Halloween 2020: October 11th

The Return of the Vampire (1943)

"Dracula" overshadows every facet of Bela Lugosi's career. Regardless of what sort of roles he played, audiences would always identify him with the world famous vampire. Which is sort of funny when you think about it because, officially, Lugosi only ever played the Count on-screen twice. I say "officially" because, on several occasions, Lugosi would star in several pseudo-Dracula movies. His role in 1935's "Mark of the Vampire" directly depended on audience's knowledge of him as Dracula. 1943's "The Return of the Vampire" would see Lugosi stepping into the role of another very Dracula-like figure. Some sources even report that the Columbia film began life as a "Dracula" sequel before Universal's lawyers gave them a call. Whether that's true or not, "Return of the Vampire" was obviously an attempt to cash-in on Lugosi's most beloved role.

In the 1910s, a clinic in London was beset by a vampire and his werewolf henchman. The head of the clinic determined that Armand Tesla, a professor in the occult whose obsession led him to becoming undead, was the bloodsucker. He was quickly staked through the heart and the werewolf, a man named Andreas, reverted to a human form. Thirty years later, as the Blitz drops bombs on England, Tesla's grave is disturbed. The vampire awakens again, Andreas drawn back into his hairy thrall. Now Tesla stalks the daughter of the woman who staked him in the prior decade.

"Return of the Vampire" is a forties horror movie. Which means one thing: Fog and lots of it. Yes, the film features more than its share of classic horror atmosphere. Tesla and Andreas stalk through mist-strewn cemeteries. Gravediggers talk while fog floats around their ankles. Huge shadows, of cape-clad villains, are cast on the wall. Heroes and villains tangle in darken back allies. In one moment, the fog even floats into a home as Tesla attempts to seduce Lady Jane's daughter. As an aficionado of this style of filmmaking, I can certainly enjoy "Return of the Vampire." However, the film definitely doesn't have the same Expressionistic ambiance, that dream-like feeling, as Universal's contemporary monster movies. It's a nice try, a decent imitation, but not quite on the same level.  

While the Universal Monster movies had both great atmosphere and memorable characters, "Return of the Vampire" can only boast the former. Frieda Inescort as Lady Jane is not especially compelling. She speaks blankly through most of her scenes, making for a uniformly dull protagonist. The supporting cast, Jane's daughter and to-be son-in-law, are both complete snores that never come to life. As for Lugosi, there's little of the sinister intonation, the mythic quality, the hint of melancholy that made his Dracula great. Lugosi is largely going through the motions here. Meanwhile, Matt Willis is unusually verbose for a werewolf. A scene where he talks extensively with Tesla inside the tomb feels viscerally wrong to me. Werewolves should not be that eloquent. 

On paper, "Return of the Vampire" has a lot of interesting ideas. This is a monster movie explicitly set during World War II. It features Lugosi basically reprising his most famous role and, due to that Renfield-like werewolf sidekick, also qualifies as a monster mash. Instead, the film rarely brings these elements together in a satisfying manner. Aside from the beginning and the very end – where the Luftwaffe provides a sloppy deus ex machina – the war subplot rarely comes into play. When Tesla and Andreas do tangle, the werewolf is strictly in human form. This leaves only a handful of scenes to please the classic horror nerd. Such as a pretty cool confrontation between Jane and Tesla by a piano. Or the vampire's melty final fate. 

This marks the second time I've seen “Return of the Vampire.” The first time was years ago, during AMC's MonsterFest where it aired alongside most of the other classics. Back then, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the film. Considering the maturity that comes with age, I figured the film deserved a second shot. Disappointingly, my impression of  “Return of the Vampire” remains largely the same. Columbia and director Lew Landers – previously of “The Raven” and a hundred forgotten westerns – made a decent attempt of copying the Universal style but couldn't replicate the heart and soul of Browning's “Dracula.” [6/10]

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999)

“Wishmaster” was produced for five million dollars and grossed 15 million at the box office. That's a pretty good return on anyone's investment. Following the resurgence of the slasher genre after “Scream's” success, horror franchises were suddenly a thing once again. And so, “Wishmaster” would spawn a sequel. Granted, the Djinn was not deemed impressive enough to return to theaters. “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies” would premiere on HBO in 1999, heading to home video shortly afterwards. As if to guarantee the follow-up would be decent, Jack Sholder – previously of decent flicks like “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2,” “The Hidden,” and “Alone in the Dark” – would direct. 

