Mark of the Vampire (also known as Vampires of Prague) is a 1935 horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Béla Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt and directed by Tod Browning. It is a talkie remake of Browning's 1927 silent London After Midnight with the characters' names and some circumstances changed.
Mark of the Vampire was originally 75 minutes, but was cut back to 60 minutes by MGM. Reportedly this was due to incestuous overtones – then unacceptable by the standards of the Production Code – between Count Mora (played by Lugosi) and his daughter. However, the audio commentary on the DVD makes no mention of incest but suggests that much of what was cut was comic material, particularly surrounding the maid.
Cast
* Lionel Barrymore as Professor Zelen
* Elizabeth Allan as Irena Borotyn
* Béla Lugosi as Count Mora
* Lionel Atwill as Inspector Neumann
* Jean Hersholt as Baron Otto von Zinden
* Henry Wadsworth as Fedor Vincente
* Donald Meek as Dr. J. Doskil
* Carroll Borland as Luna
* Ivan Simpson as Jan
* Franklyn Ardell as Chauffeur
* Leila Bennett as Maria
* June Gittelson as Annie
* Holmes Herbert as Sir Karell Borotyn
* Michael Visaroff as Innkeeper
* James Bradbury Jr as Third Vampire
* Egon Brecher as Coroner
* Jessie Ralph as Midwife (scenes deleted)
Plot summary
Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert) is found murdered in his own house, with two tiny pinpoint wounds on his neck. The attending doctor Dr. Doskil (Donald Meek) and Sir Karell's friend Baron Otto (Jean Hersholt) are convinced that responsible for the murder is a vampire, specifically Count Mora (Béla Lugosi) and his daughter Luna (Carroll Borland), while the Prague police inspector (Lionel Atwill) refuses to believe. Now his daughter Irena (Elizabeth Allan) is the count’s next target. Enter Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore), an expert on vampires and the occult, who’s sent in to prevent her death. At the same time, secrets are revealed surrounding the circumstances of Sir Karell’s death
