Son of Dracula is a 1943 Universal Horror film directed by Robert Siodmak. The second sequel to the studio's 1931 Dracula (following Dracula's Daughter), it abandons the continuity from the previous films and takes a number of its cues from the original Bram Stoker novel.
Set around New Orleans, the film opens with certain Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.) arriving at the Dark Oaks plantation. He was invited by one Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), who plans to become immortal with his help...
The next Universal film to feature the Dracula character would be the Monster Mash House of Frankenstein. Not to be confused with the 1974 film Son of Dracula starring Harry Nilsson and Ringo Starr.
This film features the examples of:
- Alucard: The Trope Namer; this film introduced the name Alucard.
- The Big Easy: Possibly the Ur-Example of New Orleans' creepy Gothic atmosphere being used in vampire fiction.
- Bittersweet Ending: Dracula has been defeated and the world has been saved. But rather than join her as the undead, Frank chooses to burn Katherine and her coffin.
- Burn Baby Burn: Frank destroys Dracula by burning his coffin.
- Cobweb Jungle: On the opening titles.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Katherine plans to marry Dracula solely to become a vampire, before killing him and making Frank a vampire too. This feels very much like a scenario where a woman marries a man she doesn't love for his riches with the plot of killing him so she can marry rich with her lover.
- Ethnic Menial Labor: Okay, granted it's set on a plantation near New Orleans, probably around the time it was released.
- Expy: Prof. Lazlo is the foreign replacement for Prof. Van Helsing.
- Femme Fatale: Katherine is a pretty ruthless example. She would even screw over the Prince of Darkness himself to achieve her selfish goals!
- Immortality Immorality: Katherine, who has thanatophobia (a fear of death), wants to turn Frank and herself into vampires so they could live forever.
- Immune to Bullets: When Frank tries to shoot Dracula, his bullets go through him and hit Katherine, who is behind him.
- Inheritance Murder: The Count kills Colonel Caldwell so Katherine can inherit Dark Oaks.
- Leitmotif: Dracula has his own whenever he appears.
- Magical Romani: Played straight by Queen Zimba, a mystic who lives on the Dark Oaks grounds. She tries to warn Katherine that her plans will lead to evil consequences. The Count hears this, leading to Queen Zimba becoming the film's first victim.
- Marrying the Mark: Katherine's plan is to marry Dracula, and kill him after he has turned her into a vampire.
- Negative Continuity: There's nothing to indicate that this movie is in continuity with other Universal Dracula movies.
- Non-Indicative Name: It is not actually stated that the Dracula in question is the original's son; he might be the count himself.
- At one point Prof. Lazlo speculates that Alucard is a decendant of Dracula.
- Our Vampires Are Different: If they are hit by sunlight, they turn into skeletons.
- Staking the Loved One: Frank burns Katherine's sleeping corpse in the end.
- The Starscream: Katherine has planned from the beginning to let Alucard vampirize her, then have Frank kill him — then vampirize Frank.
- Super Smoke: Vampires can turn themselves into mist in this film.
- Swamps Are Evil: Dracula hides in the bayou.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: Katherine plans to get rid of Dracula after they get married.
- Villainous Breakdown: Dracula upon realizing that Frank has burned his grave.
- Voluntary Shape Shifting: This is the first vampire film to have onscreen bat-transformations.
- Waking Up at the Morgue: Katherine, when her body is moved there.
- The X of Y
