Martita Hunt

Young ANN LAKE has just moved to England from America with her successful but controlling brother STEPHEN. The two are extremely close, with Stephen doting upon Ann. In a hurry the day she enrolls her child, BUNNY, in a private school, Ann leaves her in the First Day room and asks the school's female German COOK to watch her and then runs off to meet the movers and do errands. At noon, Ann returns to the school to pick up Bunny. To her increasing dismay, however, no one at the school seems to know where Bunny is or even who she is. Ann interrogates one of the school's staff, Elvira, who hasn't a clue about the child. When the arrogant Stephen arrives, he badgers Elvira further. Soon, SUPT. NEWHOUSE, an unflappable British police officer, arrives, looking into the matter. He talks with all parties involved, including ADA FORD, one of the school's elderly founders. The eccentric Ada resides in an upstairs room, where she's currently compiling a tome about childhood nightmares. Newhouse continues his investigation, tolerating the threats and barbs from Ann's increasingly accusatory brother, Stephen. But as Newhouse puts together Ann's profile, he begins to doubt her story in subtle ways. After all, since no one saw the child (the Cook has quit and disappeared) he has to wonder if Ann even has a child. Is she delusional, perhaps? The insinuation infuriates Stephen, but he seems to back it up with references to Ann having had an imaginary playmate named Bunny as a child. Ann must now try to find clues that her child really existed. She must also fend off her creepy new landlord, WILSON, an aging Lothario actor who's always drunk and carting about his little dog. The POLICE interrogate him, as well. When Stephen comes across Newhouse talking and drinking with Ann in a pub, he blows up at the officer, threatening and accusing him. As police attempt to locate the Cook, Ann's nightmare intensifies. Desperate for evidence that will prove the existence of her child, she suddenly remembers the claim check for a doll hospital that's repairing Bunny's doll. In spite of the late hour, Ann goes off in a cab after telling Stephen where she's going. In the meantime, Newhouse and his MEN look into the ship travel records that brought Ann and Bunny to England. Ann finds the doll shop, which, although closed, has an unlocked door. She locates the doll. Stephen has followed her, however, and once Ann presents him with the doll and goes off to deal with the Proprietor, Stephen gets a crazed look in his eye and sets the doll afire. Ann is horrified and Stephen strikes her and takes her to a hospital unconscious and leaves her. Ann escapes the hospital and locates Stephen in the remote house they originally temporarily lived in after arriving in England where he has Bunny hidden. Stephen is the kidnapper! Indeed, Stephen is so close to his sister Ann he found Bunny an intrusion in their relationship. Stephen has now lapsed into another identity - a more murderous one and likely an extension of their imaginary selves as children. He's now intent upon killing the child, so as to have sole access to his sister again. Ann gets Bunny away from the demented Stephen by engaging him in a series of children's games. Stephen chases Ann and Bunny, but Newhouse and the Police soon arrive, arresting the demented brother. They finally found the evidence they needed of the child's existence by way of the ship's passenger records.

