For this current B-Movie Meatloaf, we all had to watch a horror film featuring Dracula. Not just any vampire but Dracula himself. I decided to take this chance to watch a Hammer staple "Dracula A.D 1972". Cause that's what we wanna see: Dracula driving a AMC Gremlin.
Anyway, the film opens up in Ye Olde Times and Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is fighting Dracula (Christoper Lee) on a run away carriage. Eventually the carriage crashes and the wooden wheel gets impaled into Dracula, killing him. Finally at peace, Van Helsing also dies. But a guy with groovy mutton chops collects Dracula's ashes and saves them for another time.
That other time? The groovy '70s, baby! A group of late teen/early 20's British friends all crash some party held by old people and it's all very groovy and '70s. They manage to leave the party before the police (or coppers? Bobby's?) arrive. Not knowing what else to do with their time, the leader of their gang Johnny tells them to go to this old church at midnight and they'll do silly things like raise the dead and contact Satan. Y'know, regular things.
One of the girls in this gang is Jess, who is the great-grandaughter of...you guessed it: John Lennon. NO wait. I mean Van Helsing. And in fact Peter Cushing plays present day Van Helsing, so expect some awesome ass kickery later!
So Jess, her boyfriend, and other friends including the VERY hot Caroline Munro show up at the church at Midnight where Johnny mixes Dracula's ashes with his blood and he pours it on Caroline Munro, which raises Dracula from the dead! (oh, that was another Hammer film, my bad.) Anyway, Jess and the other friends manage to escape but Caroline Munro wasn't so lucky.
Anyway, things slow down for a bit when cops get involved in the murder of Caroline and try to figure out what happened. While talking to Van Helsing, he figures out that Dracula has returned from the grave (dammit, I did it again) and realizes Jess is in danger.
Johnny, meanwhile, is turned into a vampire by Dracula and he goes on his own blood sucking spree. Van Helsing is like "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I'VE HAD IT WITH THESE MOTHERFUCKING VAMPIRES ON THIS MOTHERFUCKING PLANE!" or something. Jess' boyfriend shows up and takes her to Johnny because he TOO is a vampire! And Dracula has a boner for Jess! So now it's up to Van Helsing to save Jess, stop Dracula, and possible save the world!
Van Helsing eventually figures out where Jess and Dracula is but she's still under his spell, so only killing Dracula will free her. So Dracula and Van Helsing fight to the DEATH...which lasts all of five minutes. It's a bit anti-climatic if you ask me but whatever.
Overall, it is a pretty good movie. I wasn't totally bored and it was interesting to finally watch a Hammer film. Yes, this was my first one. I know I know...but I did like it, so lay off! Anyway, having Dracula in the 1970's was an interesting turn but I feel it didn't REALLY go anywhere, out of having all the people say things like "far out" and "not my bag". But it was awesome seeing Peter Cushing kick some ass and seeing Christopher Lee play Dracula. Great performances all around. And of course...Caroline Munro.
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| This isn't from "Dracula 1972" but it's still a, uh, "nice" picture of Ms. Munro. |
-Jason
1 comment:
I remember growing up I used to see the theatrical poster Dracula A.D. 1972 and it used scare the living daylights out of me. I recently summed up the courage to watch the movie and I must say that the movie is not as scray as i thought it would be.
Having said that I must say that i enjoyed watching the flick.
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