DRACULA AND HIS PALS

DRACULA AND HIS PALS,

This week Great Old Movies looks at films starring the venerable old baddie, Dracula. You can already find reviews of the original 1931 Dracula with Bela Lugosi, as well as posts on Dracula's Daughter; the first Hammer Dracula film starring Christopher Lee, The Horror of Dracula; and one of the best follow-ups, the excellent Dracula, Prince of Darkness; among many others. Just type in "Dracula" in the search bar above.

Now this week we have Francis Lederer in The Return of Dracula; Jack Palance doing his version of the count for Dan Curtis; Ingrid Pitt doing a turn as Countess Dracula; and even William Marshall as Blacula. There is also Italian director Dario Argento's version of the classic story; among others. Just scroll down to enjoy. And feel free to leave a comment whether you agree with my assessment or not.

Thanks for reading!

THE RETURN OF DRACULA

Francis Lederer as Dracula

THE RETURN OF DRACULA (1958). Director: Paul Landres.

When a young artist named Bellac Gordal (Norbert Schiller) begins a journey to America, he is waylaid and murdered by Dracula (Francis Lederer of Terror is a Man) --having just escaped from his pursuers --  who takes his place in modern-day California. Pretending to be a cousin, Dracula enters the household of young Rachel Mayberry (Norma Eberhardt of Live Fast, Die Young), along with her mother and little brother, Mickey (Jimmy Baird). Dracula/Bellac tries to keep to himself, although the others keep pestering him, but he is much more interested in, say, drinking the blood of Rachel's blind friend, Jenny (Virginia Vincent of I Want to Live!). He also sets his sights on Rachel, but her boyfriend, Tim (Ray Stricklyn), may have something to say about that. Meanwhile a policeman from Europe continues his hunt for Dracula in the U.S. I wouldn't be surprised if this film was rushed out as an answer to Hammer's Horror of Dracula, released the same year, but the films are miles apart in quality. Lederer was always a kind of oily leading man, even in comedies like Midnight, but in this he seems more charming than menacing, mostly due to his underplaying, as if he were afraid to seem too hammy. The production is widescreen and in black and white, except for a quick color insert showing a stake going into somebody's heart with blood spurting. Only of passing interest, The Return of Dracula has little style or excitement and proved no threat to Hammer's Dracula production. Paul Landres also directed The Vanpire the following year and it was slightly better than this.

Verdict: Stick with Christopher Lee. **.

DRACULA A.D. 1972

New Blood: Christopher Neame as a young vampire

DRACULA A.D. 1972 (also known as Dracula A.D./1972). Director: Alan Gibson.

A prologue set in 1872 shows the deaths of both Dracula and Van Helsing after a final, furious battle, then the film jumps ahead 100 years in this first of Hammer's 20th century Dracula flicks. Lorrimer Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is the grandson of the great vsmpire hunter, living in modern London with his granddaughter, Jessica (Stephanie Beacham of Schizo). Jessica is friends with a man named Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame), who is apparently the reincarnation of one of Dracula's human slaves. Johnny enlists his friends in a black mass, the sole purpose of which is to revivify the ancient, blood-sucking count (Christopher Lee). Dracula snacks on several of Johnny's nubile friends and turns a decidedly willing Johnny into a vampire, but Drac wants revenge on the Van Helsing family and sets his sights on Jessica ... Dracula A.D. 1972 with its jazzy score is like a pop version of Dracula but it mostly works, primarily because of a fast pace and some excellent acting. Cushing and Lee give their usual classy and committed performances, and Neame is a real find as the dynamic and evil Alucard. Michael Coles makes an effective Inspector Murray and Caroline Munro [The Spy Who Loved Me] is fine as one of the count's first victims. The action sequences are well-staged by director Gibson. The vampire folklore in the film is confusing, as Dracula turns people into vampires with one bite without their dying first, and his other victims never rise from the grave. The group Stoneground perform the catchy enough "Alligator Man" in a party sequence. Neame has amassed nearly 100 credits and is still working today. Followed by The Satanic Rites of Dracula.

Verdict: Fun Dracula flick with excellent performances. ***.

