"The Satanic Rites of Dracula" is a weird, dreamlike little movie that clearly doesn't appeal to the majority of horror fans. But hey, I kind of like it.
The earlier films in Hammer Studios' Dracula cycle tended to be very similar and predictable; Lee's Dracula would get resurrected early on in the proceedings, he'd put the bite on a cute local girl, and then the girl's boyfriend would track him down and destroy him. Needless to say, this formula got mighty dull after a while.
This movie at least attempts something different. Screenwriter Don Houghton cooks up a pretty novel story about Dracula forming a cult of followers in present-day England, and developing an extra-virulent new strain of the Bubonic Plague. It all feels very science fiction-y, and there are enough armed thugs running around to evoke crime and spy thrillers as well. But I think it works all right.
Unsurprisingly, most fans of Hammer's Gothic horror films dismiss this movie on the grounds that it's too different from "classic" Hammer. But hey, there are dozens of traditional Hammer films for fans to enjoy; must they automatically pan this one because it doesn't fit the usual pattern? I, for one, appreciate the new ideas in this movie - even if they don't always work.
So, here's a rundown of the film's strong points: the plague story is an interesting new wrinkle; director Alan Gibson lends the action scenes brutality and style; there are some great shock moments involving a basement full of vampire women; and most of the actors give solid performances.
On the downside, elements of the plot feel half-baked, the editing is somewhat choppy, and there are too many good guys who don't get enough screen time (Joanna Lumley springs to mind). And, as usual, Dracula proves much too easy to destroy; the dude must have a serious death wish.
Still, this ain't bad at all, given the time and budget constraints that were no doubt imposed upon the production team. I've seen lots worse, folks...lots worse.
The earlier films in Hammer Studios' Dracula cycle tended to be very similar and predictable; Lee's Dracula would get resurrected early on in the proceedings, he'd put the bite on a cute local girl, and then the girl's boyfriend would track him down and destroy him. Needless to say, this formula got mighty dull after a while.
This movie at least attempts something different. Screenwriter Don Houghton cooks up a pretty novel story about Dracula forming a cult of followers in present-day England, and developing an extra-virulent new strain of the Bubonic Plague. It all feels very science fiction-y, and there are enough armed thugs running around to evoke crime and spy thrillers as well. But I think it works all right.
Unsurprisingly, most fans of Hammer's Gothic horror films dismiss this movie on the grounds that it's too different from "classic" Hammer. But hey, there are dozens of traditional Hammer films for fans to enjoy; must they automatically pan this one because it doesn't fit the usual pattern? I, for one, appreciate the new ideas in this movie - even if they don't always work.
So, here's a rundown of the film's strong points: the plague story is an interesting new wrinkle; director Alan Gibson lends the action scenes brutality and style; there are some great shock moments involving a basement full of vampire women; and most of the actors give solid performances.
On the downside, elements of the plot feel half-baked, the editing is somewhat choppy, and there are too many good guys who don't get enough screen time (Joanna Lumley springs to mind). And, as usual, Dracula proves much too easy to destroy; the dude must have a serious death wish.
Still, this ain't bad at all, given the time and budget constraints that were no doubt imposed upon the production team. I've seen lots worse, folks...lots worse.