Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)

Sixties couples Michael and Donna and Paul and Erica become involved with the intense Count Yorga at a Los Angeles séance, the Count having latterly been involved with Erica's just-dead ... See full summary »

Director:

Bob Kelljan

Writer:

Bob Kelljan

Stars:

Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Michael Murphy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Quarry	...	Count Yorga
Roger Perry	...	Dr. James 'Jim' Hayes
Michael Murphy	...	Paul
Michael Macready	...	Michael 'Mike' Thompson
Donna Anders	...	Donna
Judy Lang	...	Erica Landers (as Judith Lang)
Edward Walsh	...	Brudah
Julie Conners	...	Cleo
Paul Hansen	...	Peter
Sybil Scotford	...	Judy
Marsha Jordan	...	Donna's Mother
Deborah Darnell	...	Vampire Woman
George Macready	...	Narration (voice)

Storyline

Sixties couples Michael and Donna and Paul and Erica become involved with the intense Count Yorga at a Los Angeles séance, the Count having latterly been involved with Erica's just-dead mother. After taking the Count home, Paul and Erica are waylayed, and next day a listless Erica is diagnosed by their doctor as having lost a lot of blood. When she is later found feasting on the family cat the doctor becomes convinced vampirism is at work, and that its focus is Count Yorga and his large isolated house.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | cat | vampire | seance | women | 

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Taglines:

Don't dare come alone!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for vampire violence/gore and some sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1972 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Loves of Count Iorga, Vampire

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$64,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Erica Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was originally conceived as a low-budget soft-core porno movie. At this stage the title was "The Loves of Count Iorga, Vampire!" but at some stage the decision was taken to film it as a straight horror film. The title was changed accordingly to the less erotic "Count Yorga, Vampire!" which explains the poor animation of the phrase "Count Yorga" in the title (as it now appears on-screen). The original title (and original Iorga spelling) had been restored by the 1990's, but all prints were identical to the original 1970 release; apparently, no additional footage survives from its original erotic premise.

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Goofs

During a scene in which Count Yorga opens up a set of windows to look upon a thunder and lightning storm, his reflection is clearly visible in the glass panes.

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Quotes

Count Yorga: Doctor Hayes, what an unexpected surprise.
Dr. James Hayes: Yes, so much so that I almost had a massive coronory.

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Connections

Featured in Fantastic Fantasy Fright-o-Rama Show Vol. 1 (1996)

User Reviews

Vampire Magic

When we think of great vampire portrayals, normally the names of Lugosi and Christopher Lee immediately pop into our heads. Robert Quarry, however, is as convincing a vampire as both of those great actors. His performance and demeanor as a Bulgarian Count in this film is truly outstanding. He lives in a large house somewhere in California and terrorizes young women and their boyfriends. What makes this picture a better than average vampire film is that it has a very tense and atmospheric plot structure. We basically know what fate will befall our innocent(just) protagonists, but we become riveted to their actions and those of the Count. Quarry plays the Count with a charm that is both amiable and yet caustic. He makes one of the wittiest vampires in film. The rest of the cast is adequate, and I think Roger Perry does a wonderful job as a blood specialist who goads Count Yorga one evening into talking about the supernatural. A must see for the classic horror fan.