BLACULA

William Marshall

BLACULA (1972). Director: William Crain.

Mamuwalde. an African dignitary (William Marshall), and his wife, are on a mission in Europe to protest the slave trade when they wind up guests in the castle of Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay of The House of Seven Corpses). Dracula ignites the ire of Mamuwalde when he claims to have no problem with slavery and would even like to have the man's wife for himself, and the angry count responds by turning him into a vampire. In modern-times, two interior decorators, Bobby (Ted Harris) and Billy (Rick Metzler). get a consignment of items from Transylvania and make the mistake of opening up "Blacula's" coffin. Blacula sees a woman, Tina (Vonetta McGee of The Eiger Sanction), who he swears is his dead wife, and insinuates himself into her company. Meanwhile, some of Mamuwalde's victims are waking up in the morgue and attacking people. Tina's sister, Michelle (Denise Nicholas), has a boyfriend, Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala), who investigates the strange deaths  ... Given the popularity of the "blaxploitation" pictures of the period, Blacula was probably inevitable, and it's actually not a bad idea. The storyline is more than workable, but the character of Manuwalde has been reduced to a one-dimensional villain. A bigger problem is the film's leaden direction and pacing, which strips most of the fun out of it, although audiences may have gotten a kick out of the scene when the crazed lady cab driver bitten by Blacula jumps out of the morgue and rushes down the hall in slow motion to chomp on the halpess attendant, played by Elisha Cook! The two likable gay decorators are raging stereotypes and are referred to as "faggots" in several instances, but then blaxploitation pictures could be merciless toward gays. With his dramatic demeanor, handsome features, and magnificent baritone, one would imagine William Marshall [To Trap a Spy] would make a great Dracula, but he's less effective than others in the role. The other cast members are generally good, with Ted Harris being amusing. A trio sings a couple of snappy numbers in a nightclub, including "There He Goes Again," during which the lady vocalist exhibits some amazing terpsichorean gyrations. Followed by Scream, Blacula, Scream. From American-International Pictures.

Verdict: Not as much fun as it sounds. **.

THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA

Christopher Lee as Dracula

THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA (1973). Director: Alan Gibson.

Dracula (Christopher Lee) is alive and well and masquerading as the Howard Hughes-like millionaire recluse Denham. When his nemesis, Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), learns that Dracula has joined together a group of prominent men into a satanic cult, and that one of them, Professor Keeley (Freddie Jones of Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed) has grown cultures of bubonic plague -- the "Black Death' -- he postulates that Dracula wants to end all life on earth and realize final peace. By Van Helsing's side are his granddaughter Jessica (Joanna Lumley) and Inspector Murray (Michael Coles), who break into a sinister estate from which the cult operates and find themselves in a cellar full of slavering vampire women! The Satanic Rites Of Dracula, which takes place in modern times, is one of the better latter-day Hammer Dracula offerings, with both Lee and Cushing expert in their portrayals, and with top-notch supporting performances as well. This is bolstered by an intriguing plot line, although the use of nasty motorcycle thugs as the cult's assassins and the like is a notion that doesn't always work too well. As much as I love Bela Lugosi, I think Lee makes the more commanding Dracula. This was Lee's last appearance as the traditional Dracula in a Hammer film, although he also played the Lord of the Undead in the 1976 comedy Dracula and Son. Alan Gibson also directed the thriller Crescendo.

Verdict: Pretty terrific Hammer flick. ***.

DARIO ARGENTO'S DRACULA

Thomas Kretschmann as Dracula

DRACULA (aka Dario Argento's Dracula and Dracula 3D/2012). Director: Dario Argento.

