MovieChat Forums > The Return of Dracula Discussion > Color Sequence

Color Sequence

posted 17 years ago by moondog-8
9 replies | jump to latest

I saw this film at the theatre when I was quite young. I remember that the movie print went from B+W to color during the sequence where a stake is hammered through Jennie's heart. It was so disturbing to have the film leap to color during the only sequence involving blood that it was quite shocking...my mom even reached over and put her hand over my eyes.

Also, the final shot where Lederer's corpse reverses to a skeleton was a tinted shot. Very effective.

Anybody else see this theatrically? Do you remember these sequences?

I wonder if the DVD will include the color sequences...

[–] daer-5 17 years ago

I'm told those sequences are included on the new DVD release.

[–] Jaynrand 17 years ago

The color sequence of Jenny's death are on the DVD....but the final color shot of the vampire's demise is not.

I thought there was a brief color shot of him as he died....I will have to check my VHS copy.

[–] tonypapaleo 17 years ago

I just watched the film on TCM. The blood shot was in color, the final shot of the vampire's death was B&W.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] greg-544 17 years ago

That woman was Belle Mitchell... She was scarier than Dracula!

[–] Raysand 14 years ago

Yes, I agree that the color shot of the blood squirting out of Jenny when the stake is driven through her heart is quite good. Must have been quite a shock to 50's audiences!

I agree with you regarding the "nutty actress" who dressed as the witch at the parish party. She was really great and stole all of the scenes that she was in.

All in all, not a bad little movie with nice little touches and good acting by some of the performers.

[–] layton59 14 years ago

I just now watched the last 15 minutes of THE RETURN OF DRACULA (1958) in the USA on the network "THIS" and it had the 3 second color footage.

***********************************************

Ye Olde Sig Line:

It should be "I can NOT care less."

You are at the lowest level of caring.

[–] eugene1001us 16 years ago

I do remember the one and only time that I've ever seen this sequence on TV. It ran on New York's Channel 9 (then WOR-9). On an early Saturday morning. And very unfortunately. My father was watching this with me when the color sequence appeared.

I also remember that we had by then a U.S. Senator (by the name of Robert F. Kennedy) as our Senator. And my father (though, not a friend. Was an acquaintence of Bobby's). He first called his office. Then later on wrote him to complain about the violence that appeared on Saturday Morning children's programming.

I also remember that Senator Kennedy eventually completely changed the face of Saturday morning programming from 1968. To the present. (Before his assassination).

My dad never did watch any of the cartoons.

It was this film. (Which was then shown on a 9:30 to 11:00 AM time slot. Before the NY Mets. At least in NY). Which changed it all. And my father's bitching about Jenny's staking (in the color insert). And his bitching to Bobby Kennedy in 1967.

Which. Again. Changed it all!

To this day. (Except for the old VHS versions). When this film is shown on TNT and occasionally on AMC. For some fantastic reason. The color sequence is removed. And the staking is still shown. Intact. Just not in color!

All of TCM's broadcasts now insert the color sequences. (That wasn't always the case). At least as early as 1992!

[–] Raysand 14 years ago

Wow, that's an interesting story about your father and this movie. I remember seeing the movie on TV when I was a little kid--we didn't have a color tv, so I don't know if the blood sequence was in color or black and white--but I remember getting so queasy seeing that scene. Of course, I was very young and sensibilities have changed over the years. Nowadays, we have scenes in movies that are 100 times more graphic, but I must admit that the staking sequence was quite graphic for the 1950's.