The Film (4/5)

    I have to give it to Scream Factory for finally diving into the world of pre-1960's horror, an era that is largely and sadly underrepresented on Blu-ray aside from some Universal, Kino, and Cohen releases. In the next few months the label is releasing a box set of Karloff and Lugosi movies that aren't strictly Universal House of Horror "Monster" titles, and this month they have given us the excellent and more obscure Lugosi vampire film "Return of the Vampire".
 

    Return of the Vampire stars Lugosi as Armand Tesla a 200 year old Hungarian vampire.  He has a vampire assistant Andreas who has assisted him in his nocturnal wanderings. However, a pair of scientists Lady Jane and John Ainsley discover Tesla's tomb, and put an end to the vampire with a railroad spike. This keeps him dead and entombed for over 2 decades, however, his death is interrupted by the German bombs of World War II. During the blitz his grave is unearthed, and his spike is removed by a pair of unknowing gravediggers. This wakens up Tesla who recruits the recovered Andreas to help him seek revenge on the Ainsleys.

    Return of the Vampire is a long-time favorite. as it takes all the great elements from the Universal horror films of the 30's and incorporates them into a slightly refashioned framework. It also makes the film's lore timely for the era, with incorporating Tesla's resurrection into the blitz.  The film is directed by Lew Landers who created an amazingly atmospheric film filled with gorgeous foggy cemeteries and tombs. The performances across the board are fantastic, and Lugosi is certainly channeling his Dracula performance for this film. The 2nd act slows things down to allow characters to investigate the vampire. However, this my only minor complaint and the film is an excellent and wonderful 1940's horror experience.

Audio/Video (4/5)

    Scream Factory presents Return of the Vampire in a solid 1:33:1 1080p transfer that reflects the theatrical look of the film quite well. Contrast is stable, detail is largely excellent, and the whole film has a nice organic film look to it. There is some damage and minor black crush, but overall excellent.

    Audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track in English. Everything here sounds good and audible, there is some minor hiss, but it rarely detracts from the rest of the presentation.

Extras (3/5)

    I guess when your cast and crew is long dead, the best option is to bring in the film historians which is what Scream Factory does for this release, which includes 3 commentary tracks one by Lee Gambin, another by Troy Howarth, and the third by Gary Don Rhodes. There is also a short 8mm silent version of the film included, a trailer, and still gallery.

Overall

    Return of the Vampire is a stone cold 1940's horror classic. The Blu-ray from Scream Factory looks and sound excellent, with some solid extras. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.