Columbia Pictures originally intended this film as a direct sequel to Dracula (1931), also starring Bela Lugosi, but when Universal threatened a plagiarism suit, Columbia went ahead and made the film anyway but changed the names of the characters to avoid any connection with "Dracula". It also held back its release for two months so as not to compete with Lon Chaney Jr.'s Son of Dracula (1943).
The action of the prologue takes place beginning 15 October 1918, while the balance of the film takes place in September 1940 (according to the Regent Hall concert program shown).
According to "The Films of Bela Lugosi", Columbia grossed close to $500,000 from this film on an investment of $75,000.
Bela Lugosi filmed this Columbia feature August-September 1943, prior to his final two Monogram films. This was also the last time he would receive top billing for a major Hollywood studio.