Review: Count Dracula’s Great Love


Vic Winner is riding in a stagecoach with four women (Rosanna Yanni, Haydee Politoff, Mirta Miller, and Ingrid Garbo) in Romania, when the coach loses a wheel. Before long, the stagecoach driver has had a fatal accident with the horses, too. Finding a property nearby, they are granted refuge by the genial Dr. Wendell Marlowe (Paul Naschy). However, Marlowe isn’t really Marlowe. He’s actually Count Dracula and his five guests are in for a helluva stay.



My first experience with cult figure Paul Naschy, this 1973 horror outing from director/co-writer Javier Aguirre (“Hunchback of the Morgue”, also with Naschy) is pretty underwhelming. It’s basically a Spanish attempt at a Hammer Dracula film, but nowhere near as good as what Hammer churned out on even their worst day. It’s got hot chicks (and plenty of early 70s boobage on display), a solid performance by Naschy playing an interesting character, and an interestingly sad and downbeat tone. What it doesn’t have is much of anything else of interest, with most of the women characters blending together (Rosanna Yanni’s Senta being the only standout) and a very thin story.



The foggy scenery and dreamlike imagery would be great, but whether by design or as a result of aging it’s pretty muted, murky-looking stuff that renders the good somewhat worthless. Co-scripted by Alberto S. Insua (“Hunchback of the Morgue”) & Mr. Naschy himself, it’s a standard Dracula plot, just with fewer men and even thinner than usual characters. Naschy’s character is the only one worth a damn, he’s interestingly genial and gentleman-like, or at least tries his best to be. It’s pretty violent at times, in fact it’s far more violent than it is erotic. Even when we get a lesbian threesome, it’s more bloody than sexy, which isn’t really my bag.



Neither good nor bad, this is pretty average and forgettable stuff. The decent-looking production values are moot when the whole thing looks dark and muddy. There’s plenty of hot chicks (it’s the “Charlie’s Angels” of Dracula films), but the sex is disappointingly tame. Paul Naschy is pretty good as Dracula, but his character is more interesting than the film housing it. Lots of boobs, though.



Rating: C

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