Lon Chaney Jr plays the famous Count under the pseudonym Alucard (Dracula spelt backwards, a device destined to be used in numerous inferior horrors), and recruits vampires in the Deep South because Universal wouldn't pay for Transylvanian sets. It didn't matter. Making no attempt to tie-in with Universal's two prior Dracula movies, this stylish one-shot has atmosphere to spare, super make-up by Frankenstein genius Jack Pierce and fun man-to-bat transformations, with Chaney clearly having a ball as the sinister bloodsucker. A neglected highlight from the golden age of vintage horror.

Carpathian Count Alucard is invited to the U.S. by a young heiress. Her boyfriend and local officials are suspicious of the newcomer, who is interested in the "virile" soil of the new world.