Nothing says Halloween like vampires, so, here are 25 vampire flicks that you might want to sink your teeth into during the Halloween season! I tried to add a little diversity and sadly left off a few good titles due to there unavailability (like Salem’s Lot 1979 and Fright Night II 1988).
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2010
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Dracula returned again, as did Christopher Lee, in his fourth portrayal and while it’s not quite as audacious fun as Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, it is still a bit livelier than Dracula: Prince Of Darkness. This chapter opens with an entrepreneur (Roy Kinnear) being thrown from his coach by some ruffians and finding himself witnessing Dracula’s demise from the last installment. Seeing an opportunity, he gathers Dracula artifacts and a generous amount of his powdered blood. The film then introduces us to three older ‘thrill seekers’ Hargood (Geoffrey Keen), Paxton (Peter Sallis) and Secker (John Carson), village aristocrats who secretly delve into questionable activities at a local brothel. These three are finding little thrills to seek, as of late and turn to younger Lord Courtley (Ralph Bates), a man known to dabble in the black arts. They buy Dracula’s blood and artifacts for a Satanic black mass Courtley plans to hold in his family’s deconsecrated church…a ceremony that involves the drinking of The Count’s blood to ensure their darkest fantasies come true. The three noblemen have second thoughts during the ceremony and after he alone drinks Dracula’s blood, Courtley is slain by the fearful men. As the three men plan alibi’s for their crime, the body of Courtley transforms into Dracula (Christopher Lee) himself . The Count considers the murdered Courtley a servant and thus plans his vengeance on the unsuspecting men…and their innocent offspring.
The film is once again written by Anthony Hinds but, now finds Peter Sasdy in the director’s chair. Sasdy doesn’t quite have Freddie Francis’ flair for the bloody dramatic, pacing, or visual eye, but, he takes the somewhat ludicrous story seriously and still has some fun with it. The film has some actual nudity in it, during the brothel sequence and there is the usual blood spattering. While the three noblemen start out as the main characters, the film switches focus to their adult children once Dracula rises, about halfway through, and begins to stalk them. There is an interesting plot point of Dracula taking a woman, Hargood’s pretty daughter Alice (Linda Hayden), as his servant, to do his bidding and transforming Paxton’s daughter Lucy (Isla Blair) into a vampire. This leaves Paul Paxton (Anthony Corlan), Alice’s boyfriend and Lucy’s brother, to enter the story as our valiant hero and take on the Prince Of Darkness. This also gives us a fun and fairly action-packed last act, after a more moderate beginning and middle, which helps overcome the long wait for Dracula to appear. Bernard once again gives us a fitting score and Arthur Grant returns as cinematographer and gives us the vibrant colors he did in Dracula Has Risen From The Grave. While an entertaining entry, the story does show the idea well is starting to drain a bit in coming up with ways/reasons for Dracula to resurrect.
If these film are consistent about one thing it’s assembling a good cast. Lee is solid, as always, even though it was said, at this point, he was getting tired of the role. Keen, Sallis, and Secker are all good as the village aristocracy who secretly seek the darker pleasures and pay for it dearly. Ralph Bates is over-the-top fun as the disinherited Lord Courtley and it’s actually a shame he didn’t stick around longer. Obviously, they needed the job of Dracula’s servant open for Alice, which as a female familiar was a refreshing twist. The young cast, Hayden, Blair, Corlan and Martin Jarvis as Lucy’s boyfriend Jeremy Secker, all do a perfectly fine job with Hayden making both a pretty heroine and sinister servant and Anthony Corlan a dashing hero. Good casts go a long way in making things work, even if there are creative flaws and this series knows it.
I liked this one, though not as much as Dracula Has Risen From The Grave. It’s not quite as fun but, it still has some blood running in it’s veins and while the story is a bit loopy, there are some nice set pieces…especially the church-set climax…and the film still succeeds in presenting the gothic atmosphere that is a series staple. Sasdy’s direction has a bit more restraint than Freddie Francis but, still far less formal than that of Terrance Fisher. Lee is great and despite a reluctance at this point, would play Dracula for Hammer three more times and would soon reunite with his arch nemesis, Cushing’s Van Helsing.
