Bloodsuckers (1970)
"Incense for the Damned" (original title)

A group of friends search for a young English Oxford student who has disappeared whilst researching in Greece. They are shocked to find that, wherever he has been, certain unsolved murders ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Hartford-Davis

Writers:

Julian More (screenplay), Simon Raven (novel)

Stars:

Patrick Macnee, Peter Cushing, Alexander Davion

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Macnee	...	Derek Longbow
Peter Cushing	...	Dr. Walter Goodrich
Alexander Davion	...	Tony Seymore (as Alex Davion)
Johnny Sekka	...	Bob Kirby
Madeleine Hinde	...	Penelope (as Madeline Hinde)
Edward Woodward	...	Dr. Holstrom
William Mervyn	...	Marc Honeydew
Patrick Mower	...	Richard Fountain
David Lodge	...	Colonel
Imogen Hassall	...	Chriseis
John Barron	...	Diplomat
Valerie Van Ost	...	Don's wife
Theo Moreos	...	Mayor
Nick Pandelides	...	Monk Superior
Andreas Potamitis	...	Police Chief

Storyline

A group of friends search for a young English Oxford student who has disappeared whilst researching in Greece. They are shocked to find that, wherever he has been, certain unsolved murders have taken place. Not believing that their friend could be the perpetrator of such acts, they press on with their search, finding him under the spell of a beautiful Vampire, whose blood-sucking methods include the use of sado-masochism. Believing they have killed her, the group return home, unaware that their friend is now a Vampire.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | based on novel | independent film

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1970 (UK)

Also Known As:

Bloodsuckers

Filming Locations:

Hydra, Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucinda Films, Titan International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some long additional scenes of orgies played by a completely different group of actors were added in the French version of the film.

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Quotes

Tony Seymore: Are you trying to tell me that a girl sucking blood from a man's neck can induce an orgasm?

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Connections

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 5 (1998)

User Reviews

Not very well put together but odd enough for a watch

Blood Suckers is a bit of an oddity really. On the surface it looks like yet another typical British horror movie from the early 70's. A little bit of the occult, some nudity and starring Peter Cushing. But, in all honesty, it's not that typical at all. Despite having a pretty impressive cast – Patrick Macnee (The Avengers), Patrick Mower (The Devil Rides Out), Edward Woodward (The Wicker Man) and Cushing – it doesn't really utilise them very well at all. Cushing is in it at the beginning and end but doesn't really register; Patrick Macnee is killed half way through, Woodward has an uninteresting cameo role, while Mower seems to sleep-walk through his role. Technically the film itself is, at best, a little haphazard. It appears to have been edited together using a hack-saw, while the storyline could charitably be described as a little confused and unfocused. In fact it begins with the kind of voice-over that is normally used to cover for the fact that a lot of material was not filmed; seemingly the film ran into some difficulties so this may explain this.

Having said all this it is a little unusual and that does garner it some points. The story of the are-they-or-aren't-they vampires is a little different, if admittedly not all that successfully told. The varied locations do offer something a little different to the norm too, although it does feel more like an action-adventure than an actual horror film a lot of the time. So, it's a mess but a mess not without some interest. Also, on the DVD release I saw, the deleted scene was an extended psychedelic orgy which was completely removed for some unfathomable reason; it would have easily have been the best sequence in the film proper if it had been included.