Bela is Armand Tesla, a vampire who preys on England during the First World War, with the help of his werewolf slave. Two intrepid humans stake Tesla, freeing the werewolf in the process. But when the Germans blitz London, Tesla is revived. He re-enslaves his werewolf, and seeks not only blood but revenge.
Here's the trailer:
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The Good: Bela was a great actor, and he loved doing it. He WAS the idea of a vampire that most people had, even now to an extent. Also, Columbia hired some great supporting players.
The Bad: This would have been pretty familiar territory for Lugosi. He only officially played Dracula twice: once in 1931 and again in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. But as Hollywood historian David Skal has pointed out, Armand Tesla is basically Dracula in everything but name. You could look at Return of the Vampire as an unofficial sequel to Dracula. Columbia also took a cue from Universal with the werewolf character, who is clearly modeled on Lon Chaney Jr. in The Wolf Man. The actor even looks like Chaney.
The Ugly: The ending. Not because it's badly filmed, it's just never pretty when sunlight and vampires meet.
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