Review: Taste the Blood of Dracula

Randy middle-aged Victorian Era gentlemen (Geoffrey Keen, Peter Sallis, and John Carson) meet up with young hedonist Ralph Bates at a whorehouse (cue the limp-wristed ‘madam’, played by a camp Russell Hunter), and the latter suggests a new thrill. This leads them to sleazy pawn shop owner Roy Kinnear, who just so happens to own Dracula’s belongings, including some dried blood. After performing a ritual in a church, Bates chokes on the blood he has consumed, and whilst flailing about he is promptly beaten and kicked to death by the horrified trio of hypocrites who subsequently flee. When Dracula (Christopher Lee) turns out to have been resurrected he sees his fallen apprentice and takes out vengeance on the corrupt gentlemen and their offspring.

 

One of the better films in the Hammer series of Dracula films, this 1970 Peter Sasdy (“Countess Dracula”, “Hands of the Ripper”, “Nothing But the Night”) film features the best cast of the series, and an interesting story. There’s an especially effective opener involving the inimitable Roy Kinnear, which is both eerie and funny. The close-up on Dracula’s blood slowly turning to dust is quite disgusting, actually. Meanwhile, the music score by James Bernard (“The Horror of Dracula”, “The Devil Rides Out”) and cinematography by Arthur Grant (“Tomb of Ligeia”, “The Devil Rides Out”, “Dracula Has Risen From the Grave”) are typically top-notch. In fact, it might be the best Bernard score of the entire series.

 

On the downswing, after that scene it takes a little while to get going, limits the underrated Bates (who is frothing-at-the-mouth fun, possibly his best-ever turn) to the first act, and features a couple of not terribly necessary young lovers. For the most part the film eschews the young lovers slant this series tends to have, in favour of elderly or middle-aged characters who are far more interesting. So the occasional intrusion of the perfectly lovely but dull Linda Hayden and her beau is unwelcome. I actually think the role they serve in the second half of the film could’ve been served by Bates’ character instead.

 

The film also has an almost incidental appearance by The Count. In his place however are a welcome bunch of hedonistic rich elders led by overprotective dad Keen, who is very fine. Aside from the campy Bates, series regular Michael Ripper has his largest and one of his most welcome roles, as a policeman. Scene-stealing honours go to the inimitable Roy Kinnear. As an opportunistic pawn shop owner, the guy is simply a joy to have around, no matter the size or quality of the role.

 

Good fun, with a meatier story than usual, but it has the side effect of Lee’s Dracula not being in the film all that much. That’s not a catastrophic flaw, but a noticeable one nonetheless. The film around him works just fine, but it shouldn’t need to be so lacking in his presence. Lee’s dilly-dallying over salary forced the filmmakers to move ahead under the assumption that Dracula wouldn’t be in the film, hence the Bates character’s involvement. It’s a good film that could’ve been a cracker. The screenplay is by Anthony Hinds (who wrote two of the most underrated entries, “Scars of Dracula” and “Dracula Has Risen From the Grave”), AKA John Elder.

 

Rating: B-