Mark of the Vampire

In this horror film to end all horror films, a densely composed satire disguised as a vampire mystery, Browning delivers a slyly irreverent takedown of the genre that established and broke his career. A prominent Prague resident is discovered murdered in his home, with all signs indicating a bloodsucking attack, and an occultist (a delightfully scene-chewing Lionel Barrymore) is called in to assist with the investigation. Locals conjecture that the murder must be the work of Count Mora (Bela Lugosi), who lives in a vacant castle with his chalky daughter, Luna… but nothing is as it seems. Throughout, Browning brilliantly manipulates the artifice etched in its story (co-written by Guy Endore) with baroque compositions by DP James Wong Howe, whose elaborate tracking shots inhabit a sinister atmosphere punctuated with minimalist sound effects of eerie groans and nocturnal animal noises. Mark of the Vampire has been credited with introducing the “look” of the female screen vampire.