Dracula (1974)

... aka: Bram Stoker's Dracula

... aka: Dan Curtis' Dracula

... aka: Dracula et ses femmes vampires (Dracula and His Vampire Wives)

... aka: Drácula, el último romántico (Dracula, the Last Romantic)

... aka: Drácula, O Demônio das Trevas (Dracula, the Dark Demon)

... aka: Graf Dracula (Count Dracula)

... aka: Il demone nero (The Black Demon)

Directed by:

Dan Curtis

As most people reading this are probably already very well aware, Bram Stoker's novel Dracula is one of the most filmed literary works of all time, and the titular vampire count is one of the most filmed literary characters of all time. That horse has not only been beaten to death, it's been smothered in garlic, doused in holy water, had a crucifix shoved in its face, received a stake through the heart and been exposed to direct sunlight more times than anyone can count. There are so many versions out there, across all forms of popular entertainment (film, TV, stage, anime, video games...), and of varying degrees of faithfulness, that one wonders if there's really anything left to gain from watching yet another version. I personally cannot answer that except to say it depends on who you are. If you can't get enough of the book or this character, you'd be fine checking out this version as well. If you're just getting started, I recommend going all the way back to the earliest versions; the unsanctioned German silent classic Nosferatu - Eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) and the 1931 original "legit" version from Universal starring Bela Lugosi, and working your way up from there. With some discernment.

The 1970s alone saw portrayals of the count from Frank Langella (on Broadway and on film), Louis Jourdan, Klaus Kinski, Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Udo Kier, Jamie Gillis, George Hamilton and many more. Hell, Christopher Lee alone played him in no less than five different films. This one gives us Jack Palance, who'd previously starred in Curtis' The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968) to positive reception, in the role. Palance seems a very odd choice at first glance, bordering of miscasting. I mean, an American tough guy actor playing a Hungarian count? How about an American tough guy actor playing a Hungarian count who doesn't even bother with any kind of accent? Disaster? Well, not entirely. Though born in Pennsylvania, Palance (born Volodymyr Ivanovich Palahniuk) was at least of Eastern European (Ukrainian) descent and he kind of just does his own thing here for the most part. How you react to that is going to depend on expectations and how big of a stickler you are for literary faithfulness.

It's 1897 (the same year the novel was first published and presumably set) and British solicitor Jonathan Harker (Murray Brown - VAMPYRES) has just arrived in the Carpathian Mountain-set village of Bistritz, Hungary. He's there at the behest of the elusive and mysterious Dracula and immediately notices that everyone in the area shudders at the mere mention of him. He gets a ride from a coach but the driver refuses to get too close to the castle. Instead, Harker's met by a second coach sent by the count, which whisks him away into the night. They're chased by a pack of wolves that surround the premises, then he's dropped off and the coachman swiftly drives off without having uttered a single word to his passenger.

Harker is soon met by Dracula, who has dinner waiting for him. The count is shown some properties in England that he's hoping to purchase and soon move into and opts for the rustic Carfax Abbey estate. Instead of it being a done deal and the young solicitor being on his way, Dracula insists he stay at his castle for an entire month. He keeps Harker up all night long talking and drinking, and even locks him in his room when he goes so his guest can't leave even if he wanted to. During their conversations, the vampire is shown a photo of Harker's fiancée, Mina (Penelope Horner), Mina's best friend, Lucy Westenra (Fiona Lewis, whose haunting blue eyes are well-utilized here), and Lucy's fiancé Arthur Holmwood (Simon Ward). Dracula seems to take a special liking to Lucy.

Getting locked up for the day yet again, a frustrated Harker discovers a doorway hidden behind a tapestry that leads to a separate wing of the castle. After walking down some hallways and ascending stairs, he finds a room with a casket reading "Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia, 1475" and an old painting of Vlad that looks an awful lot like Dracula. Also in the painting is a young woman who's a dead ringer for Lucy. Before he even has a chance to put two and two together, Jonathan's forced to write a letter home and is then attacked by Dracula, a couple of his goons and three of Dracula's vampire brides, two of whom are played by Virginia Wetherell (THE CRIMSON CULT) and a young Sarah Douglas (who'd go on to play Ursa in Superman 1 & 2 plus a lot of roles in fantasy, sci-fi and horror films in the following decades).

With Harker now out of the way, Dracula arrives in Whitby, England via a Russian schooner five weeks later. Soon after, Lucy comes down with a bizarre illness punctuated by anemia, weakness, sleepwalking and terrible nightmares, accompanied by strange marks on her neck. Mina arrives at their estate to help out Mrs. Westenra (Pamela Brown), while Arthur brings in reinforcements in the form of Dr. Van Helsing (Nigel Davenport - PHASE IV). Naturally, Dracula has been luring Lucy out of the home late at night for necking sessions. Van Helsing, who's well-versed on all things supernatural, fears a Nosferatu may be responsible and takes the necessary precautions. However, garlic necklaces, blood transfusions and trying to guard the girl all end up for naught when Dracula uses a wolf to distract the family and is able to sink his fangs into Lucy yet again. She passes away and is entombed, returns as a vampire and has to be staked.

