Horror Classics: Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

At the start of the 1970s, horror films were starting to change, and Hammer films was, to be frank, losing steam. Their films were losing their flair and, as a result, the company was losing money. Still, they kept punching out movies which weren't doing well.

Dracula A.D. 1972 was the seventh entry in the Hammer series and the sixth film in the series to star Christopher Lee as Dracula. The film was one of two Hammer films commissioned by Warner Bros. after the success of their vampire flick - Count Yorga, Vampire. They wanted two Dracula movies that were set in the modern day.

Christopher Lee, already unhappy with being forced back into the role, HATED the idea of putting Dracula in the modern day. This is something that was echoed - in a way - by critics at the time. Dracula A.D. 1972 was released on September 28, 1972 to a mixed to negative reception. The general consensus was that the film was one of the weakest entries in the series up to that point. Since then, however, the film has garnered something of a cult following.

Dracula in Modern Day London

1872, Van Helsing and Dracula do battle and, after vanquishing the vile, viciously villainous vampire, he dies of his wounds and is laid to rest. We then jump forward 100 years to 1972 where a group of friends, Jessica Van Helsing and her friends are persuaded by another member of their group - Johnny Alucard - to attend a Black Mass at a local condemned church.

Jessica is, of course, the granddaughter of one Lorrimer Van Helsing who is a descendant of the original Van Helsing. The bloody nature of the ritual scares everyone off before Dracula is resurrected. The Count, once again prowling the English streets, begins wreaking havoc drawing the attention of a police inspector Murray who goes to Van Helsing for help.

The two men subsequently team up to stop Dracula once and for all.

What Works?

So, I want to start off with the positives before I start ranting...you guys don't mind, do you?

Performances (1)

Dracula A.D. 1972 sees Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee reprising their roles as Van Helsing and Dracula for the first time together since 1958. Cushing approaches his role with such conviction that you absolutely believe everything he says. Take this line, for instance where he's talking to Inspector Murray about Dracula:

"There is evil in the world. There are dark, awful things. Occasionally, we get a glimpse of them. But there are dark corners; horrors almost impossible to imagine... even in our worst nightmares." - Peter Cushing, Dracula A.D. 1972

Or how about this one where he's reprimanding his granddaughter for mocking some of his books:

"Jessica, this is not a subject to mess around with. These are scientific works."

Cushing's tone of voice and facial expressions tell us just how seriously he takes his work and we believe him because he's Van Helsing.

Christopher Lee was, as mentioned in previous reviews, very unhappy with Hammer's Dracula films. He wanted to play Bram Stoker's character and wasn't getting the chance - not with Hammer anyway. Still he was able to sneak in part of a line from the book:

"You dare to play your brain against mine one who has commanded nations." - Christopher Lee, Dracula A.D. 1972

He delivers this line with such rage and hatred that you can't help wondering if he's aiming it at the film's producers.

Michael Coles plays Inspector Murray and he does a fine job of portraying the skeptical copper who sort of comes around in the end.

Costumes and Sets

The costumes were nice, they had a lot of vibrant colors which was a nice return to form. The sets were very well-designed, with the condemned church set being a particular highlight.

There's a Lot that doesn't Work

Unfortunately, there's a lot here that doesn't work.

The Performances (2)

Apart from Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, the only other name I recognized in the cast list was Caroline Munro - she played Naomi in 1977's The Spy who Loved Me - everyone else was completely unknown to me. Stephanie Beacham, who plays Jessica, was still very new to the film industry - at least as far as feature films were concerned. Dracula A.D. 1972 was only her fourth feature film.

With that in mind, it's not really a surprise to me that she seems somewhat out of place. Sadly, the same is true of most of the cast.

The Tone and Pacing

Tonally, the film is all over the place and it never quite balances the crime drama/gothic horror scales. The pacing is also all over the place, unfortunately, but most of the film is an absolute slog. It moves so slowly in places that a sloth could run three marathons...a SLOTH could move faster!

The Music

Oh brother, who thought it was a good idea to put 70s funk music in a Dracula film? Seriously, whose bright idea was that? It's loud, it's obnoxious, and it doesn't fit with the dramatic scene where Peter Cushing is looking for his granddaughter at all! In fact, it doesn't fit in with a Dracula movie at all!

You'd think the guys at Hammer would've learned from their mistakes. Dracula A.D. 1972 came out just a year after Lust for a Vampire which, if you'll recall featured a popular song of the time - Strange Love - as part of the film's sex scene. Unlike that film, however, the use of funk music is almost certainly planned. Now, there were certainly places where it could've been used - dancing scenes for example - instead, it's overused and in all the wrong places.

The Ritual

The ritual in the film is just a rehash of what we saw in Taste the Blood of Dracula. The only real difference is that the audience doesn't beat the vampire's acolyte to death. Drinking the blood is also not necessary, but it's still more of the same.

The Dracula series is NOT Ending Well, Is It?

After Dracula A.D. 1972, Hammer did two more films in the series, The Satanic Rites of Dracula and Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires. Now, I don't count the last one because, to me, Christopher Lee is Hammer's Dracula. With that said, Hammer's Dracula series doesn't seem to be going out on a very high note.

Our next episode closes out the Hammer Dracula chapter with The Satanic Rites of Dracula...oh, boy.