I wasn't aware that this was the last of the Hammer film's "Dracula" series when I saw it, but it was pretty obvious to me that by this point in the series that the franchise was getting winded and has lost most of its novelty and energy. Even so, the presence of Cushing and Lee was a guarantee that this film would have something going for it and would be worth at least a cursory viewing.
The good: I suppose it was inevitable that Hammer would bring Dracula to modern times, and at least they had a decent story idea which applies to modern time: Dracula plans to gets back at the world by destroying it with a new version of the bubonic plague. And he does it by corrupting officials, politicians and rich men at the highest levels of society and industry. This lends the movie a nice bit of paranoia and conspiracy creepiness that adds considerably to its punch and panache...because not only must the good guys win against the vampires, they have to do it without their most powerful leaders knowing about it. The conferences and meetings in a hidden underground bunker are nicely done - the actors manage to convey urgency and seriousness without losing the classic British "stiff-upper-lip" attitude that makes such scenes vastly more watchable.
The "action" has a bit of a different feel this time too. There's a bit of modern thuggery and spy-game terror involved. In fact, you could argue that the scene where Cushing's "survelliance" team is casually taken down and captured by a sniper team is actually the most chilling (and effective) in the movie.
The bad: Count Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, is defeated by a bush. Oh, sure, it's actually the tree from which Christ's "crown of thorns" was made, but still...it's a bush. And the 'wives in the dungeon' bit is not nearly as intense as it should be. Seriously, when the hero drives off three or four blood-craving vampire women by turning on the sprinkler system, it's as if the writers are saying "Sorry, but we're sick of these scenes, can we please do something else?"
The interesting: This is the first Hammer film I've seen with actual on screen nudity. (It appears to have been rated "R" when it first was released.) I'm not sure if there were others, or if the versions I saw of previous Hammer films had such scenes removed, but this is the first time for me. It was kind of a shock - like watching the docent at your local museum squat down and pee in the bushes outside the main gate. No doubt Hammer studios felt the need to compete with the crasser and sexier films that they were losing ground to, and I don't blame them, but it's kind of sad.
Also, Joanne Lumley is in here in a supporting part as Cushing/Van Helsing's granddaughter. She's quite lovely, of course, but the movie doesn't really let her show off the qualities that made her Emma Peal's replacement in "The Avengers" or the sociopath addict from "Absolutely Fabulous".
So, it's a Hammer film that's mostly interesting for the usual things that made a Hammer film - the art direction, the signature directing style, the presence of Cushing and/or Lee, and strong supporting actors who can sell the most turgid, ridiculous lines with their absolutely dead-on delivery. If Jesse Franco had made this film, you'd be on the phone to your travel agent, booking a plane to Europe so you could go to his office there and punch him in the mouth. But from this crew, you get an enjoyable, if minor, effort that's still better than most of the horror stuff being produced at the time.
The good: I suppose it was inevitable that Hammer would bring Dracula to modern times, and at least they had a decent story idea which applies to modern time: Dracula plans to gets back at the world by destroying it with a new version of the bubonic plague. And he does it by corrupting officials, politicians and rich men at the highest levels of society and industry. This lends the movie a nice bit of paranoia and conspiracy creepiness that adds considerably to its punch and panache...because not only must the good guys win against the vampires, they have to do it without their most powerful leaders knowing about it. The conferences and meetings in a hidden underground bunker are nicely done - the actors manage to convey urgency and seriousness without losing the classic British "stiff-upper-lip" attitude that makes such scenes vastly more watchable.
The "action" has a bit of a different feel this time too. There's a bit of modern thuggery and spy-game terror involved. In fact, you could argue that the scene where Cushing's "survelliance" team is casually taken down and captured by a sniper team is actually the most chilling (and effective) in the movie.
The bad: Count Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, is defeated by a bush. Oh, sure, it's actually the tree from which Christ's "crown of thorns" was made, but still...it's a bush. And the 'wives in the dungeon' bit is not nearly as intense as it should be. Seriously, when the hero drives off three or four blood-craving vampire women by turning on the sprinkler system, it's as if the writers are saying "Sorry, but we're sick of these scenes, can we please do something else?"
The interesting: This is the first Hammer film I've seen with actual on screen nudity. (It appears to have been rated "R" when it first was released.) I'm not sure if there were others, or if the versions I saw of previous Hammer films had such scenes removed, but this is the first time for me. It was kind of a shock - like watching the docent at your local museum squat down and pee in the bushes outside the main gate. No doubt Hammer studios felt the need to compete with the crasser and sexier films that they were losing ground to, and I don't blame them, but it's kind of sad.
Also, Joanne Lumley is in here in a supporting part as Cushing/Van Helsing's granddaughter. She's quite lovely, of course, but the movie doesn't really let her show off the qualities that made her Emma Peal's replacement in "The Avengers" or the sociopath addict from "Absolutely Fabulous".
So, it's a Hammer film that's mostly interesting for the usual things that made a Hammer film - the art direction, the signature directing style, the presence of Cushing and/or Lee, and strong supporting actors who can sell the most turgid, ridiculous lines with their absolutely dead-on delivery. If Jesse Franco had made this film, you'd be on the phone to your travel agent, booking a plane to Europe so you could go to his office there and punch him in the mouth. But from this crew, you get an enjoyable, if minor, effort that's still better than most of the horror stuff being produced at the time.