Jonathan Harker (Unax Ugalde) arrives in the town of Hapsburg to do work for Count Dracula (Thomas Kretschmann), who has a sinister reputation. Waiting for his wife, Mina (Marta Gastini), to join him, Harker renews his friendship with Lucy (Asia Argento), who begins withering from the attacks on her by Dracula. Apparently Dracula is primarily interested in Mina, whom he believes to be a reincarnation of his wife, who died 400 years earlier. Will Van Helsing (Rutger Hauer) be able to save her from the fatal "love" of the vampire? Argento's version of Dracula seems to take its cue from the earlier Dan Curtis telefilm (and other versions), adding an unconvincing pseudo-romantic subplot that barely amounts to anything. The film's main strength is Kretshmann's excellent portrayal of the undead count -- attractive and compelling he makes the best Dracula since Christopher Lee. If only Argento's picture had the entertainment value of the best of the Hammer Dracula films. There is one striking scene when Dracula forms from a swarm of bees then rapidly dispatches several men who are conspiring against him -- naturally this has its share of gore a la Argento -- but otherwise the film is relatively lethargic and minor, with no real justification for yet another version of the story. The other actors all give good performances for the most part, although a fatigued Hauer seems rather uninterested in the proceedings. The picture is not especially scary, but there are some good FX, including a giant preying mantis that seems dragged in as an extra added attraction. This version takes place entirely in Hungary. The following year Kretschmann played Van Helsing -- not Dracula -- in the TV series, Dracula.

Verdict: Paging Peter Cushing. **.

TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA

Dracula (Christopher Lee) surveys the scene

TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA (1970). Director: Peter Sasdy.

Three gentlemen who are respectable British citizens by day go to the fleshpots at night and crave ever-more excitement. This they certainly get when a dissolute Lord Courtley (Ralph Bates of Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde) tells them where they can find the remains of the one and only Dracula (Christopher Lee). For this ultimate thrill the three men pay the price -- literally and figuratively -- when they sort of reconstitute the vampire with fresh blood inside an old church and all Hell breaks loose ... Although Dracula's first appearance is perhaps not given the dramatic thrust it requires, Taste the Blood of Dracula is an attention-holder and features a lot of fine British actors giving it their all. Bates is especially good, along with Geoffrey Keene as Hargood, whose daughter, Alice (Linda Hayden) is in love with Paul (Anthony Corlan/Higgins), son of fellow "adventurer," Paxton (Peter Sallis); Higgins and Sallis also give noteworthy performances. Gwen Watford is fine as Hargood's wife, Martha. Roy Kinnear and Michael Ripper are also in the cast, and Lee plays with his customary authority. Sasdy also directed the memorable Hands of the Ripper for Hammer.

Verdict: Satisfying Hammer horror. ***.

DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE

Christopher Lee as Dracula

DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968). Director: Freddie Francis.

In this sequel to Dracula Prince of Darkness, the blood-lusting count (Christopher Lee) is freed from his icy prison but discovers that Monsignor Mueller (Rupert Davis) has placed a big cross against the door to his castle as part of his efforts of purification. Enraged, the count mind-controls a pliable priest (Ewan Hooper) and enlists his aid in getting revenge. Dracula sets his sights on the monsignor's pretty niece, Maria (Veronica Carlson), who has a boyfriend, Paul (Barry Andrews), who shocks the monsignor and her mother (Marion Mathie) by admitting he's an atheist [this development takes a predictable route in some ways but not in others]. The busty barmaid Zena (Barbara Ewing) has a yen for Paul but instead winds up the lover of Dracula. [The scene in which the count stalks her just before dawn is well handled except it appears to be daylight already!] The main problem with Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is that it follows the excellent Prince of Darkness [directed by Terence Fisher] and must suffer by comparison. Otherwise, it's effective enough on its own terms and boasts some very good acting from all the principals. Lee is given some dialogue this time around, but only interacts with others when he is controlling or attacking them.

Verdict: Not the best of the Count, but not bad. **1/2.

DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Dracula (Christopher Lee) in attack mode

DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966). Director: Terence Fisher.