Now that the reincarnation of his lost love is gone, Dracula sets out for revenge. He kills a zookeeper (using an entranced wolf), a servant and some guys at a hotel (heaving one out of an upstairs window), plus sets his sights on Mina. Meanwhile, Van Helsing and Arthur try to find out more about him. They're able to tie his arrival in England to the Russian boat and a shipment of dirt (that the count needs to sleep in), which then leads them to Carfax. There, they destroy coffins containing the Earth, effectively forcing Dracula to return home. While that sounds good in theory, Mina is hypnotized and drinks the vampire's blood first, which forces them to go all the way to Transylvania to track Dracula down in order to prevent her from turning into one of the undead.

This is a very difficult movie to either praise or criticize, so I won't really do either. I mean, it's FINE. It's adequate. It's watchable, well-produced, well-acted, paced about right and competently directed and presented. There's nothing wrong with this at all... and yet there's also very little that stands out about it either. The art direction, sets, props, costumes and overall period detail are fine as an evocation of the late 1800s... yet not particularly imaginative. The photography is decent and there are some odd camera angles... just not very many of them. Same with landscape shots and shooting locations (mostly the UK but with bits shot in the former Yugoslavia). All nice. All fine. Richard Matheson's script, which adds a reincarnated love story angle and ties to Vlad the Impaler to the works, is also fine. I could continue to "fine" you to death right now describing everything else about this so I won't.

Palance's approach to the part combines a stiff gait, soft-speaking, a certain breathlessness at times... plus some animalistic hissing during the more intense moments. Everything about him seems a little bit off. He's awkward, sometimes anxious and doesn't seem comfortable in normal conversation; certainly not the suave, sophisticated, confident, gentlemanly Dracula we so often see in other films. Though he's aware of his power and strength, he's mostly quiet and brooding. His driving force is love and companionship and Palance attempts to play him more as a tragic outcast than outright evil. Though I could see this casting choice and the actor's approach to the role being problematic for purists, Palance ends up being the most interesting thing here because at least he offers up something different. As far as the rest of the cast is concerned, zero complaints there. Every single actor does their job well.

Originally scheduled to make its U.S. debut on CBS TV in October 1973, the premiere had to be bumped a full four months to February 1974 due to more pressing news coverage involving the resignation of corrupt president Richard Nixon's corrupt vice president Spiro Agnew. While Agnew got off easy like nearly all wealthy, well-connected people do (he had all charges dropped aside from one, paid a small fine and was given a few years probation), Dracula ended up getting screwed. It lost its prime time pre-Halloween time slot and was then unceremoniously dumped off later on to little attention. To make up for that somewhat, this was released to theaters in the UK, Italy, France, Brazil and in other countries. It was also later able to capitalize on the release of Francis Ford Coppola's (overrated) big budget Dracula adaptation in the early 90s with TV and VHS reissues.

This made its VHS debut here on the ThrillerVideo label in 1986, which came with Elvira commentary. MPI then handled later laserdisc, VHS, DVD and Blu-ray releases. The version that ran on TV was slightly cut to remove a bit of blood seen in the theatrical cut; changes that are outlined in one of the bonus features on the Blu-ray. It also has (very brief) interviews with both Curtis and Palance. The extras are slim on all of the releases.

★★1/2

Tales of Terror (1962)

... aka: Der grauenvolle Mr. X (The Horrible Mr. X)
... aka: Destinos fatales (Fatal Destinations)
... aka: Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror
... aka: Historias de terror (Horror Stories)
... aka: L'empire de la terreur (The Empire of Terror)
... aka: Poe's Tales of Terror
... aka: Schwarze Geschichten (Black Stories)

Directed by:
Roger Corman

Directed by Roger Corman. Richard Matheson adapting Edgar Allan Poe. Starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone. I already knew I was going to get at least some enjoyment out of this before it even began. This is a middle entry in Corman's celebrated Gothic Poe series that started back in 1960 with The House of Usher and concluded four years later with The Tomb of Ligeia. It's also the only anthology film of the eight part series and features three separate Poe tales: "Morella," "The Black Cat" (which also includes elements from Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado") and "The Case of M. Valdemar," with narrated linking segments featuring blood dripping and a disembodied heart beating narrated by Price. Initial reviews weren't always kind but time certainly has been for these. Every single one of Corman's Poe films is well-made and feature good acting and production values on a modest budget. Most of these films were also box office sleeper hits in their day. And, interestingly enough, it was teenagers who were actually flocking to see these classic literary adaptations in drive-ins and making them hits! Boy, how times have changed.

