Interestingly enough this is a remake of the infamous lost movie ‘LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT‘ starring Lon Chaney and is directed by Tod Browning who also directed ‘MIDNIGHT’, with LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT. I have seen the version you are all probably familiar with, the TCM Still cut, oh well at least we can view it in some form I guess. So Browning delivers us a Second offering of that movie in the version of ‘MARK OF THE VAMPIRE‘.
The plot goes like this-Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert) is found murdered in his own house, with two tiny pinpoint wounds on his neck. The attending doctor Dr. Doskil (Donald Meek) and Sir Karell’s friend Baron Otto (Jean Hersholt) are convinced that responsible for the murder is a vampire, specifically Count Mora (Bela Lugosi) and his daughter Luna (Carroll Borland), while the Prague police inspector (Lionel Atwill) refuses to believe. Now his daughter Irena (Elizabeth Allan) is the count’s next target. Enter Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore), an expert on vampires and the occult, who’s sent in to prevent her death. At the same time, secrets are revealed surrounding the circumstances of Sir Karell’s death.
MY REVIEW-It has all the elements of a Classic Chiller, there’s plenty of fog, a dark castle, superstitious villagers, graveyards, coffins, 
bats flying everywhere and of course vampires (although the ending does give away a surprise twist).Vampire lore is well respected throughout this movie and every possible aspect of how a Vampire acts (drinking blood, sleeping in a coffin by day etc.) are all talked about including how to kill a vampire. It does offer new methods (for its time) beheading and the use of Bat Thorn (similar to Wolfsbane) and also offers to us viewers that a vampire can only be killed when in their human form and can’t be killed when they are bats. Now let’s talk about the ‘Vampires‘, Bela Lugosi in his trademark Dracula Cape is one reason alone for seeing this movie, he isn’t really given much to do accept walk/stand around looking menacing, but I feel this is one of the things Lugosi is best at doing. His daughter in the movie Luna, for me steals the entire film, she’s exactly how a female Vampire should act and look and there’s a very impressive scene in which she flies with the aid of huge Bat Wings which is awesome. Whenever she’s on screen stalking her victim’s in the midnight fog I just can’t keep my eyes off her. For the rest of the cast there isn’t a dull character in sight. Lionel Barrymore (yes Mr. Potter from ‘It’s a wonderful life’) plays the Vampire ‘expert’ who throughout the movie explains to the locals (and us viewers) Vampire Lore.
Overall it’s a well paced Gothic film which I feel gets better with each viewing, I love it I really do. Now I’m not going to give away the twist ending but truth be told it will either delight and amuse you or just confuse you but I feel if it confuses you it only compels you to go back to it for repeat viewings, This movie may not be considered one of the greatest black and white movies ever made but it sure as hell is big fun and will delight Vampire movie buffs, check it out, it’s awesome.
By Richard Goellnitz
The Bite Mag UK 