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House of Dracula
A complete history of the 1945 horror film, with forward by producer Paul Malvern and introduction by film star John Carradine. It contains complete original shooting script, details of the making, rare photographs, complete pressbook, and interview with film star Jane Adams.
188 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 4, 2025
A strong argument could be made that Universal Studios realized that they were making the final film in their "classic Monster" series with "House of Dracula." It was very quickly made to cash-in on the surprising financial success of "House of Frankenstein," they spent surprisingly little on its creation, the run time is very short, and the story does provide an ending for each of the ongoing Monster stories (aside from the later Abbott and Costello outings). Similarly, HOUSE OF DRACULA (UNIVERSAL FILMSCRIPTS SERIES: CLASSIC HORROR FILMS) receives a low-budget release with photographs reproduced in light-grayscale, and with typeface sometimes so light that it is initially difficult to read.
All of this is a bit saddening as the film release of "House of Dracula" had definite creative inspiration in it instead of merely rehashing "The Monster Is Loose" formula. Indeed, I would be surprised if the writers of the "Dark Shadows" daytime drama didn't borrow the idea of attempting to cure a vampire from it!
The major appeal of the book is that it provides a bit of the production history, includes the Pressbook, and the script contains moments that didn't survive to appear in the final film. (Again, that is too bad because they would have contained enhancements that would have strengthened both the story and character development.)
Whenever I watch "House of Dracula," I'm rewarded with a sense of closure. Now, I'll be watching it with a bit of wistful imagining of what it might have been.
All of this is a bit saddening as the film release of "House of Dracula" had definite creative inspiration in it instead of merely rehashing "The Monster Is Loose" formula. Indeed, I would be surprised if the writers of the "Dark Shadows" daytime drama didn't borrow the idea of attempting to cure a vampire from it!
The major appeal of the book is that it provides a bit of the production history, includes the Pressbook, and the script contains moments that didn't survive to appear in the final film. (Again, that is too bad because they would have contained enhancements that would have strengthened both the story and character development.)
Whenever I watch "House of Dracula," I'm rewarded with a sense of closure. Now, I'll be watching it with a bit of wistful imagining of what it might have been.
May 21, 2021
Really enjoyed his Universal Monsters series, and the behinds the scenes Hammer write ups were insightful.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews