30 Best Hidden Gem Horror Movies Perfect For Halloween

The third, and criminally underrated, entry in Universal’s Dracula cycle trades misty castles for the deliciously swampy Gothic of New Orleans. Lon Chaney Jr. turns up as Count Alucard (yes, Dracula backwards), whose sudden marriage to a plantation heiress, played by Louise Albritton, sends the local aristocracy into a tailspin.

Director Robert Siodmak was early in his Hollywood run (before noir landmarks like The Spiral Staircase and The Killers), and the German squeezes every drop from a modest budget. Lush lighting, gliding camera moves, and thoughtful compositions give Son of Dracula's sets real texture, restoring a visual personality Universal hadn’t quite matched since the James Whale era.

Chaney Jr., already a studio MVP as the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster, adds another classic creature to his CV. Like Christopher Lee would later prove in the Hammer films, a towering physical presence can carry the Count. Chaney doesn’t have Lee’s stage-bred gravitas for the seductive, whisper-threat moments, but he still lands several commanding beats, and Albritton’s poised, fragile turn complements him nicely.

That said, a couple of creaky effects shots haven’t aged well, but Son of Dracula's atmosphere is thick, the setting unique, and the overall package quietly stellar.