Dracula's Daughter is a 1936 American vampire film produced by Universal Pictures as a sequel to the 1931 film Dracula. Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, the film stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden in the title role, and Marguerite Churchill, and features, as the only cast member to return from the original, Edward Van Sloan – although his character's name was altered from "Van Helsing" to "Von Helsing".

Dracula's Daughter tells the story of Countess Marya Zaleska, the daughter of Count Dracula and herself a vampire. Following Dracula's death, she believes that by destroying his body, she will be free of his influence and live normally. When this fails, she turns to a psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffrey Garth (Kruger). The Countess kidnaps Dr. Garth's assistant, Janet (Marguerite Churchill), and takes her to Transylvania, leading to a battle between Dr. Garth and the Countess in an attempt by him to save Janet.

Ostensibly based on an omitted chapter from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula – published in 1914 as a short story entitled "Dracula's Guest" – the film bears absolutely no resemblance to the source material. Modern sources maintain that the film was instead loosely based on Carmilla, an 1872 Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, which is often cited as the first published British work of fiction to deal with lesbian relationships.

David O. Selznick purchased the rights to the Stoker material for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but Universal bought them in 1934, with the rights to revert to MGM if Universal did not begin production by October 1935, a date later extended to February 1936. Universal rushed the film into production in that month, with the script only partially completed, to meet this deadline. The film was first assigned to James Whale, but Universal production head Carl Laemmle Jr. finally hired Hillyer as director.

While not as successful as the original upon its release, the film was generally well-reviewed. In the intervening decades, criticism has been deeply divided. Contemporary critics and scholars have observed the film's alleged lesbian overtones, which Universal exploited in some early advertising.

Plot Having just destroyed Count Dracula, Professor Van Helsing is arrested by two Whitby policemen, Sergeant Wilkes and Constable Albert, after they happen upon Dracula's body with a stake driven through its heart (as well as the broken-necked corpse of Renfield) in the cellar of Carfax Abbey. Van Helsing is taken to Scotland Yard, where he explains to Sir Basil Humphrey that he did indeed destroy Dracula, but because the vampire had already been dead for over 500 years, it cannot be considered murder. Instead of hiring a lawyer, Van Helsing enlists the aid of a psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffrey Garth, who was formerly one of his star students.

In Whitby, Sergeant Wilkes leaves the jail to meet an officer from Scotland Yard at the train station, placing Constable Albert in charge of the recovered bodies. Meanwhile, Dracula's daughter, Countess Marya Zaleska, enters the jail, mesmerizes Albert with her jeweled ring, and – with the aid of her manservant, Sandor – steals Dracula's body from the jail. After tossing salt on the pyre, the Countess ritualistically burns Dracula's body, hoping to break her curse of vampirism. However, Sandor soon begins to discourage her, telling her that all that is in her eyes is "death". She soon gives in to her thirst for blood. The Countess resumes her hunting, mesmerising her victims with her exotic jewelled ring. After a chance meeting with Dr. Garth at a society party, the Countess asks him to help her overcome the influence she feels from beyond the grave. The doctor advises her to defeat her cravings by confronting them, and the Countess becomes hopeful that her will, plus Dr. Garth's science, will be strong enough to overcome Dracula's malevolence.

The Countess sends Sandor to fetch her a model to paint. He sees a pretty young woman, Lili, and follows her onto a bridge. The woman pauses at the railing looking despondent. Sandor promises her food, warmth, and money. She hesitates, but Sandor explains that he seeks her for his mistress. Lili returns with Sandor. Countess Zaleska initially resists her urges, but succumbs and attacks her. Lili survives the attack and is examined by Dr. Garth through hypnosis; she reveals enough information to let Dr. Garth know that it was Countess Zaleska who attacked her, but she suffers heart failure and dies. The Countess gives up fighting her urges and accepts that a cure is not possible; she lures Dr. Garth to Transylvania by kidnapping Janet Blake, his secretary, with whom he has a playfully antagonistic relationship, but now realises that he cares for her. Zaleska intends to transform Dr. Garth into a vampire to be her eternal companion. Arriving at Castle Dracula in Transylvania, Dr. Garth agrees to exchange his life for Janet's. Before he can be transformed, Countess Zaleska is destroyed when Sandor shoots her through the heart with an arrow as revenge for her breaking her promise to make him immortal. He takes aim at Dr. Garth, but is shot dead by a Scotland Yard policeman, who along with Van Helsing, has followed Dr. Garth from London.

