Schlock director Al Adamson resurrected some classic Universal monsters for this low grade monster epic. Some tall cat named Zandor Vorkov plays Dracula with his voice heavily processed with reverb. Interesting effect but probably not necessary. Dracula pays a visit to Dr. Durea who runs a carnival monster exhibit upstairs but has a fully equipped laboratory in the basement to carry out his experiments. In fact, Durea is a direct descendant of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. And we all know that the Franken-family has that overreaching desire to resurrect the dead coursing through their veins! Dracula wants Durea to perfect an elixir that will make the vampire king nearly invincible. Dracula has also recovered the original Frankenstein monster and wants it revived as well to join his legion of monsters who will bring Mankind to its knees. Vorkov plays Dracula with a psuedo-sophistication based on Adamson’s script and I can tell you that Lugosi has no reason to be concerned that his performance of the vampire is in any danger of being surpassed. Vorkov’s ring that he wears shoots lightening bolts. That’s new! The Frankenstein monster is a hulking dude who has a face that looks like a pool of dried oatmeal. Not impressive.
A lot of the trappings of the old Universal monster movies appear. Durea has a laboratory that is full of flashing lights, electrodes and sparking equipment just like Dr. Frankenstein had down in his lab. Some of the footage of lights is leftover film of the sex machine from “Horror of the Blood Monsters” (1970), another Adamson turkey. Nice. Lon Chaney Jr. is onboard and even dons a werewolf mask for a second just like he did in “The Wolfman” (1941). Otherwise, he plays a drug-induced, axe-wielding, homicidal manic who procures fresh bodies for Durea’s experiments. J. Carrol Naish plays Durea who happens to be confined to a wheelchair. He and Chaney Jr. acted together 25+ years earlier in “House of Frankenstein” (1944).
So much for Dracula reviving the Frankenstein monster, though. They have a falling out over a club singer and start brawling. Take note: This monumental confrontation happens in the LAST 10 minutes of the movie. What a rip-off! Dracula pulls the monster apart but realizes too late that the Sun is about to rise. Bad timing!
Have a go at a viewing of this generally shoddy effort. But beware that the You Tube video available is heavily pixelated and difficult to watch.
