by
Kristin Battestella
Horror
fans worldwide have all been touched by the passing of Sir
Christopher Lee. At the expense of writing new material too close
home, here is a look back at all our musings on the Hammer Dracula
series – previously scattered among our spooky dissertations and
now collected for a mini RIP retrospective. Sniff.
Horror
of Dracula – Well, well. Director Terence Fisher is here
again for the one that started it all! Even with little dialogue, Lee
is tall and imposing, his stature and glare deadly and delightful.
Appearing a half hour into the film, top billed Peter Cushing as Van
Helsing is also simply badass. There are unique changes to the tale
from Hammer writer Jimmy Sangster (Horror of Frankenstein) of
course, with library scholar Harker engaged to Lucy and more
character switcharoos. Dracula is also decidedly styled as an English
gentleman yet the story never leaves Central Europe. This also
doesn’t look 1958 as we expect from the Leave It to Beaver
types. Yes, it’s bright and colorfully filmed in the style of
the time, but this Dracula is dark, gothic, and feels earnest,
passionate, deadly. There’s something so nasty about the way Lucy
opens the door, removes her cross, lays out, and unbuttons the
nightgown! All the staples- stakes, garlic, candles, coffins- are
here; everything we expect a proper vampire tale to be twists
together with great deception and scares. Hot damn!
The
Brides of Dracula – Peter Cushing returns- without the
titular Big D- for this 1960 Hammer sequel directed by Terence Fisher
(also of the precursor Horror of Dracula). Here the once again
young, suave, taking names and staking dames Van Helsing puts the
cross to Yvonne Monlaur (Circus of Horrors), Martita Hunt
(Great Expectations, Anastasia) and Andree Melly (The
Belles of St. Trinian’s). Though the Hammer sets are a little
familiar, naturally; the scary sound effects, Goth Victorian
dressings, lots of candles, and plenty of red velvet work toward a
great, old fashioned, classy atmosphere. This chick spin on Bram
Stoker’s plotting is unique, juicy, and dangerous-all these sexy
women with secrets, screams, and fangy hysteria! This probably wasn’t
the first of the Hammer Dracula series that I saw growing up,
but it’s the one that sticks in my mind best- mostly because of a
sweet climatic finale. Granted the inconsistencies are iffy, but that
windmill of danger, doom, and retribution is classic awesome.
Dracula:
Prince of Darkness – This Terence Fisher helmed 1966 sequel
opens with a revisit to his Horror of Dracula and adds fun
Victorian via sixties ladies, freaky servant Philip Latham (The
Pallisers), action monk Andrew Kier (Cleopatra), candlelit
ambiance, and sweet velvet décor. There’s actually a touch of the
novel as well, with hints of Renfield and visiting English twists-
except our Carpathian guests are two couples this time around.
Barbara Shelley (also of The Gorgon) makes a great scaredy cat
who would be annoying except that we know somebody should take heed
in a vampire picture! Besides, it’s always the good girls like
Suzan Farmer (Die, Monster, Die!) who go so bad for Dracula!
Even though we know a resurrection ritual is coming, it’s still
bloody impressive- literally and figuratively. There’s a great
sense of foreboding fear with scary music as Lee silently hypnotizes
and takes the dames as he wills in what seems like less than 10
minutes! I know he did some of these films under protest and had
conflicts over the dialogue, but Dracula need not speak to be badass
either. OMC’s great strength, overbearing physicality, and evil red
eyes more than fit the terror bill. It’s actually fitting that
there are no wither tos and why fors- just a silent, powerful,
unstoppable menace. We don’t have outright nudity or such for this
round, but the vamp approach and violation works.