Following the time switch-a-roo ending of the first “Wishmaster,” the nefarious Djinn is back in his fire opal. A group of art thieves, including a woman named Morgana, sneak into the museum. They are caught by security guards and a shoot-out ensues. In the chaos, the statue containing the jewel is cracked open, freeing the Djinn once again. With a quest to consume a thousand and one souls, the human disguised Djinn willingly goes to jail in Morgana's place. She remains linked with the demon. Seeking help from her priest ex-boyfriend, Morgana attempts to figure out exactly what's going on and how she can stop the Djinn before it is too late.

While the first “Wishmaster” was a very silly film, the subject matter was treated sort of seriously. The sequel, meanwhile, leans much more into the comedy. By dropping the Wishmaster into a crowded prison, the cackling villain is surrounded by straight men. Unlike anyone in the first film, the tough guy prisoners are baffled by his bizarre behavior. One amusing wish involves a convict's two martial artist buddies turning on him, to the surprise and confusion of everyone present. At one point, the Djinn engineers a literal interpretation of telling someone to go fuck themselves.... Which, amusingly, the film depicts right on-screen. If that scene didn't make it apparent, “Wishmaster 2” is pretty gay too. There's so much macho bluster and some totally unnecessary usage of the F-slur. The homo-eroticism is blatant enough that when Tiny Lister, as a sadistic prison guard, asks the Wishmaster if he wanted to “dance,” I half-expected him to mean it literally.

Andrew Divoff's Djinn is a silly character, something the sequel runs with more than the original. His toothy grin, weird manner of speech, and constant bizarre question makes him an eccentric weirdo. Divoff's performance focuses more on that than any sort of creepiness. His twisted wish fulfillments are also essentially jokes. This becomes very obvious in the film's climax. The Wishmaster goes wild in a casino. A roulette wheel sprouts spikes and goes rolling around. A blackjack shuffler shoots cards out at a deadly pace. This builds to a mass of cards exploding through a dealer's abdomen. The guy at the slot machine has tumors growing out of his body, for no particular reason. Sholder knows these gags are obviously ridiculous. Because he attaches the camera to the whirling roulette wheel of death and has the old lady at the craps table literally crap out a pile of gold coins. It's gorier, far more absurd, and much more entertaining than any of the special effects scenes from the first “Wishmaster.”

“Wishmaster 2” also has more compelling characters than the first one. Granted, this is not saying much, as the original film's cast was totally dull. Holly Fields is pretty cute as Morgana, sporting a quasi-goth girl fashion sense. While her traumatic past is still un-involving, at least it's not some vague event in her past. She's feeling guilty over shooting a guy in the first scene. She also has a mildly interesting relationship with her preacher ex-boyfriend. Naturally, the two of them are tempted to get back together throughout, creating some sort of dynamic I can get into. Fields and Paul Johansson have decent chemistry. For the record, Andrew Divoff is just as hammy this time as in the first but it's better utilized here. 

Save for a limp middle section inexplicably involving Russian gangsters, “Wishmaster 2” rolls along at a decent pace. By leaning into the comedy inherent in the ridiculous premise, and upping the over-the-top gore,  “Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies” manages to be a considerable improvement over the first. Jack Sholder has had ambivalent things to say about the sequel, and it's certainly not as good as his other horror films, but I think he absolutely did the best he could. “Wishmaster 2” is still direct-to-video horror trash but it's the kind of direct-to-video horror trash I can vibe with. [7/10]

Freddy's Nightmares: Freddy's Tricks and Treats

Turning Freddy Krueger into a TV horror host seemed like a natural decision. Robert Englund's lovable performances had made the depraved child murderer a fan favorite. That's the kind of over-sized personality suited to talking directly to the audience. The series was plagued with a lot of problems, most of which I recounted last year when I reviewed the pilot. A big one was that fans were disappointed that Freddy usually only presented the stories. “Freddy's Trick or Treats” is another one of the rare episodes where Freddy himself interacts with the segment's plots. Moreover, it's also a Halloween episode, so it only seemed right for me to give this show another chance, even if I didn't really like the episode I reviewed last year. 