Two couples are touring Europe -- Helen and Alan (Barbara Shelley, Charles Tingwell) and Alan's brother Charles (Francis Matthews) and his wife Diana (Suzan Farmer) -- when they are warned to stay away from Carlsbad by Father Sandor (Andrew Kier). Naturally, they go directly to Carlsbad despite Helen's sensible misgivings. There they wind up "guests" in Dracula's castle (which is not musty and full of cobwebs but quite beautiful and handsomely appointed) and given every courtesy by the late count's helpful manservant, Klove (Philip Latham). It isn't long before Dracula is no longer dead, however, and a cat and mouse game ensues between him and Klove and the two horrified couples. With top notch photography [Michael Reed], direction and acting -- Christopher Lee makes quite an impression as Dracula despite the fact he hasn't a line of dialogue --  this is one classy horror film, superior to its predecessor Horror of Dracula, good as that was. (Neither Lee nor Dracula actually appeared in the first follow-up, The Brides of Dracula.) Creepy and suspenseful, this one works every step of the way. As usual, James Bernard's music is a bonus. Peter Cushing's brief appearance at the opening is taken from a previous film.

Verdict: One you can really sink your teeth into. ***1/2.

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960). Director: Terence Fisher.

A young French woman, Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur), on her way to a girls school to join the teaching staff, spends the night in the castle of a lonely old woman, Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt), who tells her that her son, the baron (David Peel), lives by himself in another part of the castle. Marianne finds him and is shocked to see that he is in leg irons. Freeing him, she unleashes a wave of vampirism that engulfs the girl's school and brings in that legendary vampire hunter, Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing). This sequel to Horror of Dracula  has its moments but suffers from the fact that there is no actual Dracula -- or Christopher Lee, who played the count in the first film -- in the story. Nonetheless Peel makes an impression as this substitute bloodsucker, and Freda Jackson scores as the housekeeper, Greta, who looked to the baron's needs for years and goes literally mad when he finally escapes; Hunt is also good as his mother. Cushing, of course, is excellent. Nothing terribly provocative happens at the girls school, but director Fisher still handles it with his usual dramatic flair.

Verdict: Entertaining if minor Hammer horror flick. **1/2.

COUNT DRACULA

Christopher Lee

COUNT DRACULA  (1970). Director: Jess Franco [Jesus Franco].

This is probably not the worst movie directed by prolific Spanish hack Jess Franco, but it's still not very good. It is purported to be a [fairly] faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" with Lee playing the Count [and having more dialogue than he did in his first appearance as the vampire in the superior Horror of Dracula] and Herbert Lom as Professor Van Helsing, now running a clinic in which Renfield (Klaus Kinski) is one of the patients. Lawyer Jonathan Harker (German actor Fred Williams) pays a call on the count, barely escapes from him; discovers that Lucy (Soledad Miranda), a friend of his fiancee Mina's Maria Rohm), is suffering from some sort of blood disease; and so on. Lee (although he seems a bit bored at times) and Lom are fine, but the movie, told in a straight-forward but tedious manner, has absolutely no style and doesn't hold the attention.

Verdict: Watch Horror of Dracula or the original Dracula with Lugosi instead. *1/2.

MONSTERS

MONSTERS: A Celebration of the Classics from Universal Studios. Text by Roy Milano. Del Rey Books; 2006.

This is an over-sized coffee table book celebrating all the great old Universal monsters and the films they appeared in: Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon trilogy. The film has a great many black and white photographs from the films, as well as many essays by people somehow associated with the genre. Of particular interest are the entries from the children of Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi., not to mention Gloria Stuart’s memories of working with Claude Rains on The Invisible Man. [The essays by newer filmmakers such as John Landis and Stephen Sommers are less interesting.] There’s no real critical meat to the volume, but the book is attractive, well put together, and of definite interest to fans of these films.

Verdict: For fans of Franky and the rest. ***.

DRACULA 2000

DRACULA 2000 (aka Wes Craven Presents Dracula 2000/2000). Director: Patrick Lussier.

"Do you think you can teach me anything about betrayal?"

Crooks looking for valuable loot invade a vault and inadvertently unleash the undead Dracula (Gerard Butler) upon the world. He winds up in New Orleans where he goes after the daughter of his old foe Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer), who has stayed alive all these years by using his supernatural foe's blood. There are interesting elements in this movie to be certain -- including the true identity of Dracula, which is a neat twist -- but despite the good points and a few exciting, well-handled scenes, it just doesn't jell. Jonny Lee Miller is appealing as the hero, Simon, Van Helsing's surrogate son, and it's always a pleasure to see Jeri Ryan of Star Trek: Voyager who plays a reporter and victim. While not handsome in the conventional sense, some might feel Gerard Butler makes a strangely sexy vampire. The typical "black comedy" approach of many sequences works against the eeriness of the storyline.