In "Morella," Lenora (Maggie Pierce) takes a coach from Boston to her crumbling, isolated, seaside family mansion. She's there for one reason and one reason only: To reunite with her estranged father Locke (Price), whom she hasn't seen in twenty-six years. Sure, he's always sent checks to pay for her schooling, room and board, but otherwise he hasn't wanted a thing to do with her and she needs to know why. Upon entering the home, she's aghast at the state of the place. It's filled with cobwebs, dust and spiders, and looks to have been abandoned long ago. She's even more disheartened when she finds her father. He's not only a grumpy, unfriendly drunk but almost downright hostile to her. Seeing as how she had the coach drop her off there and has no one way back to Boston at the current time, they're going to be stuck together for awhile whether he likes it or not.

Locke blames Lenora for the death of his beloved wife Morella (Leona Gage), who passed just a few months after giving birth to her and blamed the baby for her illness. As a result, Locke grew to hate his own child and had to fight off the temptation to murder her as an infant ("I took you out of the cradle and almost hurled you out of the window!") Instead of going through with that, he opted to ship her off elsewhere to have someone else raise her. He also removed his wife's corpse from the grave and is currently keeping it in his bedroom! When Lenora reveals she has just a few months left to live, Locke finally comes around, asks her to stay and the two finally start getting to know one another. However, Morella's vengeful ghost returns and is intent on making their father-daughter reunion short lived.

Next up in the much more comedic "The Black Cat" and Lorre's cat-hating drunk Montresor Herrington has a few choice words for our titular feline. These include "beast," "repulsive creature" and "mangy, insufferable brute." He throws it, tries to smash it with a vase and threatens to kick it and tear its head off. Nope, he's not a fan of his wife's pet kitty at all. He's also not a fan of working or doing anything else remotely productive and has been chronically unemployed for seventeen years. As a result, he and his wife Annabel (Joyce Jameson) are in a bit of a financial pickle trying to survive on her sewing money and he doesn't help matters any stealing it all so he can go to a local tavern. After one such excursion, he gets thrown out, unsuccessfully attempts to to panhandle ("Can you spare a coin for a moral cripple?") and then stumbles into a wine merchant's conference.

Before they can throw the obnoxious old drunk out, he challenges the pretentious and prissy Fortunato Luchresi (Price), "the foremost wine taster in the civilized world today," to a wine-tasting contest. Both get wasted and do some hilarious facial expressions before leaving the place falling down drunk. Fortunato gets Montresor home, but he quickly passes out, giving Fortunato and Annabelle a chance to get to know each other. The two soon become lovers but when Montresor finds out what's going on, he plots revenge. That involves chaining both up in the cellar and then walling them in... but that's not the only thing he's bricked up behind the wall.

"The Case of M. Valdemar" (based on Poe's "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar) rounds out our collection. Ernest Valdemar (Price) is dying of an incurable disease but believes mesmerism is the key to easing his suffering and pain. He's thus employed the services of hypnotist and (he thinks) friend Mr. Carmichael (Rathbone), who accepts no money for his services but has gotten Ernest to agree to be mesmerized at the exact moment of his death so he can experiment on him. Ernest's wife Helene (Debra Paget) doesn't trust Carmichael and is against their agreement, while physician Dr. Elliott James (David Frankham) is also wary of him and finds it unconscionable to toy around with life and death.

When the time finally comes, and right at the moment of Ernest's demise, Carmichael turns on his color-flashing machine and manages to hypnotize Ernest. While his body is technically dead, his mind is still active and he's still able to communicate from the beyond without even moving his lips. He speaks of being in darkness and then surrounded by "multitudes of people." Helene and Dr. James plead with him to just let Ernest go, but he refuses. After all, he still has research to do. Months pass and, while his body deteriorates, Ernest is still in limbo between his Earthly existence and the afterlife. Carmichael tries to leverage his control over the body into forcing Helene to be his bride, which doesn't sit too well with Ernest.

"Morella," the shortest of the stories clocking in at just 20 minutes, feels a little basic, under-baked (another few scenes between Locke and his daughter would have helped flesh it out) and rushed at the climax, but it's redeemed somewhat by good art direction and sincere acting. The climax where the Locke home goes up in flames features recycled footage from Corman's Usher. "The Case of M. Valdemar" is a fairly well-executed and acted treatise of a genuinely fascinating premise which provides some effectively creepy moments. However, "The Black Cat" was the big standout for me. This has hilarious performances from Price and (especially) Lorre and the horror content is also fairly potent. There's a bizarre nightmare sequence where Price and Jameson rip off Lorre's head and throw it around like a ball and even stranger hallucinations that feature an iguana, tarantulas, snakes, an alligator and, uh, crabs and a lobster. Great stuff!

The film's box office success prompted AIP, Corman and company to make their next Poe film - The Raven (1963) - more comedic in tone just like the "Black Cat" segment and they even brought back both Price and Lorre to star in it. AIP then made their third horror-black comedy, The Comedy of Terrors (1964), which had Price, Lorre, Rathbone and Jameson, plus Boris Karloff, and was directed by Jacques Tourneur.

★★★