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Hammer Studios brought ‘new blood’ to their Dracula series with a new director, Hammer and Amicus regular Freddie Francis, armed with a script by Anthony Hinds. The result is one of the best of the sequels and a film where Lee was really given the opportunity to own the character of Dracula.
Story takes place a year after Dracula’s defeat and destruction and the villagers are still fearful of the evil they say remains lurking in his castle. Monsignor Mueller (Rupert Davies) arrives to find a distressing malaise that even keeps people from the church that lies in the castle’s shadow. He commands the local alcoholic priest (Ewan Hooper) to follow him to the castle itself to perform an exorcism. The ritual is successful but, an accident releases Dracula (Christopher Lee) from his icy tomb and now locked out of his house, plans to avenge himself on Mueller…and his beautiful niece, Maria (Hammer hottie Veronica Carlson). With the troubled priest in his thrall, can Dracula and his diabolical plans be stopped?
Former cinematographer Francis brings not only a new vibrant look and sumptuous visuals to the Dracula series but ups the ante in the sex and blood department. Hinds’ script also gives Lee plenty of time onscreen and plenty of dialogue for the actor to bite into. We get a busty/lusty serving girl (Barabara Ewing) who is quite happy to let Dracula take a nip and is even jealous when he wants to dip his fangs elsewhere. Lee’s Dracula takes his female meals with far more sexual relish than in the previous two flicks and his Count is far more vicious when provoked…which is often. We also have a lively hero in Maria’s boyfriend Paul (Barry Andrews) and there is a lot more action than the moderately paced predecessors. While I would never characterize the last two films as ‘stuffy’ there was a moderation to things that Freddie Francis casts off for a more audacious entry that spatters blood often and gives Lee a chance to really strut his cape. Francis and cinematographer Arthur Grant use a very effective crimson iris filter whenever Lee is onscreen, that really accents that he is bathed in evil and overall, creates a palate of vivid colors that contrast the look of Fisher’s more subtle colored Dracula films. James Bernard returns again to score and it all combines for the bloodiest and sexiest entry in the series so far, cutting loose a bit, yet, without ever straying into camp.
Christopher Lee really locks in the role here, especially since he is given a lot to say and do. He masterfully creates a vicious monster who is equal parts diabolical and sexy and his scenes with his beautiful leading ladies are both eerie and enticing. This may be one of his best performances as the legendary vampire. Davies makes a good foe as Mueller, though his arrogance as a man of the cloth leaves him vulnerable. Ewan Hooper is actually sympathetic as a priest whose has lost his faith and now is the servant of the very evil he once vowed to oppose. Hooper plays the constant inner conflict very well. Andrews makes an interesting hero as the rambunctious student and atheist Paul. He is more impulsive and yet, noble and brave when Maria’ life is threatened and the film doesn’t ignore his having to face an evil he thought didn’t exist. A character that is in contrast to the prim, proper and religious characters of Fisher’s entries. Barbara Ewing is simply hot as serving girl/beer wench Zena and she is a lively and sexy woman, also in contrast to the chaste ladies that served as our female characters in the first two films. Even Carlson’s Maria is adorned with a playful sexiness that the female heroines of the series lacked so far. Still a damsel but, one not afraid to sneak out across the rooftops to visit her boyfriend.
I really enjoyed this sequel. It may be my favorite after the classic Horror of Dracula, and certainly one of the most fun of the series. The film casts off the more restrained atmosphere of the Terrance Fisher films and gives us some blood and boobs (though still covered somewhat) and lets Lee really cut loose and revel in his Dracula’s bedside manner. The colors are vivid and bright and the characters, lively and more fun. There is plenty of action, bloodshed and best of all, plenty of Dracula! A very entertaining entry and possibly the best of the sequels in this series that maintained a level of quality almost till the final entry.
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