Prologue: "Transylvania...land of dark forests, dread mountains, and black unfathomed lakes. Still the home of magic and devilry as the 19th C draws to its close. Count Dracula, monarch of all vampires, is dead, but his disciples live on to spread the cult and corrupt the world." Marianne Danielle [Yvonne Monlaur] is a student teacher on her way from Paris to the Lady's Academy at Bachstadt. When the coach makes an unexpected stop before reaching the Academy and then leaves without Mlle Danielle while she is getting a meal at the local inn, she is forced to secure lodging for the night. Unfortunately, the inn is full. That is, until the Baroness von Meinster [Martita Hunt] appears and offers lodging for the night at her castle. Suddenly, the innkeeper has a room, but Marianne decides to take up the Baroness's hospitality and goes to the castle. As she prepares herself for dinner, Marianne looks out the balcony window and sees a young man on the balcony below. Thinking that the baroness, the servant Greta [Freda Jackson], and herself are the only ones at the castle, she wonders who the young (and handsome) man might be. The baroness confesses that it is her son, the Baron von Meinster [David Peel], who is suffering from an undisclosed illness. Later, as Marianne prepares to sleep, she again looks out the window and sees the young man, this time walking on the ledge of his balcony. Certain that he is about to jump to his death, she calls out to him. She runs downstairs to his room and learns that he could not be contemplating a jump for he is imprisoned in his room by an anklechain. Horrified, Marianne rifles through the baroness's desk in search of the key, which she tosses to the baron. The next morning, Marianne is found lying in the forest by Dr van Helsing [Peter Cushing] who accompanies her to the school, even vouching for her when the schoolmaster accuses her of being tardy. On the way, however, they first stop at the inn where a young girl is lying in state with two piercing wounds on her neck. Ever the quintessial vampire hunter, Dr van Helsing immediately recognizes the nature of the bites and realizes that Marianne is also in jeopardy. While Marianne is being shown around by student teacher Gina [Andree Melly], van Helsing returns to the inn where he finds the local priest and the father of the dead girl arguing over her burial in the churchyard. That night, van Helsing watches over the dead girl's grave. He finds Greta lying on it, calling to her. The dead girl works her way to the surface but, before van Helsing can stake her, she changes into a bat and escapes. Van Helsing pays a visit to the castle, hoping to encounter the baron, but instead he faces the baroness, now a vampire, thanks to her loving son. To release her, van Helsing drives a stake through her heart. Meanwhile, Marianne is making her way at the school. She has a caller...the owner of the school, none other than the Baron Meinster, and he asks her hand in marriage. Everything sounds dreamy until the baron shows up in Gina's bedroom, seduces her, and turns her into a vampire. The baron and his two brides are holing up at the old windmill, so van Helsing pays them a visit. A fight follows in which van Helsing is bitten by the baron. To rid himself of the curse, van Helsing cauterizes the marks on his neck with a hot branding iron. While van Helsing recoups, the baron fetches Marianne. Again, a fight breaks out, van Helsing sprinkles the baron with holy water, and the baron kicks over a grate of burning coals, causing the mill to catch on fire. As the baron tries to flee, van Helsing leaps on the windmill and moves it just enough to form the shadow of a cross on the ground below, trapping the baron and destroying him. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]

The romantic story of Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt (Sir Dirk Bogarde), whose scandalous love affair forced him to abandon his adoring audiences.

Spoiled Cecile, 17, spends her summer at the French Riviera with her rich, widower, playboy dad and Elsa. Anne, her late mom's friend, visits and brings changes to all. Cecile's a decadent young woman who lives a luxurious life with her wealthy playboy father, a widower. When his old love interest comes to vvisit, she gets more and more comfortable, making Cecile afraid that her lifestyle will end, and sets out to make sure it isn't. —Dragan Antulov <dragan.antulov@altbbs.fido.hr> Spoiled 17-year-old Cecile's spending summer with her, widower hedonistic father. When am old love of his arrives for weekdays supposed to be a brief visit, Cecile becomes ever-more nervous that this visitor might have poems to usurp her father's love - now specifically, get luxurious life, and plans to get her out. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Parisians Raymond, a widower, and his 17-year-old daughter, who calls her father by his first name, live a life of privilege, decadence, and frivolity, with whomever else they fancy who wants to be part of that decadent lifestyle. They are currently on vacation on the French Riviera with Raymond's latest conquest, Elsa, who is as much a casual lover for Raymond as she is a playmate and fellow party-er for Cecile. Their lives change when they receive a visit from Anne, Cecile's mother's best friend. Raymond falls in love with Anne and they decide to get married. Cecile is initially happy for Raymond, seeing Anne as a stabilizing force in his life. But then she realizes that this stabilizing force also applies to her and will change the decadent life to which she's become accustomed. Enlisting help from Elsa and from her own latest beau, Philippe (of whom Anne doesn't approve), she sets out to do whatever is necessary to protect her lifestyle, not foreseeing how this plan will ultimately affect her life. —Huggo