MY
SON THE VAMPIRE (1952)Director: John Gilling
Image Entertainment
MY
SON THE VAMPIRE (1952)From the start, let me just say "thank God for companies like Image." Due to the lethargic attitudes of the major DVD studios, we cannot get older Bela Lugosi romps such as MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (from Warner) or RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE (from Columbia). I wonder if the folks in charge of release schedules even know that they own these titles? Okay, I've made my initial point, so let us move on...
As a child I had one of the most robust laughfests of my life while watching MY SON THE VAMPIRE on a Saturday afternoon in the early 70s. I must caution you, however, that as an adult today much of what I found so hilarious back then is lost on me now. While I still find a grin or two inching up my face here and there, this British horror/comedy doesn't really work all the time.
The way Bela Lugosi became involved in the production of this movie is certainly interesting, if a bit sad. In the early 50s, the Hungarian actor was down on his luck once again and sat by the non-ringing phone awaiting offers for work. So in 1951 Bela fell back on his signature persona as Dracula and wound up going to England to revive a stage play of Bram Stoker's literary classic. DRACULA opened in June '51 at the Theatre Royal in Brighton but was a flop and ultimately closed down in no time at all. Bela and his wife Lillian then found themselves penniless and stranded in England with no way home.
It was then that Richard Gordon intervened and tried to raise enough cash to at least pay for tickets to get the Lugosis sailing on their way back to the United States. He got in touch with Renown pictures, who had produced a long-running comedy series of films starring comedian Arthur Lucan in drag as bumblingOld Mother Riley. These comedies had been running for some 15 years and were, much like Bela Lugosi, on the way out. But Richard Gordon was somehow able to convince the studio heads that Bela's participation in a new Mother Riley picture might provide the shot in the arm that everyone involved needed.
Originally released in England in 1952 as OLD MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE and later as VAMPIRE OVER LONDON, the plot made use of Bela's Dracula image and featured him as a criminal bent on world domination, but not a true vampire. He sleeps in a coffin and infrequently likes to run around in a cape, but generally only pretends to be a genuine bloodsucker. He intends to build an army of 50,000 robots to assist him in his mad scheme, but in a funny moment sheepishly admits that so far he's only built "er...one..." when asked by his collaborator how he's making out. To achieve his goal, Lugosi needs uranium, and the map he requires to locate it is in the hands of woman whom Bela's thugs kidnap. Trouble starts when the robot gets shipped to Mrs. Riley instead of Bela, and the old Irish washwoman winds up crossing paths with Lugosi as a result of the mix-up.
Arthur Lucan is funny some of the time, but for horror fans, the real treat is seeing Bela Lugosi in great form for his advancing years, actually giving it all he's got and seemingly enjoying himself doing it. If you are aware of what to expect going into the movie, some fun can be squeezed out of it.
Though Bela might have believed that his career was on the rise again (as witnessed by his enthusiasm for the project in an interview aboard a ship just after completion of the film) his fortune would remain grim; this film was not released in America for eleven more years, long after the actor's death. The title was changed to MY SON THE VAMPIRE to feature a silly title song by then popular parodist Allan Sherman. Still in all, this is probably Lugosi's most decent 50s flick.
Previous copies of MY SON THE VAMPIRE left much to be desired. The DVD edition is full of spots and scratches, but it's the best-looking presentation I've ever seen nevertheless. It is a sure bet that we'll never see this title looking any better, and one should simply be thankful that it is available AT ALL. It is essential viewing for Lugosiphiles, but casual fans might do best to proceed with a little caution and an open mind. The audio on the disc is acceptable for what it is.
A short trailer is included too, but I've seen a better (and longer) one in my travels. Also, it's a pity that the aforementioned 1952 ship interview with Lugosi was not included as a bonus, since it perfectly captures Bela's upbeat attitude regarding the newly finished film. He believed that the movie "will sell in America especially." Oh, well...Bela was never one to know what was best for his career. For those of you interested in seeing this interview, it is featured as an extra on The Roan Group's excellent and required DVD of Bela's 1932 cult classic, WHITE ZOMBIE. (Joe Lozowsky)