Verdict: Not without merit, but nothing you can really sink your teeth into. **1/2.

THE BATMAN VS DRACULA

THE BATMAN VS DRACULA (2005). Director: Michael Goguen.

This is a feature-length animated film using the latest incarnation of The Batman from the WB's recent cartoon series. Bruce Wayne is no longer a pretty boy, but attractive in an average way. Butler Alfred Pennysworth is a bit on the uppity side. Although updated versions of both The Penguin and The Joker take part in the action, Batman's main adversary is no less than Dracula himself, whose remains somehow wound up in an underground cavern of Gotham cemetery. [Dracula is voiced none too well by actor Peter Stormare; Rino Romano is fine as Batman/Bruce.] Reporter Vicky Vale is the love interest and damsel in distress. While this has some exciting scenes and some fluid animation, it's still a fairly standard comic book adventure.

Verdict: For fans of The Batman only. **1/2.

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936). Director: Lambert Hillyer.

This first sequel to the Bela Lugosi Dracula has Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloane) trying to explain why he drove a stake through Count Dracula's heart and in danger of either being put on trial for murder or institutionalized as insane. [A similar situation occurred in Columbia's entry into the vampire sweepstakes, Return of the Vampire.] Otto Kruger plays Jeffrey Garth, a psychiatrist who tries to help his friend Van Helsing, and Marguerite Churchill is his busy-body secretary. But the main attraction is Countess Marya Zaleska, who claims to be Dracula's daughter, and is played by one of the most fascinating screen presences of the period, Gloria Holden. Holden is very effective as a tormented woman who hopes that Dracula's death means she is free from his curse of vampirism, which turns out (luckily for the audience) not to be the case. Irving Pichel, who also directed many films, plays Sandor, the countess' major domo. Nan Grey is effective as a pretty young would-be suicide, Lily, who becomes a victim of the she-vampire, and Hedda Hopper appears as a high society acquaintance of Garth's.

(Some have seen a supposedly "sapphic" tone to Dracula's Daughter because of the scene in which she hypnotizes Lily and then drinks her blood. But she also hunts and attacks a man earlier in the film, and wants to turn Otto Kruger into one of the undead so that he can spend eternity with her. Besides, in the Lugosi Dracula his victim Lucy, once undead, stalks children, which doesn't necessarily make her a pedophile.) The film doesn't quite make it clear if Holden is actually Dracula's daughter (can the undead impregnate?) or simply someone he turned into a vampire via his curse of blood. In any case, it seems clear that the countess wants to be cured so that she can enter the world of light and laughter, not because she cares about her victims, making her selfish and ultimately unsympathetic. Dracula's Daughter is an entertaining picture, but there's too much comedy and romance in the film, and not enough horror. Even so, it's better than the original. Although Holden appeared in quite a few films after Dracula's Daughter, and played the wife of Emile Zola, her promise was never fulfilled.

Verdict: Flawed but fascinating. ***.

DRACULA (1931)

DRACULA (1931). Director: Tod Browning. Adapted from the Hamilton Deane play taken from Bram Stoker's novel. Photographed by Karl Freund.

77 years after its release Dracula seems a bit stately and campy, but it does have its eerie moments courtesy of the basic premise, Karl Freund's atmospheric photography, and some great (if somewhat overdone) sets, such as the great castle with its cavernous, crumbling entrance hall (complete with armadillos, no less!) and the staircase with its huge, almost comical spider web. At first the great Bela Lugosi seems mannered and slow, but he remains a fascinating performer, and his interpretation of the vampire will probably remain definitive. The movie is rather slow-moving and cries out for music. Helen Chandler, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan (as Van Helsing) and the other actors are competent, but don't really make that much of an impression. Dwight Frye's maniacal performance as the likable lad, Renfield, whom Dracula turns into a blithering mad man is certainly inescapable, however -- and more or less effective. Followed by Dracula's Daughter.

