Taste the Blood of Dracula: An Above Average Sequel

After sitting through the ice cream headache that is Van Helsing, I desiderated a muted, ethereal take on Count Dracula. Big-budget juggernauts are fun, but on a drizzly, emulsified Sunday night, my brain can only take so much. Enter Taste the Blood of Dracula, the fifth entry in Hammer’s hallowed Dracula series. This film was brought into being in 1970, a time when the illustrious studio seemed to be bored with itself. Storylines began to deviate from habitual ensamples and the films became more experimental (see Vampire Circus or Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires). They also became more permissive in what they were willing to show. Hammer had to keep abreast of cinematic trends, and as genre disciples grew ever bloodthirsty, horror flicks capitulated to the proverb, “more is more.”

What does all that rambling have to do with the subject of this review? For starters, Taste the Blood… wraps a unique concept around Dracula’s legacy. I shouldn’t give the film too much credit, as Dracula was simply pitched into a pre-existing stand-alone script. Still, it’s a breath of fresh air when juxtaposed against the rest of Hammer’s pablum (albeit excellent) catalogue. Three middle-aged men who are respected in the community surreptitiously congregate once a month to indulge in an appetence for lechery. When roistering in a brothel isn’t enough, the churlish chaps dabble in the occult. With the assistance of a young insurgent, they seek to revivify the Count’s remains. The first half is watertight. It speaks to the amoral caitiff inside of all of us. I was engrossed in the trio’s insidious cabal in spite of the fact that I detested their actions.

Aside from a few special effects that overtax the budget, the visuals are enticing. Peter Sasdy directs it all with a steady, deliberate hand and captures images that would regale any genre junkie (the blood-filled goblets are too cool). The photography is sharp, the lighting is mostly efficient, and the deep colors will permanently dye your TV screen. The cast is adequate all around. A begrudging Christopher Lee gawps his way through the film. He isn’t given much to do, and as per usual, his dialogue is immaterial. If you’re going to force the guy to render this particular character for the fuckteenth time, at least put him to good use! Linda Hayden is beyond beautiful as Alice, an innocuous youth groused by Dracula. She gets brownie points for actually playing her age. A teenager in the role of a teenager; it’s proven successful, yet every bleeding vagina on The O.C. is in their mid-to-late 20’s. I better stop there before I go off on a fuming, irascible tangent.

The pacing is even, but things slip up in the third act. The narrative collapses into a bromidic, conventional cycle. The first hour’s unorthodox luster dissipates, and even Sasdy’s stylish camerawork tapers off. I also didn’t care for the rushed, slapdash climax. Everything conveniently falls into place, and Dracula is dispatched far too easily (I don’t consider that to be much of a spoiler). If you think about it for too long (which I have), you’ll descry several lapses in logic. To elaborate would be to blazon one too many plot details, so for the time being, I’ll wire my mouth shut. Barring the closing stages, Taste the Blood of Dracula is a treat for Hammer whores. The premise is generative, the production values are slick, and the acting is adroit. I’ve watched a casketload of Hammer films since I last reviewed one. While I haven’t imbibed every Dracula jaunt available, I’ve seen enough to size this one up as one of the better sequels.