Dracula
Has Risen from the Grave – A sweet, bloody, almost
Bond-esque introduction and a fun opening shocker lead off the
revenge plotting, suspenseful carriage chases, surprising character
development, saucy bedroom scenes, religious twists, and rooftop
pursuits in this 1968 sequel. Whew! It’s quite intriguing to for
once see what would possibly happen after Bram, as we instead focus
on Monsieur Rupert Davies (Maigret), priest Ewan Hopper
(Julius Caesar), and the terrified village folk who all still
live in the shadow of Big C. We actually see more of Lee as Dracula
earlier on in the film, and this time he even speaks! Well, it’s
only about dozen lines and we still don’t really have enough of the
eponymous villain, but Sir Christopher has more to do here. Dracula
is quite sensual and kinky; all these necks and bosoms just thrust
right at him! Though filmed well, the production values seem a step
down from the usual Hammer high style, and the women seem a little
too sixties designed instead of the late Victorian onscreen. Young
Barry Andrews (Blood on Satan’s Claw) is also too hepcat
annoying, as is bad girl Barbara Ewing (Torture Garden) to
start- but we know Dracula will educate her- a bite, a beat down, a
catfight! Yes, the titular revival is a little preposterous, but its
also pretty creative- even if the vampire rules, times, and places
established in the first two films are fudged up. The horror sound
effects are great, along with impressively eerie green glow effects
and colored lens tricks. It does indeed look like death here!
Taste
the Blood of Dracula (1970)– Well, in this Hammer’s fifth
Dracula themed film, Big C has a sweet intro tying into his previous
entry, 1968’s Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. The occult
circumstances leading to Dracula’s resurrection here are also
lovely horror treats- creepy organ music, lightning crackles, and
bright red oh so delightfully fake blood! Even if Lee only has about
a dozen mostly one-word lines, he’s still enchanting, suave, and
lays on the kinky with Linda Hayden (Blood on Satan’s Claw)
and Isla Blair (Battle of Britain). What can I say; he knows
how to dominate a picture! While this outing suffers a little bit
from lack of other stars- it’s tough to enjoy all these Brit blokes
who all seem the same- the Victorian flavor, gore, and underlying
cheeky are just right. So what if the cult rituals in the titular
quest are over the top. You can read into all the blood, life, and
naughty symbolism if you want, but Taste is also a lot of fun;
everything we expect in a good old midnight movie. I do grant that
the plastic gardens are hokey, but I like that something special and
stage-like intimacy where nothing but a good cape, red eyes, and
pimpin’ fangs are needed.
Scars
of Dracula – Roy Ward Baker (The Vampire Lovers)
takes the helm for this 1970 entry in the Hammer series once again
starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous count. The plot kind of
sort of picks up from Taste the Blood of Dracula with the
pre-requisite resurrection in the first few moments and sets the mood
with booming orchestration, outdoor scenery, wild carriages, and cool
castle interiors accented by red décor and bloody, pecked, and
stabbed victims. Yes, the period design is cheap and the plot
standard – a young village girl is attacked, angry townsfolk and
the clergyman head off for Dracula’s known lair, one person doesn’t
heed said village’s advice, a couple pursues him to the castle…
The tale starts several times and takes too long with seemingly
random players before the vamp action, and most of this set up could
have been abandoned for an in medias res cold open. Expected
series inconsistencies and a plodding lack of panache detract from
the Stoker touches, but Lee looks good, mixing both violent and
torturous intensity with suave and delicate mannerisms. From casual
dining and conversations to a seductive vampire bride and slightly
hokey bat control, Lee has much more to do with these developments,
and it’s wonderfully creepy. Likewise, Patrick Troughton (Doctor
Who) is a seedy, hairy, hatchet wielding, and conflicted
henchman. Though the nudity and bed hopping are a little more risqué,
there could have been more and subtitles would clarify a lot! Yes,
it’s somewhat typical with nothing new on the vampire theme, but
Lee’s presence anchors the spooky iconography here.
