Mark of the Vampire 1935

Sir Karell Borotyn [Holmes Herbert] is found murdered in his house, two tiny pinpoint wounds on his neck hinting at something more sinister than a simple crime. The attending doctor, Dr. Doskil [Donald Meek], and Sir Karell’s friend Baron Otto von Zinden [Jean Hersholt] are convinced the death bears the mark of a vampire. They cast suspicion on Count Mora [Bela Lugosi] and his daughter Luna [Carroll Borland], while Prague’s Inspector Neumann [Lionel Atwill] refuses to swallow the tale.

Sir Karell’s daughter Irena Borotyn [Elizabeth Allan] becomes the Count’s next target, drawing the attention of Professor Zelin [Lionel Barrymore], a seasoned expert on vampires and the occult. As Irena is menaced again and again, Zelin, the Baron, and the Inspector descend into the castle’s ruined corridors to hunt what they fear are undead threats. The atmosphere is tense, the stones cold, and the sense of danger palpable as the trio pursues clues amid collapsing staircases and shadowed archways.

When Zelin and the Baron find themselves alone, the professor uses hypnosis to compel the Baron to relive the night of the murder. It’s a startling turn: the supposed vampires are actors, and the entire confrontation has been a carefully staged charade devised by Zelin to flush out the real killer. Yet the plan falters, and Zelin, along with Irena and another actor who closely resembles Sir Karell, persuades the hypnotized Baron to reenact the crime in a second, more convincing reconstruction, hoping to force a confession.

During the reenactment, the Baron reveals his motive: he wished to marry Irena, but her father would not grant permission. The eerie masquerade collapses as the truth emerges, and Baron Otto is arrested for the murder. Irena explains the plot to her fiancé, Fedor Vincente [Henry Wadsworth], who was not involved in the ruse and had believed the fraternity of vampires to be real.

The film closes with the troupe packing up their costumes after the dramatic exposure of the crime. Count Mora, ever the showman, quips with theatrical flair, “This vampire business, it has given me a great idea for a new act! Luna, in the new act, I will be the vampire! Did you watch me? I gave all of me! I was greater than any real vampire!” His fellow thespians share uncertain looks, not eager to join him on this latest venture.