Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Peter Sasdy

Writers:

Anthony Hinds (writer)
Bram Stoker (character)

Release Date:

7 June 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance

Tagline:

DRINK A PINT OF BLOOD A DAY

Plot:

Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring borgoueis lives...

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Sequel | Reverse Footage | Brothel | Good Versus Evil

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Dracula
Geoffrey Keen	...	William Hargood
Gwen Watford	...	Martha Hargood
Linda Hayden	...	Alice Hargood
Peter Sallis	...	Samuel Paxton
Anthony Higgins	...	Paul Paxton (as Anthony Corlan)
Isla Blair	...	Lucy Paxton
John Carson	...	Jonathon Secker
Martin Jarvis	...	Jeremy Secker
Ralph Bates	...	Lord Courtley
Roy Kinnear	...	Weller
Michael Ripper	...	Inspector Cobb
Russell Hunter	...	Felix
Shirley Jaffe	...	Betty - Hargood's Maid
Keith Marsh	...	Father
Peter May	...	Son
Reginald Barratt	...	Vicar
Madeline Smith	...	Dolly (as Maddy Smith)
Lai Ling	...	Chinese girl (as Chai Ling)
Malaika Martin	...	Snake girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amber Blare	...	Bordello Girl (uncredited)
Vicky Gillespie	...	Bordello Girl (uncredited)
June Palmer	...	Redhead Prostitute (uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Sasdy

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Anthony Hinds		writer (as John Elder)
Bram Stoker		character

Produced by
Aida Young	....	producer

Original Music by
James Bernard

Cinematography by
Arthur Grant

Film Editing by
Chris Barnes

Production Design by
Scott MacGregor

Makeup Department
Mary Bredin	....	hairdresser supervisor
Gerry Fletcher	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Christopher Sutton	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Derek Whitehurst	....	assistant director
Nick Granby	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Lindsey Vickers	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Arthur Banks	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Ron Barron	....	sound recordist
Keith Batten	....	boom operator
Roy Hyde	....	sound editor
Tony Lumkin	....	recording supervisor
Dennis Whitlock	....	dubbing editor

Special Effects by
Brian Johnson	....	special effects (as Brian Johncock)
Bob Archer	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Terry Schubert	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Mike Tilley	....	special effects team (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Les Bowie	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Brace	....	stunts (uncredited)
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Neil Binney	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brian Owen-Smith	....	wardrobe master

Music Department
Philip Martell	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Geraldine Lawton	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions

Distributors

• Warner-Pathé Distributors (1970) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1981) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (1989) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content/nudity and brief violence. (2004 re-rating)

Runtime:

USA:91 min | UK:95 min (uncut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:M | USA:GP (certificate #22364) (original rating) | USA:R (re-rating) (2004) | Ireland:15

Filming Locations:

Aldenham Country Park, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Martin Jarvis was first offered a more major role then was not free for the dates.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Ralph Bates is supposed to wear the actual Dracula's cloak. The one he is wearing is far shorter than the one Dracula is wearing in the film.

Quotes:

Jonathon Secker: You can and will. Now!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Wicker Man Enigma (2001) (V)

The sexy followup to Dracula HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE

This is a very unusual Hammer horror film in that it picks up exactly where the last one left off--providing some nice continuity. It seems that after Drac was impaled in the last film, his body disintegrated and all that was left was his powdered blood. A REALLY STUPID passerby decided to scoop up the blood and later sells it--followed by the not unexpected resurrection of Dracula once again!! Despite this weird reincarnation, the movie does offer some nice innovations and some that weren't all that necessary. Dracula was revived by a Devil worshiper and three perverts. Just before Dracula revives, the three perverts get cold feet and kick the Devil worshiper to death. In an odd display of loyalty, Dracula decides to take revenge on the three man and their families because a sweet old Devil lover was needlessly killed! In most Dracula films his sidekicks are killed at the slightest whim by the vampire without a second thought. I really suspected that Christopher Lee's character was just looking for an excuse to shed some more innocent blood--and how he had them killed was pretty cool and unusual. However, were also some bad changes. Since the film came out in 1970 and the morals of the world were changing, the producer decided to "sex up the series" by adding a brothel scene and throwing in some gratuitous nudity. The entire scene could have remained and been just as effective without the boobies, but because of this some parents might want to think twice about allowing junior to watch this film. Of course, with all the killing and bleeding, this isn't exactly a kids' film anyway!! Overall, a very watchable addition to the franchise and a nice followup to "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave".

A couple final notes--when a dead woman is removed from the lake, the man who retrieved the body accidentally tripped a bit--and you can see the "dead lady" move her arm instinctively in response!! I'm amazed they didn't catch this or re-shoot the scene. Also, one of the three men marked for revenge is played by Peter Sallis (the voice of Wallace from "Wallace and Grommit"). It's interesting to see this man play a rather slimy part.