Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974)

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Probably one of the weaker entries in Hammer's famed Dracula series. Coming from a time when Hammer was trying to mix up the formula of their most popular franchise. Possibly due to the success of the Count Yorga films, which feature a cloaked vampire in the modern day. Hammer moved Dracula from his traditional period surroundings into the 1970's. Resulting in two films, Dracula AD 1972 and this film...the Satanic Rites of Dracula.

The film is very much concerned with the pop- anxieties of the day. Mixing hippies, Satanic cults, germ warfare, and Cold War spy games with horror troupes. Count Dracula is here reinvented into a sort of crossbreed of Charles Manson and Howard Hughes. It works better than it sounds. Which is about the nicest thing I can say about it.

Dracula is of course played by Christopher Lee, who still cuts an imposing figure in his signature role despite being saddled with such weak material to work with. Opposing him is the great Peter Cushing playing a descendant of the original Prof. Van ...

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