Vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing returns to Transylvania to destroy handsome bloodsucker Baron Meinster, who has designs on a beautiful young schoolteacher.
A young teacher on her way to a position in Transylvania helps a young man escape the shackles his mother has put on him. In so doing she innocently unleashes the horrors of the undead once again on the populace, including those at her school for ladies. Luckily for some, Dr Van Helsing is already on his way.—Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
In Transylvania, the teacher Marianne Danielle is heading to a small village where she will teach French and etiquette for teenage girls. The stagecoach stops at a village and when Marianne is preparing to eat dinner, the coachman goes away and leaves her in the inn. Out of the blue, Baroness Meinster comes to the place and invites Marianne to spend the night in her castle, where she lives with her servant Greta. During the night, Marianne sees a man in a balcony and she learns that he is Baron Meinster, the insane son of the Baroness. Later Marianne believes that he will jump off the balcony and she goes to his room and finds that he is chained by his mother. Marianne decides to help him to escape and steals the key from the Baroness' room. Then she leaves the castle and is found by Dr. J. Van Helsing, who has been invited by the local priest to treat a disease. Soon Van Helsing learns that Marianne has unleashed a vampire that is murdering the dwellers of the village.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
This is the second in Hammer's Dracula film series. Christopher Lee isn't present in this one, but Peter Cushing reprises his role of Van Helsing for the 2nd time. This film is a sequel to the 1958 film Dracula aka Horror of Dracula. Count Dracula is dead but his disciples live on to spread the cult and corrupt the world. A baroness living alone in a castle has chained her sick son until one of the guest interferes. Van Helsing is called upon by a village priest when a young girl's dead body is found with mysterious bite marks on her neck.—[email protected]
Prologue: "Transylvania...land of dark forests, dread mountains, and blackunfathomed lakes. Still the home of magic and devilry as the 19th C drawsto its close. Count Dracula, monarch of all vampires, is dead, but hisdisciples live on to spread the cult and corrupt the world."
Marianne Danielle [Yvonne Monlaur] is a student teacher on her way from Paris to theLady's Academy at Bachstadt. When the coach makes an unexpected stopbefore reaching the Academy and then leaves without Mlle Danielle whileshe is getting a meal at the local inn, she is forced to secure lodgingfor the night. Unfortunately, the inn is full. That is, until the Baronessvon Meinster [Martita Hunt] appears and offers lodging for the night at her castle.Suddenly, the innkeeper has a room, but Marianne decides to take up theBaroness's hospitality and goes to the castle.
As she prepares herself for dinner, Marianne looks out the balconywindow and sees a young man on the balcony below. Thinking that thebaroness, the servant Greta [Freda Jackson], and herself are the only ones at the castle,she wonders who the young (and handsome) man might be. The baronessconfesses that it is her son, the Baron von Meinster [David Peel], who is suffering from an undisclosed illness.Later, as Marianne prepares to sleep, she again looks out the windowand sees the young man, this time walking on the ledge of his balcony.Certain that he is about to jump to his death, she calls out to him. Sheruns downstairs to his room and learns that he could not be contemplatinga jump for he is imprisoned in his room by an anklechain. Horrified,Marianne rifles through the baroness's desk in search of the key, whichshe tosses to the baron.
The next morning, Marianne is found lying in the forest by Dr vanHelsing [Peter Cushing] who accompanies her to the school, even vouching for her when theschoolmaster accuses her of being tardy. On the way, however, they firststop at the inn where a young girl is lying in state with two piercingwounds on her neck. Ever the quintessial vampire hunter, Dr van Helsingimmediately recognizes the nature of the bites and realizes that Marianneis also in jeopardy.
While Marianne is being shown around by student teacher Gina [Andree Melly],van Helsing returns to the inn where he finds the local priest andthe father of the dead girl arguing over her burial in the churchyard.That night, van Helsing watches over the dead girl's grave. He finds Gretalying on it, calling to her. The dead girl works her way to the surfacebut, before van Helsing can stake her, she changes into a bat and escapes.Van Helsing pays a visit to the castle, hoping to encounter the baron, butinstead he faces the baroness, now a vampire, thanks to her loving son. Torelease her, van Helsing drives a stake through her heart.
Meanwhile, Marianne is making her way at the school. She has acaller...the owner of the school, none other than the Baron Meinster, andhe asks her hand in marriage. Everything sounds dreamy until the baronshows up in Gina's bedroom, seduces her, and turns her into a vampire.
The baron and his two brides are holing up at the old windmill, sovan Helsing pays them a visit. A fight follows in which van Helsing isbitten by the baron. To rid himself of the curse, van Helsing cauterizesthe marks on his neck with a hot branding iron. While van Helsing recoups,the baron fetches Marianne. Again, a fight breaks out, van Helsingsprinkles the baron with holy water, and the baron kicks over a grate ofburning coals, causing the mill to catch on fire. As the baron tries toflee, van Helsing leaps on the windmill and moves it just enough to formthe shadow of a cross on the ground below, trapping the baron anddestroying him. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]