Cast

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Production

Universal originally did not hold the rights to "Dracula's Guest", a chapter excised from Bram Stoker's original novel, which was published in 1914, after Stoker's death, as a short story, and which was the purported source material for the film. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executive David O. Selznick negotiated a contract in 1933 with Stoker's widow, Florence, to buy the rights to the chapter for an advance of $500 against a purchase price of $5,000. MGM's lawyers and executives were worried about the use of the word "Dracula" in the film's title, fearing that Universal would take legal action, although Selznick's contract with Stoker explicitly listed "Dracula's Daughter" as a possible alternative title. The project was code-named "Tarantula" in correspondence. Universal bought the rights from MGM in 1934, but they would revert to MGM if Universal did not begin production by October 1935, a date later extended to February 1936. Universal rushed the show into production in that month, with the script only partially completed, to meet this deadline.

Modern sources report that the film was also loosely based on Carmilla, an 1872 Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, which is often cited as the first published British work of fiction to deal with lesbian relationships.

Selznick hired John L. Balderston, who had previously worked on the 1931 Dracula and Frankenstein, to write the screenplay. Balderston's screenplay involved tying up loose ends from the original film. In it, Von Helsing returns to Transylvania to destroy the three vampire brides seen in Dracula, but overlooks a fourth tomb concealing Dracula's daughter. She follows him back to London and operates under the name "Countess Szekelsky". She attacks a young aristocrat, and Von Helsing and the aristocrat's fiancée track her back to Transylvania and destroy her. The script included scenes that implied that Dracula's daughter enjoyed torturing her male victims, and that while under her control, the men liked it, too. Also included were shots of the Countess's chambers being stocked with whips and straps, which she would never use on-screen but whose uses the audience could imagine. Regardless of any objections that the Production Code Administration (PCA) would have raised to many aspects of the scenario, Balderston's script could never have been filmed because Selznick's contract with Stoker expressly barred him from using any Bram Stoker characters that did not appear in "Dracula's Guest". Selznick resold the rights to "Dracula's Guest" to Universal in October 1934 or September 1935Skal, pp. 196–98 for $12,500, which included the rights to Balderston's scenario.Curtis, p. 260 Horror film scholar David J. Skal theorizes that this was Selznick's actual motivation in buying the rights in the first place, to profit from Universal's desire for a sequel by tying up the only obvious source material.Skal, p. 196 A condition of the sale was that the rights would revert to MGM if Universal did not start production by October 1935, later extended to February 1936.

Director Universal studio head Carl Laemmle, Jr. (nicknamed "Junior") wanted James Whale, fresh from his great success with Bride of Frankenstein, to direct Dracula's Daughter. Whale was waiting for Irene Dunne to finish shooting Magnificent Obsession, so she could begin work on Whale's Show Boat. Wary of directing two horror films in a row, Whale instead convinced Laemmle to buy the rights to a mystery novel called The Hangover Murders. Laemmle agreed only after extracting a promise from Whale that he would direct Dracula's Daughter next.Curtis, pp. 254–55 Whale completed work on the film, Remember Last Night?, on September 14, 1935.Curtis, p. 258 Magnificent Obsession completed filming on October 29. With Dunne freed up, Whale went to work on Show Boat. Laemmle replaced him with A. Edward Sutherland, who was best known for his work on comedies. Sutherland had as little interest in Dracula's Daughter as Whale did, and soon left the studio,Curtis, pp. 260–61 so Hillyer came on to direct.

Universal script A treatment by John L. Balderston was submitted to Universal in January 1934, and may have been presented to MGM earlier. Another short treatment by Kurt Neumann was rejected by Universal.

The earliest screenplay for the Universal film was written by R. C. Sherriff and submitted in July 1935. It began with three scenes set in the 14th century and centered on the Dracula legend. It then switched to the present day, focusing on two engaged couples who visit Transylvania. The men explore the ruins of Dracula's castle. One is later found, insane, and the other goes missing. Professor Von Helsing is summoned, and he tracks the missing man to London, where he is in thrall to Dracula's daughter, the Countess Szelinski (sic). When she attempts to flee with her thrall to the Orient by ship, Von Helsing and three others book passage on the same ship. During a violent storm, Von Helsing destroys Dracula's daughter, and with her hold over the men broken, the scenario closes with a double wedding. This version was submitted on August 28, 1935, to the British Board of Film Censors, which rejected it, saying in part "Dracula's Daughter would require half a dozen ... languages to adequately express its beastliness". On September 10, Sherriff met with BBFC representatives and submitted a revised scenario two days later. This scenario was passed, but because its details were not recorded by the BBFC, how much it differed from the original or how much if any of that scenario was retained in the final script is unknown.Robertson pp. 65–66