As with every episode of “Freddy's Nightmares,” “Freddy's Tricks & Tricks” contains two linked segments. The first concerns Marsha, a med student who was abused by her grandmother as a kid. This has left her deathfully afraid of intimacy, much to the frustration of her male friend, Mark. He encourages her to go to a Halloween party but instead she studies at the morgue. She drifts off to sleep and has a dream about Freddy, her grandma, and Mark. In the next segment, a psych student named Zack has designed a machine that can record dreams. Meg is his test subject and she's still being pursued by Freddy. Zack pushes the experiment further in his pursuit of results, endangering both himself and Meg. 

“Freddy's Tricks and Treats” might be one of the better episodes of “Freddy's Nightmares.” Which still isn't saying much. The constant attempts at jump scares, especially in the first half, are often annoying. Though I adore hearing Freddy crack hammy one-liners, the jokes here are lame and disruptive. A sequence in the second half, where he tangles Meg up in wires, feels especially weak. The first segment also ends on a lame twist. Having said that, this episode does have a likable protagonist in the shape of Meg. Mariska Hargitay – who would actually go on to a decent career – gives a solid performance. Moreover, her abusive childhood actually makes this episode thematically similar to the original “Elm Street” films. The Halloween atmosphere is also mildly interesting. The second lacks that and isn't as strong, though it does feature more nightmare/stalking sequences. There's also a gag involving a skeleton poking someone's eyes out that I liked. “Freddy's Tricks & Treats” is still as washed-out and desperate feeling as the rest of the show but probably stands as one of the series' better hours. [6/10]

Forever Knight: Last Knight

After three years, we are at the final episode of “Forever Knight.” A friend of Natalie commits suicide but leaves an extensive note to her close companion. In despair, Natalie begs Nick to turn her into a vampire but he refuses. On the same night, an unhinged man gets loose in the police station. Nick and Tracy corner the guy but, after she gets a peek at Nick's true vampiric nature, Tracy is fatally shot. Nick goes to LaCroix for guidance but he's leaving town soon. That night, Natalie talks Nick into trying the method of becoming human Janette previously told him about in “The Human Factor.” Spoiler alert for a twenty-five year old TV show: It doesn't work. Nick drinks too much of Natalie's blood, killing her. Broken, Nick asks LaCroix to end his existence. Rising a pointed staff above his grieving friend's head, LaCroix seemingly grants his wish. 

After a whole season of downbeat endings, “Forever Knight” wraps up on maybe the most depressing conclusion the show writers could've conceived. Yes, the show ends with almost all of its main characters dead. Nick and Natalie aren't even given the dignity of a hero's send-off. Her choice to have Nick bite her feels impulsive and out-of-character. Nick, meanwhile, commits suicide in despair and shame. If his goal throughout the show was to atone for his centuries of evil acts, he undoubtedly fails. I didn't even like Tracy Vickers that much but her death also feels unnecessarily mean-spirited. This isn't a natural conclusion to the story's various arcs. Instead, it feels like the writers were motivated solely by the desire to create an ending the show couldn't come back from. They were determined to make “Forever Knight's” cancellation stick this time.

I wish the bleak ending was the only reason to dislike “Last Knight.” The series finale is also partially a clip show. As Nick looks back on the failures of his life, he flashes back to events from past episodes. (Though this also includes a pretty funny montage of Nick biting people.) Geraint Wyn Davies directed this one too. Though many of the episodes he directed were decent, far too much of this one is composed of Nick and Natalie standing around and talking. No wonder fans were pissed off back in 1996. I knew it was coming and I'm still pretty bummed out by it. Instead of giving anyone a satisfying resolution, or bringing any of the show's on-going plots to a proper conclusion, “Last Knight” just tosses everyone into the abyss. [5/10]

“Forever Knight” did not prove to be my favorite series to re-watch. As a kid, I really enjoyed this show. In retrospect, I realize that I mostly just remembered the cool vampire stuff. Too often, “Forever Knight” was just a regular cop show with a cool gimmick that it didn't utilize nearly enough. The stand-alone plots were often forgettable and the program rarely rose above the then-standards for crook-of-the-week cop shows. The show was at its best when it utilized its lovable cast of characters. With the big cast shake-ups in season three, the series couldn't even rely on that as much. Though its fan base was once so devoted, it brought the show back from cancellation twice, “Forever Knight' has mostly been forgotten in cult television history. Even if it arguably invented the very popular vampire detective concept, the series has been eclipsed by what came afterwards. Looking back on it, “Forever Knight” was a mildly interesting show, sometimes entertaining, occasionally lovable, but often forgettable.