A Spanish version with different actors was made on the same sets at the same time.

NOTE: A version of Lugosi's Dracula with a new score by Philip Glass is available on DVD. Glass' score is uneven, sometimes adding tension and other times inappropriate and distracting. It is performed by the Kronos Quartet and is not a symphonic score, which would have made more sense but also been much more expensive. NOTE: Photographer Freund later directed The Mummy.

Verdict: Creaky but somewhat memorable. **1/2.

DRACULA (1931) Spanish Version

DRACULA (1931). Director: George Melford.

Shot concurrently on the same sets as the Bela Lugosi version, this Spanish version has a completely different cast. While certain long shots from the Lugosi version (shot by Karl Freund) are used, most of this Spanish version was shot by George Robinson. Carlos Villar (pictured) isn't bad in the title role but has unfortunately hammy facial expressions when he is supposed to be at his most frightening. Lupita Tovar is a bit more animated as "Eva" than Helen Chandler was as Mina. Barry Norton is about on the same level as David Manners, charming and competent if little else. As Renfield, Pablo Alvarez Rubio is very effective and not quite as overblown as Dwight Frye. Some of the scene stagings are different from the Lugosi version, but this version also cries out for music and is rather slow-moving (as well as almost half an hour longer!)

Other differences: Renfield accidentally cuts himself with a knife while slicing chicken instead of with a paper clip, which makes more sense (and delivers more blood). When this happens Dracula is not all the way across the room but is only a couple of feet from Renfield. The vampire women (different actresses from those seen in the earlier long shot, taken from the Lugosi film) get at Renfield instead of Dracula. In the Spanish version Dracula does not approach a beggar girl in the street and attack her. At the concert hall, the dialogue between Dracula, Mina and the others occurs while the concert is still going on, a stupid variation. The most important difference is in the staging of the final scene underground, including the murder of Renfield (which is a bit more exciting) and everything that happens afterward. Everything is better than in the Lugosi version, especially the last shot as the survivors ascend the stairs. It's a bit odd, however, that Dracula leaves his coffin open (it's closed in the other version), but then we have to wonder how in either version he could ever have imagined that Van Helsing wouldn't be able to come upon him in his coffin easily, and why he didn't therefore retreat into the darkest corners of the cellar and plan a counter-attack?

Verdict: Interesting variation on a Hollywood classic. **1/2.

BLOOD OF DRACULA

BLOOD OF DRACULA (1957). Director: Herbert L. Strock.

Nancy Perkins (Sandra Harrison) is dumped at a girl’s school by her newly-widowed father (Thomas Browne Henry) so he can go off with his sexy new wife. She’s furious to be leaving behind her friends and steady beau, but there are worse things in store for her. One of her teachers, Miss Branding (Louise Lewis), is dismayed because her thesis keeps getting rejected. She’s convinced that it’s because she’s a woman but it’s just as likely that it’s because a.) she works at a small town girl’s school and is not exactly a professor at Harvard, and b.) her thesis states that there will be no need for A bombs once the deadly, explosive powers of human beings have been harvested (Yes) ! To prove this she needs a girl of angry temperament, and therefore hypnotizes Nancy. For inexplicable reasons, she apparently has Nancy murder a couple of her classmates and friends. There is no "Dracula" in the movie, nor even a mention of him (only of vampires in general), but Nancy transforms into a thick-lipped, shaggy-haired, fanged monstrosity who sucks blood in one of the most hilarious "horror" make-ups of all time. (It’s got to be seen to be believed.) The acting and lensing in the low-budget quickie isn’t bad, and neither is the premise, although Miss Branding’s "science" is below comic book level. Screenwriter Aben Kandel has some decent dialogue along with some clunkers but lots of intriguing stuff goes completely unexplored. It’s unlikely that anyone took this seriously, but in its limited way it’s kind of fun. There’s even a musical number, "Puppy Love," with a guy named Tab (Jerry Blaine).

Verdict: Dopey but amusing. **1/2.