratio and has been given a 1080p high-definition transfer. Although there are many instances of dust marks which are noticeable against the darker shots, detail still was relatively sharp and black levels appear stark and the whites clear. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The movie comes with a basic but serviceable DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track. There is some minor hissing but otherwise it’s fine outputting clear dialogue levels. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, The Return of the Vampire is a great little horror flick from Bela Lugosi and features some solid direction by Lew Landers, really capturing and highlighting the shadows, giving it an almost film noir vibe. This Blu-ray release has good video and audio transfers and a decent set of bonus features. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.