Mark of the Vampire
Undead…Yet living on the kisses of youth!
Country
Production
Budget
$305 177
Box office
$0
Director
Actors
Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Jean Hersholt, Henry Wadsworth, Donald Meek, Jessie Ralph, Ivan F. Simpson, Franklyn Ardell
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
John L. Balderston, H.S. Kraft
Producer
Tod Browning, E.J. Mannix
Camera operator
Composer
Artist
Audition
Editing
Ben Lewis
Whole Team (14)
Whole Team (14)
Short description
Sir Borotyn, a prominent Prague resident, is discovered murdered in his home, with all indications pointing to a vampire assault. The victim's friend, Baron Otto, and the physician who analyzes the body, are certain that the vampire is the mysterious Count Mora or his daughter. Receiving little help from the law, Professor Zelen, an expert in the occult, is called in to assist with their investigation.
What's left behind the scenes
- During the film's screening in Paris, advertisements were distributed stating that a reward would be given to anyone "who dares to watch this movie in a completely empty theater at midnight."
- The film was banned in Poland, while in Hungary, censors cut out all screams, footage of bats, and other frightening and repulsive scenes.
- Throughout the film, Count Mora, played by Bela Lugosi, is shown with a bullet scar on his temple, yet no explanation for this is provided. The original screenplay indicated that Count Mora had an incestuous relationship with his own daughter, Luna, and subsequently committed suicide. Shortly after filming began, however, MGM removed all mentions of this crime from the script (and after a preview screening, another 20 minutes were cut from the film). Director Tod Browning was unable to object due to the box office failure of his previous film, Freaks.
- Huge bats from South America were imported for the filming. The New York Times reported at the time that the film company had been strictly ordered to either return the bloodsuckers to South America or destroy them after filming. Ultimately, what happened to them remains unknown.
- All the actors played their roles as if it were a typical horror movie, having no idea what the finale would be until almost the final days of filming. Director Tod Browning intentionally kept them in the dark about how the film would end. When, toward the end of production, he announced that the plot revealed the vampires were merely actors playing vampires, both the crew and the cast reacted with complete lack of enthusiasm. Bela Lugosi was particularly displeased, begging Browning to let him play a real vampire.
- Filming the scene in which Carroll Borland's (1914-1994) character flies like a bat proved to be difficult. It took three weeks to capture a successful take—all for a scene where Borland plays an actress who is supposedly flying.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
