QWhat is 'The Return of the Vampire' about?
ATwenty-three years earlier, in 1918, Nicki Saunders (Nina Foch) was bitten by vampire Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi) when she was a young girl. When a World War II air raid over London releases him from the grave where Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda Inescort) and Professor Walter Saunders (Gilbert Emery), Nicki's grandfather, staked and buried him, Tesla takes over the identity of Hugo Bruckner, a famous German scientist who recently escaped from a Nazi concentration camp, and presents himself as a new assistant at Lady Jane's sanitarium, where Nicki is currently making plans to marry Lady Jane's son John (Roland Varno). However, Tesla's plan is not to do scientific research but to avenge his 'death' at the hands of the Ainsley and Saunders families.
AWhen Tesla summons Nicki telephathically, Lady Ainsley and Scotland Yard's chief commissioner Sir Frederick Fleet (Miles Mander) follow her into the cemetery, arguing all the while about the existence of vampires. An air raid interrupts their pursuit, although Fleet manages to shoot Wolfman Andreas Obry (Matt Willis) in the shoulder. When Andreas begs Tesla to save his life, Tesla refuses. Andreas remembers Lady Ainsley's words about goodness being stronger than evil. He grabs a crucifix and holds it between Tesla and Nicki. At that moment, a bomb hits. Andreas carries Tesla's body out of the crypt and into the morning sun. He drives a stake through Tesla's heart, then collapses next to him. When Lady Ainsley and Sir Frederick catch up to her, Nicki says that it was Andreas who destroyed the vampire. After looking at Tesla's badly decomposed body, Lady Ainsley asks Fleet whether he believes in vampire now. He pooh-poohs her, then turns to two plainclothes policemen and asks them You two fellows don't believe in vampires, do you? To his surprise, they both reply that they do. Sir Fredrick then turns to the viewer and asks And do you people?
QA Note Regarding Spoilers
AThe following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
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