Movie Review - Scars of Dracula (1970)

I've never been a fan of Hammer Films, because of their psychadelic approach to horror projects. They were the only horror movies around and no one else had anything else to compare them to, since the people who decide what goes on the movie lists grew up in the time before VHS and DVD. These folks had to see the movie during the film's theater run if they wanted to see the movie again. Even if the movie was crap, they'd still go see it. We of a later generation don't really have to do that now.
People can watch a movie--old or new--on TV, on cable, or downloaded from the Internet (if they're fashionable enough to break the law). I'd never actually rent a Hammer film on purpose, much to my detriment. I learned a great deal about how much thought goes into a Hammer production when I was at home and saw Scars of Dracula, the most unique film about Bram Stoker's literary character.

Christopher Lee comes back in the opening credits from the ashes as the titular character. With the help of his henchman Klove (Patrick Troughton, aka "The Second Doctor Who"), he keeps the nearby English town on lockdown. When the Master becomes thirsty, he sends Klove to capture people in a big black coach and bring them back to the castle. Such a device is what will cause our three heroes to end up at the home of the Dark Prince.
It's the 20th birthday party of Sarah Framsen (Jenny Hanley) and her party could be better. She's waiting for Paul Carlson (Christopher Matthews) to show up and join her and his brother Simon (Dennis Waterman) so the night can really begin. As if on cue, Paul walks in through the door. He gives an excuse for his tardiness (he was banging the Burgomaster's daughter) and gives Sarah her gift: a picture of herself in a gilded frame. She gingerly tries to hold it and she drops it. The glass face splits and Paul promises to fix it. Just then, the cops bust in looking for a young man who ravished the Burgomaster's daughter. Paul jumps out the window to escape, only to land on the back of a black coach that rolls off to the country.
When the carriage stops, Simon gets off and wanders to the nearby town where he meets the servant girl Julie (Wendy Hamilton) and soon the innkeeper (Michael Ripper). The innkeeper told the servant girl to keep the door closed at night, so he promptly kicks Paul out and tells him--by way of insult--that he should go and spent the night at the castle. Clueless Paul does just that.

Upon being received at the castle by Klove, Paul meets Count Dracula and his succubus Tania (Anoushka Hempel). The Count allows Paul to stay in the guest room. When they get there and Paul unloads his belongings, Klove notices the photo of Sarah and steals it without Paul knowing. Simon and Sarah are out looking for Paul and find themselves in the small town and ask around the local inn. Everyone's quiet but the servant girl Julie, who tells them that Paul rolled into town but left to find lodging in the castle. Simon and Sarah are warned against going there by the innkeeper, but he's quiet about the reason why. Simon damn near beats it out of him and gets the totally unbelievable answer that--get this--COUNT DRACULA IS A VAMPIRE! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!
Simon chooses to ignore such poppycock and set out for castle Dracula, but not before they encounter the town priest (Michael Gwynn). With a short history course about the castle and its lord in addition to a brief story about why no one goes to church anymore, The two of them set their sights on what really happened to Paul.

This movie could best be described as the boring entry into the Hammer Films library, but it boasts one of the most creative and hilarious defeat of the Lord of All Vampires. It involves impaling the Impaler with a large METAL spike. This would not have happened if it wasn't in the script, which would explain the churning lightning storm above the rooftop battle. One flash of lightning later and Dracula is crispy critters. Depending on the movie or lore used, being set on fire alone will not kill a vampire. To further ensure the end of naughty nosferatu, the flaming undead master falls off the roof (just like my uncle Clive--R.I.P.) and into a yawning canyon at the edge of the English countryside. Yes, a canyon in the English country; this is not a typo.
The 'death by lightning bolt' was the main draw for me in this movie, in addition to the cloak worn by the love interest Sarah. The cloak was an inspiration for Inia's character design in the Cordoba Chronicles: The Necromancer's Fury.

You know, after all the movies about Dracula being this evil creature and an abomination to be slain, I never saw what the big deal was. I'd just go along for the ride. With the screening of Scars of Dracula, I can say that I have a new-found respect for the Lord of All Vampires for one reason: the man knows how to run a tight ship wherever he goes. Even in the canyon-ridden lands of Great Britain.
CHOICE CUTS

• Jenny Hanley as Sarah. She's the perfect mixture of pretty and dumb blonde, con tetas grandes. Her dress/nightgown does wonders for her figure.
• Anoushka Hempel's performance of Tania the succubus. When she tries to seduce Paul, she says "Love me...love me...", which is NOT what a succubus would ever say. I think they were censoring themselves in the performance of the film, which is a nice touch lost to the years of free love and POWs.
• Christopher Lee. Always cool, never lost. That's why he'll never be out of a job.
• Choice gore in places you'd never expect.

I can't really think of any good quotes to go here, so I'll touch on one more thing about this movie: the colors. In watching movies from the late Sixties and early Seventies, the colors used were always bright. Unfortunately, it makes blood look like red acrylic paint(probably was) and the blues pop much stronger than the almost-black greens. It accurately dates the film and gives it a proper feel. And boy, is this film dated.

RATING: 5/10