Taste the Blood of Dracula

  

Taste the Blood of Dracula

1970

Director- Peter Sasdy

Cast- Christopher Lee, Linda Hayden, Ralph Bates, Anthony Higgins, Isla Blair, Geoffrey Keen, Gwen Watford, Peter Sallis, John Carson, Martin Jarvis, Roy Kinnear, Michael Ripper

            

     This film was an improvement over its predecessor, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. Taste the Blood of Dracula upped the sexiness of the franchise to include actual nudity along with the usual copious cleavage (those scenes were edited in the original theatrical versions but are restored in the DVD versions.). It also was the first in the franchise to draw a more obvious comparison between Dracula and Satan, to include a kind of Satanic ritual in a desecrated church.

  

     

    At the end of Dracula has Risen from the Grave, the Count is impaled on a giant metal cross. Taste the Blood of Dracula begins with that death scene. A traveling businessman, hearing Dracula’s screams, runs to the sound and sees Dracula in his death throes. He watches as the Count dies and then melts, his blood congealing and then turning into crimson dust. The businessman, I guess sensing an opportunity, gathers up Dracula’s effects and the dried blood.

       

    Fast forward a bit. Three wealthy gentleman have formed a circle for indulging their jaded lusts (including Geoffrey Keen who you’ll recognize from six different James Bond films and John Carson who also starred in the excellent Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter). They are at a brothel indulging their appetites when a young rapscallion bursts in and steals one of their girls (Madeline Smith, who was sadly underutilized, though Hammer would make up for that later that same year with The Vampire Lovers).

            

    The gentlemen inquire as to the identity of the youth and find out that he is Lord Courtley, an aristocrat who has been disowned by his family and kicked out of polite society thanks to rumors that he has been participating in Black Masses. The gentlemen, bored with the pleasures of the flesh, ask Courtley if he can recommend any new kicks.

            

    Courltey asks if they’d be willing to sell their souls and they pretty easily agree. He takes them to a shop where we meet the businessman from the beginning of the film. They drop a pretty penny for Dracula’s dried blood and personal effects. Courtley says that he’ll need these for an occult ritual.

           

    Courtley and the trio meet in a desecrated church. Courtley conducts a theatrical ritual where he mixes his blood in a goblet with the dried blood of the Count. The concoction seems to come alive, growing to fill the goblet. But when it comes time, the men chicken out and refuse to drink. Courtley berates them for their cowardice and drinks it himself. Very quickly he doubles over, screaming in pain. Perhaps out of fear or anger, the trio of men respond by beating Courtley to death and running.

           

    Hargood, the leader of the trio returns to his home where he emotionally abuses his wife and daughter, Alice (played by Linda Hayden who was excellent in The Blood on Satan’s Claw). Alice is in love with Paul (no not the same Paul from Dracula Has Risen from the Grave). Hargood forbids them to have a relationship but won’t explain why (in truth, Paul is the son of Paxton, one of the trio). Hargood, in addition to being abusive, seems to have an unwholesome interest in his daughter’s sexual maturity, so perhaps he is jealous of competition. Paul’s sister, Lucy (not the Lucy from Horror of Dracula) is dating the son of the third member of the trio.

            

    Meanwhile, in the desecrated church, Courtley’s deceased body goes through a kind of metamorphosis.  Dracula’s blood changes Coourtley’s body into Dracula’s body. Now, risen from the dead again, Dracula declares revenge on the trio of men for the murder of his servant. That seems like spurious reasoning to me as Dracula would have killed Courtley anyway as he took over his body. But oh well. The Count’s been dead for a while, so one can forgive him for being a bit blood thirsty.

            

    

      

     Dracula sets out for his revenge by targeting the children of the gentlemen. First he gets Alice. Rather than bite her, he mesmerizes her, and has her slay her father (she probably didn’t need much pushing). He then has Alice lure Lucy to the church where Dracula turns her into a vampire. Lucy’s father discovers that his daughter is a vampire. He reluctantly decides to stake her but she turns the tables on him in what is one of the best scenes in any vampire movie. Lucy and Alice pin down the would be vampire killer and ram a stake through his heart! Priceless.

           

    Dracula engineers the death of Lucy’s father (thus completing his revenge) but not before the man can leave a note for Paul explaining what has happened.

            

    Paul (Anthony Corlan who also starred in the wonderful Vampire Circus) sets out to stop the Count and save Alice. There is a brief but well done scene where Alice is laying on top of Dracula’s sarcophagus like a beloved pet waiting for their master to return. The ending is a little vague as to how things go down but my interpretation is that Paul reconsecrates the church and after a fight the power of God smites Dracula, killing him. Why the smiting didn’t occur immediately I don’t know.

           

    

     

   It had a strong cast. Linda Hayden is an excellent villainess. After she becomes Dracula’s servant she seems to take a joyful glee in doing evil. Watch her in The Blood on Satan’s Claw and you’ll see what I mean. Michael Ripper, who had small roles in some of the other films, gets a better role in this one as a clueless police inspector. Over all, an entertaining film.

Fun fact- The film was originally written without Dracula. Lee was getting tired of the part and the intention was that Lord Courtley would become the new villain. However, Hammer’s American distributor refused to carry the film without Dracula so Hammer talked Lee into coming back for another one.

Fun fact #2- Anthony Coral (who would later change his stage name to Anthony Higgins) had a supporting role in Raiders of the Lost Ark as a German officer. Ilsa Blair, who plays his sister Lucy, had a part in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.