Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Alan Gibson

Writer:

Don Houghton (writer)

Release Date:

17 November 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

The Count is back, with an eye for London's hotpants . . . and a taste for everything

Plot:

Johnny Alucard raises Count Dracula(Christopher Lee) from the dead in 1972 London. The Count goes after the descendents of Van Helsing.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Good Versus Evil | Cross | Beautiful Woman | Hammer Horror

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Count Dracula
Peter Cushing	...	Professor Van Helsing
Stephanie Beacham	...	Jessica Van Helsing
Christopher Neame	...	Johnny Alucard
Michael Coles	...	Inspector
Marsha A. Hunt	...	Gaynor (as Marsha Hunt)
Caroline Munro	...	Laura Bellows
Janet Key	...	Anna
William Ellis	...	Joe Mitcham
Philip Miller	...	Bob
Michael Kitchen	...	Greg
David Andrews	...	Detective Sergeant
Lally Bowers	...	Matron Party Hostess
Constance Luttrell	...	Mrs. Donnelly
Michael Daly	...	Charles

Also Known As:

Dracula '72 (UK) (working title)
Dracula 1972 (International: English title) (informal title)
Dracula 1972 D.C. (International: English title) (poster title)
Dracula Chases the Mini Girls (UK) (working title)
Dracula Chelsea '72 (UK) (working title)
Dracula Today

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (1995) | UK:18 (re-rating) (1988) | UK:X (original rating) | Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (VHS) | West Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) (2006) | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Aldenham Country Park, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Four actors in the film appeared in future James Bond films. Christopher Lee played Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Caroline Munro played Naomi in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Michael Kitchen played Bill Tanner in GoldenEye (1995) and The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Christopher Neame played Fallon in Licence to Kill (1989).

Quotes:

Inspector: Van Helsing?
Detective Sergeant: Her grandfather is Professor Lorimer Van Helsing, London University. He helped us once.
Inspector: Oh, yes, that extortion mob. Money by blackmail. Something to do with witchcraft. Some cult or other.
Detective Sergeant: Yes, he's a specialist in that sort of thing.
Inspector: Witchcraft.
[plays with executive toy]
Inspector: Occult. Churchyards.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991)

Soundtrack:

You better come through

Very camp, yet strangely compelling

What can I say about this movie? Yes it is dreadful, but, you have to watch it. I believe that the movie has been unfairly maligned by many critics, but it really isn't that bad. Christopher Lee looks very out of place in the movie, as he faithfully sticks to his original interpretation of count Dracula, when he is surrounded by a new environment. I have to mention Caroline Munro in this comment, as her character, despite the fact she isn't even in 1/3 of the movie, is one of the best ones there.