Count Dracula & His Vampire Bride
- Css Darth-Sheol
- Apr 3, 2015
- 3 min read
When I think of Dracula I tend to think of Bela Lugosi in his 1931 black and white appearance. It's his image that I typically see used in the marketing of classic Dracula movies. Yet it's Christopher Lee who was Hammer's Dracula reprising the role for several films (look at his list of credits compared to Lugosi's, far more mentions of the Count). Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride was his last run as the master vampire.
The movie was originally titled "The Satanic Rites of Dracula." I assume the new title was an attempt to tone down the production especially since at least a few minutes of the original are said to be cut out of the newer title. Because evidently as long as you remove a minute or two of footage and change the title, a naked occult ritual suddenly becomes safe for general consumption...? Just because there is no mention of a satanic ritual in the title doesn't mean it's not in the movie.
Drac has lured a group of powerful men into a cult with the secret ambition of creating and distributing an especially virulent strain of bubonic plague for reasons at which that investigators can only guess.
The police get just enough info about this cult to know something dark is going on but not enough to make a move especially considering that the head of their department is suspected of being a cult member himself. They turn to Scotland Yard who turns to Professor Van Helsing. While this is not the same Van Helsing that originally defeated Dracula he is of the same line and has a granddaughter to carry on the family legacy.
It's going to take both the Van Helsings plus the police to track down and stop Dracula. The task becomes much more difficult when they realize he's not alone. He has a harem of vampire girls to lure the policemen to their deaths and even goes so far as to “recruit” girls familiar to the police force. Will they be any match for sexy vampire ladies?
The movie is what it is, a showcase of shocking moments with depictions of dark rituals, mobs of vampire women attacking the heroes in a dark cellar, and innocent victims becoming vicious monsters. I felt like more weight could have been given to those innocents and their connections to the heroes. The perils of the heroes could be played up more dramatically as well. Instead, the movie-makers seem more interested in drawing out the ritual scenes than layering the plot.
The acting is mostly good. I mean we've got the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in this. A few performances fall into being over the top and campy, but this is a B movie after all. Jessica Van Helsing is the only one that really bothers me. As much exposure as she's had to the world of vampires through her family, a plot point that is specifically pointed out in the dialogue, she is quick to become the stereotypical incoherent screaming damsel in distress.
MORALITY:
The initial ritual scene is drawn out over a long period cutting back and forth between it and the police investigation numerous times. Almost every shot of the ritual contains nudity. There is a little more nudity in the later parts of the movie.
Violence includes vampire attacks, staking vampires, stabbing, hanging, and the effects of a deadly virus. It's actually not as graphically violent as I might have thought, but it's still squarely in the typical horror vein.
There isn't much strong language.
SPIRITUALITY:
Expect to see a lot of occult type rituals in this. It's dark in that way and calls on demonic forces. It's not really Satanism, though. Maybe the occultists think it is, but Dracula, not Satan, is the “man” behind this proverbial curtain. Still, it could easily bother some viewers to have to sit through so much footage of the rituals. I will say that the occultists are the villains here and must be stopped. That aspect is probably the only reason the dark rituals don't bother me enough to tell you to run away from this film.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
While I don't care for the attention given to showing the occult rituals, I don't dislike other elements of it. It has a classic Hammer horror feel to it that I enjoy, and the team of Lee and Cushing bring something to it just by showing up. Don't put a lot of effort into getting your hands on it, but if you like Hammer films it's probably worth the effort.
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