Dracula
A.D. 1972 – Numero 7 brings Dracula back once again-and
this time, the titular year is where all the juice happens with
Stephanie Beacham (The Colbys) and Caroline Munro (The Spy
Who Loved Me). The swanky scoring is a lot of fun, but director
Alan Gibson (also of the follow up Satanic Rites of Dracula)
wastes time on dated onscreen band performances. We don’t need
lengthy 1972 establishing, and the now retro styles would have look
cool old school if they weren’t so dang garish. We poke fun at the
psychedelic, sure, but imagine how ugly current slasher horror films
brimming with kids in the latest fashions are going to look in 40
years! The annoying hepcats wannabes here make things too bad
English; Scream and Scream Again does the formula just a
little bit better. Thankfully, Peter Cushing’s return as Grandpa
Van Helsing is classier and action pimpin’ then all of the little
boys put together! Of course, things kick up when Lee is resurrected
and Cushing takes up the fight, but who knew Dracula was down with
the swirl? Pity he is only in a reluctant handful of scenes with
another dozen obligatory lines.
The
Satanic Rites of Dracula – This direct sequel and number
eight in the Hammer Dracula cannon sticks to the contemporary designs
from its 1972 predecessor with more faux Bondian opening
titles, breasts, and bad zooms. Though the sets and scenery are a
little bland, drab, and not as colorful as the previous outing, the
blood, kinky vampire brides, and disturbing rituals get all the
horror across just fine. It’s also neat to see tapes, slides, and
old style investigations instead of high tech CSI. The modern
spy angle and same old Scotland Yard inspectors are, however, a
little ho-hum in overtaking the expected vampness. Van Helsing’s
credentials change to fit the themes here, but PC is still sweet-
slapping people around to get his answers and taking long
contemplative drags on his cigarette. Big C commands a lot of
attention with his strong, distinctive voice and speech, yet his
silent and brutal sweeping in and conquering works in his handful of
scenes here. There’s something so sensual about not always seeing
the actual taking bite, just the fear before and the deadly euphoria
after. Yes, perhaps the ‘spies saving England from vampires’ plot
might not always work, but the latent lesbian vampire action and
orgasmic stakings go a long way for old school male audiences.
The
Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires – Although Hammer’s
Dracula series wasn’t exactly known for its consistency, this 1974
samurai meets vampires crossover muddles the timeline further, easily
resurrects its angry and infamously not Christopher Lee
Dracula, and unevenly mixes its two-movies-in-one inspired parts. The
bad makeup, dubbing by David de Keyser (Leo the Lasyt), and
almost comically green, alien lighting for John Forbes-Robertson (The
Vampire Lovers) as Dracula isn’t scary and feels unnecessary –
other Hammer vivid designs, period Asian style, undead rituals, and
zombies rising from the grave are great but it’s tough to tell
what’s happening most of the time. Fight scenes, nudity, and blood
sucking are well done along with hints of Buddhist relics affecting
these vamps, but Peter Cushing partly tells the titular legend in
flashback instead of it being the main story. It might have been neat
to see his traveling Van Helsing film series as he battles all manner
of evil across the globe, but one has to wonder why Cushing took this
role. Despite interesting character opportunities and uniqueness, Big
Pete instead goes head to head in a reversed Magnificent Seven
protect the village from the bad guys cliché. The audience never
gets a satisfactory feeling from either the Fu or the Brits involved
– the Chinese vampires didn’t need Dracula or Van Helsing, but
Van Helsing on a vampire tour doesn’t need Kung Fu action, either.
While this full length, unedited version is the one to see,
unfortunate compression, film speed issues, and a fast hour and
25-minute runtime on the recent Millennium Films Hammer Horror
Collection DVD set further sabotages the premise here. Today’s
viewer may look at this and wonder if the speed is supposed to be
part of some sort of Kung Fu lips not matching the voices comedy! I
hoped this would be good – and I do believe it is possible to
combine vampires, martial arts, and horror – but this should have
been a straight Hammer Asian arts film. I get tingling imaging the
possibilities, but viewer expectations aren’t fulfilled here.
For more Sir Christopher, please see Our Christopher Lee Reviews guide.
Sniff.
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