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Dracula A.D. 1972


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Editorial
Synopsis

In modern-day London a group of young people hold a black mass and unwittingly summon back the spirit of Dracula, who embarks on a reign of terror.


Like, Taste the Blood of Dracula, kids!
Review date: 2007-12-15 Rating: 6 out of 10

For reasons known only to the author, Bram Stoker's Dracula never included the line "Sergeant, I'll bet you a pound to a pinch of s**t that there's a little piece of hash at that party, and if there is, I've got them.", but the early 70s saw that particular oversight put right. Dracula A.D. 1972 saw Hammer trying to pump new life into the old Count with a new creative team whose big idea was basically to rehash the plot of Taste the Blood of Dracula in the 1970s with Christopher Neame in the Ralph Bates role as Johnny Alucard, here conning a thrill-seeking group of with it kids (Michael Kitchen and Caroline Munro among them) into making a date with the Devil with a Black Mass at the deconsecrated church that not only holds Lawrence Van Helsing's body (Lawrence? Whatever happened to Abraham?) and Dracula's ashes. "Okay, okay. But if we do get to summon up the big daddy with the horns and the tail, he gets to bring his own liquor, his own bird and his own pot."

As with the Godzilla films, the main attraction is kept off the screen for most of the running time - top-billed Christopher Lee's role is probably smaller in this than any other in the series, four brief scenes probably totalling no more than ten minutes. Worse still, looking more like Peter Sellers than Transylvanian aristocracy, he brings nothing except continuity to the part: he does what is asked of him with professionalism, but that's about it. Instead the bulk of the film is carried by Neame's Malcolm McDowell wannabe, second-billed Peter Cushing as Van Helsing's grandson Lorimar, Stephanie Beacham and Michael Coles' open-minded cop ("There is a Satan." "Of course. Otherwise we wouldn't need a police force, would we?"). Yet despite the clumsily handled prologue and finale it's fairly entertaining even if it is completely derivative, perhaps even more entertaining now than when it was released because its hip and happening trappings are far funnier than the intentional comic relief - not least Johnny Alucard urging "Dig the music, kids!" during the black mass - and it's a lot better than Dracula 2000.

The DVD also includes the wonderfully over the top trailer - "Are you ready? He's ready. He's waiting to freak you out - right out of this world!" - but not the short making of documentary from when the picture was still called Dracula Today (other rejected titles included Dracula Chases the Mini Girls and Dracula Chelsea '72!).

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Reviews


Dracula A.D. 1972.
Review date: 2007-10-07 Rating: 4 out of 10

Dracula A.D. 1972.

Despite a reasonaby good cast, including Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame, Caroline Munro, & finally the return of Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, this IMO is the worst of the Dracula sequels.
Ignoring continuity to the previous movies, the film starts with a hitherto unseen confrontation between Dracula & Van Helsing in 1872, whereupon Van Helsing destroys the vampire once again. Zoom forward 100yrs to 1972, & we meet the hippie-esque Jessica Van Helsing, who is the grandaughter of a modern day Professor Van Helsing who in turn is the great grandson of the original. In short, one of Jessica's hippie-esque group of friends, calling himself Johnny Alucard ressurects Dracula, who seizes upon the chance to permanently end the Van Helsing line.
It's sounds fine in theory, but unfortunately this movie has dated really badly, & even at the time when it was made, i could imagine coming over as awfully kitsch. Gone is James Bernard's classic style of music, to be replaced by a horribly generic 'Geoff Love & His Orchestra' style of quasi-hip/easy music, & some really corny rock music provided by some awfully average band of the day. Jessica, Alucard, & the other group of pseudo post-hippies are so incredibly ham & unconvincing that it borders on embarrassing, although to be fair Stephanie Beacham isn't bad in some bits.
I can't really fault Lee's performance to be honest, He treats it with as much seriousness as possible, as you'd expect from a professional of his calibre, But even the best actors can only work with what they're given. The script & the plot are just average fayre, & along with Lee, only the great Peter Cushing really makes this movie worth bothering with at all. If anything, Cushing's outing is even more effective than Lee's, & he brings a welcome sense of gravitas & convinction to all his scenes.
Even so, despite the very worthy input from Cushing & Lee, IMO, this film only average at best. 5/10.


(Un)dead groovy, man!
Review date: 2007-02-13 Rating: 8 out of 10

Seeing this film again on DVD brings back fond memories as this was one of the first horror films I ever saw.

Nowadays this film seems very tame indeed (it was made before The Exorcist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Freddy & Jason etc) but it is still a lot of fun. For starters it has a terrific cast. Christopher Lee is of course Count Dracula and Peter Cushing plays Lorimar Van Helsing, a modern day descendant of Lawrence Van Helsing. The Hammer Glamour is mainly provided by Stephanie Beacham (as Lorimar Van Helsing's grand daughter, Jessica) and the amazing Caroline Munro.

The movie begins with an all-action prologue with Lawrence Van Helsing (also played by Cushing) battling Dracula onboard a speeding horse-drawn coach in Hyde Park. The coach eventually crashes and Dracula is impaled on the spokes of a broken wheel (ouch!!!). Van Helsing also dies but not until he has witnessed the evil Count (no Carry On-Style gag intended there) reduced to a pile of dust. However, someone else has also witnessed the Count's demise...

The opening credits roll and we are then transported 100 years forward to the present day (well 1972, anyway). Dracula is resurrected by one of his disciples Johnny Alucard (hmmm... I wonder what you get if you spell that surname backwards?) in a black mass ceremony involving lots of blood and Dracula then sets out to wreak revenge on the Van Helsings by planning to make Jessica his vampire bride.

There are some wonderful set pieces in this film - the opening sequence is very well done and the showdown between Lorimar Van Helsing and Johnny Alucard is memorable. I have to say though that Dracula is dispatched quite easily at the film's climax (something which is not uncommon in the Hammer Dracula films) but before this happens Cushing and Lee at least get to indulge in a battle of wits with Cushing using a variety of "weapons" against the Count.

I know some Hammer fans are not over-enthusiastic about this film but I have always found it very enjoyable and it is good to see this film released on DVD.




Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Christopher Lee
Michael Coles
Christopher Neame
Peter Cushing
Stephanie Beacham

Creators:
Peter Cushing (Primary Contributor)
Christopher Lee (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900110747
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2005-10-31
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1972
Language: English (Original Language)

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