20 Scariest Female Horror Villains

Gloria Holden as Marya Zaleska (Image via Universal Studios)

17. Marya Zaleska (Dracula’s Daughter)

If you want an interesting take on a horror villain trope, I strongly suggest you watch the first half of the film. The second half? Well, take it or leave it. The really meaty stuff happens in the front end of this 1936 sequel to Dracula.

As you, our incredibly intelligent readers, may have guessed, Dracula’s Daughter stars Count Dracula’s actual daughter. Wouldn’t you know it, she’s also a vampire. However, unlike her more famous father, Countess Marya Zaleska is far more conflicted about her vampiric nature.

Dracula’s Daughter picks up immediately after the events of 1931’s Dracula. Van Helsing, the Dutch doctor who kills Dracula, argues that, since his apparent victim has been dead for 500 years, he is not guilty of murder. Meanwhile, Countess Zaleska and her manservant steal her father’s body from Scotland Yard. They burn Dracula’s remains in an attempt to break Marya’s curse.

This proves useless, however, as Marya quickly gives in to her building bloodlust. What follows is a pretty standard horror movie plot for early Hollywood. Dracula’s daughter mesmerizes her victims with a shiny ring, which is admittedly interesting, but not quite enough to elevate the plot. There are also numerous hints of a lesbian subplot, making the movie interesting in a historic sense, if nothing else.

Otherwise, though, Countess Zaleska stalks, feeds, and meets an untimely end like many a movie vampire. Still, she’s most compelling when contemplating her unwanted curse and ruminating on the implications of vampirism and eternal life.