Dr. Von Helsing has killed Dracula once and for all. Countess Marya Zeleska and her servant Sandor burn his body to free her of his influence. Unfortunately, the ritual didn't work, leaving her unable to see the sun or go without blood. She turns to psychiatry to resist her urges, but can it be as powerful as the influence of the one who made her?
The story is a direct continuation of the 1931 film Dracula. I had read the kids novelization so many times in my childhood but had never seen the movie. It's a decent Universal monster movie. Like so many of them, there is over the top drama, ornate dialogue, romance, and a tragic figure. Marya is a much more interesting character than Dracula. She has been a vampire for hundreds of years and longs to be human, have normal relationships, and get away from death. After the ritual with Dracula's body, Marya tries to convince herself while playing the piano that she's human, but Sandor speaks the harsh truth that she's still a vampire in ornate language as the music she plays gets darker.
Afterwards she approaches Dr. Jeffrey Garth to help her. He gives a speech about putting tempting things in front of her and being strong enough to resist it. Sandor brings Marya a woman to paing, something she's obviously done before. In a charged scene, the woman takes off her shirt and drinks wine, making conversation. Marya gives into her urges and attacks her offscreen. This scene plus the psychiatric advice heavily implies that Marya is a lesbian, also playing into the lesbian vampire trope. It's unfortunately framed in a predatory fashion and a negative portrayal, but it's pretty exciting that homosexuality was even shown at the time and in a sympathetic character.
Dracula's Daughter is a decent Universal horror movie with a conflicted monster, lesbian overtones, and drama. The "romance" with Dr. Garth felt hollow and desperate, not fitting in with her character at all. All of the human characters are pretty annoying, paling in comparison to Marya and Sandor. The ending is otherwise good and teaches Marya to make promises she doesn't intend to keep.
My rating: 3.5/5
* Murder Party
Christopher settles in for a fairly boring Halloween at home alone. He finds an ornate invitation to a murder party and decides to go after his cat won't get out of his seat. Dressed in his cardboard armor costume with a pumpkin raisin bread loaf, he goes to the party without knowing what to expect. What he finds is a group of art school college students who tie him up and kill him for their art.
Murder Party is Jeremy Saulnier's very first, super low budget movie. It has impressive effects and unexpected humor. Christopher is an unimpressive, boring looking man who uncharacteristically decided to go to a random party. The art students didn't actually expect anyone to show up and don't have a clear plan about how to murder him. They are driven by the promise of an art grant by a rich patron named Alexander. Each of them thinks their art is superior to everyone else's and are actually deeply insecure. Most of the movie is their drama, their ineptitude, and weird party games, which are all pretty hilarious.
At first, the art students start dying due to unfortunate accidents and then later by killing each other. The most unlikely of them goes on a rampage killing the remaining ones and chasing Christopher through the city. One of the funniest moments is when a performance art installation in all white is turned into a bloodbath, people walk through and judge the piece as if it was intentional. Christopher navigates this unfamiliar world and in comparison shows how ridiculous the art community can be. It's a bloody, fun movie that had me laughing throughout.
My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins
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