Horror Classics: The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)

Hammer Studios made a name for themselves with The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957, and went on to make horror movies throughout the late 50s and 60s. Unfortunately, however, by the time the 1970s rolled around, the movie scene had changed and Hammer, already struggling to keep up, was pretty much left behind. Vampires and werewolves just weren't as compelling or scary as they had been 20 years previously.

Instead, audiences were flocking to see films about ghosts and demons. Movies like the Exorcist (also released in 1973) and The Amityville Horror (1974) became preferred horror fodder. Additionally, audiences were being thrilled by James Bond and the sci-fi genre's improved visuals. Is it really a shock that the the team known for Gothic horror got left behind?

The Satanic Rites of Dracula went into production in November of 1972 , just a few months after the release of Dracula A.D. 1972. The idea was to mix a few genres together, spy thrillers and sci-fi adventures were popular at the time so why not add them to a mix and make a movie? Now, you CAN make such a flick, but not when you're involving Dracula. I'm not the only one to think so either.

Christopher Lee was, probably much to his disgust, back as Dracula and he hated that they'd gone into the modern era. He was so unhappy that even a promotional event wouldn't stop him from speaking his mind.

"I'm doing it under protest...I think it is fatuous. I can think of twenty adjectives – fatuous, pointless, absurd. It's not a comedy, but it's got a comic title. I don't see the point."

Ouch! I'm guessing the guys at Hammer were very unhappy about that remark. So, how bad is the film? Well...

A Wild Story

Okay, so this is going to be...complicated.

A Secret Service agent dies of serious injuries after discovering dark rituals being conducted involving 4 local aristocrats. The Secret Service contacts Inspector Murray at Scotland Yard who hooks them up with Prof. Lorrimer Van Helsing.

Van Helsing subsequently discovers that the source of all the trouble is, of course, Dracula and things just get crazier and crazier.

Does Anything Work?

Well...I mean, the music is nice and the costumes are okay, but the performances are somewhat...mixed.

Christopher Lee, despite the lackluster writing and his general disinterest, really threw everything he had into the film - even if he didn't have much to work with.

Peter Cushing is in a LOT of the movie and he seems to carry the whole shebang. Every time he speaks, you listen; you also believe everything that he says because he just has that level of conviction in his voice that demands respect.

That's pretty much it.

What Doesn't Work?

Oh boy, this is where things get complicated.

For starters, the plot is an absolute mess. The idea of a spy thriller with horror elements isn't bad, but...in this case, it just doesn't work. The mixture of spy thriller, horror, and science fiction is really badly done.

Dracula's resurrection isn't explained, it's just...POOF! Here's Dracula! Now, I don't usually have a problem with that, but this just makes things confusing for the audience and it makes watching the film close to impossible. In a way, the lack of a resurrection sequence feels like the loss of a series signature which is just sad.

Dracula's master plan is just way too crazy for my liking. He has created modern, more powerful strain of bubonic plague which he plans to use to destroy the world. There's way too much wrong here - too many problems to count - for this to work. Likewise, the Count's death in this one is just silly.

The pacing is so slow as well that the film becomes a slog to get through.

Too Many Cooks...

The Satanic Rites of Dracula was a box office bomb when it released in 1973, and sadly this was kind of a pattern for Hammer at the time. The two main showrunners, Dracula and Frankenstein were running on fumes at this point. Moviegoers were tired of the same old formulaic horror stuff, they wanted something interesting and, sadly, they didn't get it here.

The really sad thing is that this film had potential - real potential to be something good. Unfortunately, it seems there were too many cooks in the kitchen and nobody could agree on which way to take the film. As the saying goes:

"Too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the broth"

Hammer produced one more Dracula film after this, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, in 1974 alongside the Shaw brothers. Yes, Dracula was in a kung fu movie. Of all the Hammer Dracula films, this is the only one I haven't watched and, frankly, I'm not sure I'm going to. It seems too silly for my liking, and Christopher Lee was replaced as Dracula...yes, they let him hang up his cape. As much as I'm glad they finally let him be, it just wouldn't be a Hammer Dracula without Christopher Lee.

Anyways, I'm about burned out on Dracula for the moment, so this will likely be the last Dracula film for a while. Thanks for reading, let me know your thoughts on the film in the comments.