Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)

Three Victorian thrill seekers, Hargood (Geoffrey Keen), Paxton (Peter Sallis) and Secker (John Carson), make regular trips to an East End brothel disguised as charity work. They go to great pains to maintain a facade of respectability among their friends, family and community since they are well established in their professions and held in high esteem. They meet Lord Courtley (Ralph Bates), a depraved devil worshipper disowned by his aristocrat father, who arouses their curiosity by suggesting they sell their souls to the devil. At a black magic ceremony in a ruined church, the three men become terrified at what they are witnessing and batter Courtley to death before fleeing. However, Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), the lord of the undead, is revived through him since he had drank his blood prior to being murdered. "They have destroyed my servant", he says. "They will be destroyed" and he sets about corrupting the three men's children and turning them on them...One of the best of Hammer's celebrated Dracula cycle even though, as many have declared, it isn't really a Dracula film at all since the screenplay seems to have been conceived as a straightforward vampire yarn with the Count added in at the last minute. Indeed when one thinks about it any old ghoul would have done here since the Count is not the most important aspect of the film's plot. In a clever and sometimes thought provoking screenplay, Anthony Hinds (writing under his usual pseudonym of John Elder), the emphasis is on the corruption and hypocrisy of society in Victorian England, which is powerfully brought out by director Peter Sasdy here making his promising feature debut. In that respect his style mirrors very much that of the legendary Terence Fisher. There are a number of ironies in the script like Hargood telling his daughter Alice (Linda Hayden) not to "smile and flirt with that young man" meaning her boyfriend Paul Paxton (Anthony Corlan) whom he dislikes intensely. Banishing her to her room saying that her lunch and supper will be sent up on a tray he says "I will not have you displaying yourself in that provocative manner" and accusing her of behaving immorally in "god's house". Yet, he attends a brothel behind his wife and family's back and later defies god by dabbling in satanism with the view of selling his soul to the devil.Sasdy has a strong feeling for the period detail, which is greatly enhanced by the beautiful set design of Scott MacGregor and Arthur Grant's technicolor camerawork that is among the best he ever shot for a Hammer film. Sasdy assembled a fine cast here too with Geoffrey Keen, John Carson and Peter Sallis all shining as the three hypocritical and corrupt "pillars of the community" who pay the price for letting their curiosity get the better of them and dabbling with black magic and debauchery that is best left alone. Christopher Lee, as in most of his later Dracula films, gets precious little to do and is little more than a supporting character here as the source of evil that the three men unwittingly let upon their unsuspecting community. But, Lee was still the best actor to play Bram Stoker's character on the big screen and he makes the most of the acting opportunities that his limited screen time allows for. Roy Kinnear is in there too as a salesman who procures the remains of Count Dracula - his cloak, signet ring and his powderised blood - for Courtley that provide the basis for the ceremony in the ruined church. Even the juvenile leads Linda Hayden and Anthony Corlan are excellent here. Ralph Bates who was to become a regular leading man in latter day Hammer horrors is quite good as the depraved satanist Lord Courtley. There are some well delivered shocks - the most harrowing of them has to be Paxton's staking in the ruined church at the hands of his own daughter and Alice willed to do so by the vengeful Dracula. All in all, despite the disappointment of Lee having not very much to do, this is still front rank Hammer horror with its skilful depiction of the hypocrisy of the Victorian establishment and as a warning to us all not to allow our curiosity to get the better of us and meddle in things that are best left alone.

OK Hammer horror film. Three Victorian gentlemen (through some VERY convoluted circumstances) beat to death a servant (Ralph Bates REALLY chewing the scenery) of Dracula. This somehow revives Dracula (Christopher Lee) who vows vengeance on the men. He either hypnotizes or turns their children into vampires who kill their fathers.Not a bad film. It's handsomely produced and (with the sole exception of Bates) has good acting...but why is Dracula in it? He doesn't pop up until 50 minutes in and is hardly in it thereafter. He seems like a mere afterthought. The movie mostly concentrates on the romance between Alice Hargood (Linda Hayden) and Paul Paxton (Anthony Higgins). Still it's not bad with few bitings and bloody killings. However a bigger role for Lee could have only helped. So it's OK. Try to see the R rated 95 minute version. Avoid the edited 91 minute PG version.

Dracula's back and out for revenge after a trio of rich old perverts kills his disciple. This one requires some patience for Dracula fans as it takes a good forty-five minutes or so before Dracs is actually resurrected, but it's worth the build-up. It helps that he's taking out some dirtbags in this one. Granted he's willing to go after their innocent family members to get to them, so I wouldn't call him the hero of the story, but he's far from the worst villain in the movie either. A significant amount of time is also spent on the lame romantic subplot. But, for the most part, this is a fun entry in Hammer's series and one that most fans will enjoy.

This movie begins essentially where its predecessor "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave" left off with Dracula (Christopher Lee) having been run through with a large crucifix and in the process of dying. It's at this time that a man named "Weller" (Roy Kinnear) comes along and takes what remains of a totally decomposed body--in particular his clothes and a vial of his blood. As it so happens, three men interested in adventure come upon a man named "Lord Courtney" (Ralph Bates) who is involved in black magic and Satanism. Intrigued at the prospect of a new diversion, they have supper with him and it is at this time that he convinces them to buy the relics from Weller with the secret intention of resurrecting "the Prince of Darkness". Unfortunately, something goes horribly wrong during this ritual and the three men kill Lord Courtney out of fear and then run off. Unknown to them, the evil forces at work had not yet completed and soon the soul of the vampire inhabits Lord Courtney's body and subsequently reconstitutes itself into Dracula's old image—and he vows vengeance upon those who killed his loyal servant. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film was every bit as good as its predecessor mainly because of the dark, gloomy atmosphere which dominated every scene. Of course, that shouldn't be too surprising because that is what most Hammer films are known for in the first place. In any case, this is a pretty solid vampire film and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.