Growing up in the sixties the selection of horror films
broke down into three categories. There was the classic Universal horror films,
the low budget drive-in horror films and then there were the Hammer horror
films. All of these played non-stop on the late night horror host circuit and
were discovered by those of us who snuck out of bed and pressed our eager faces
up against the cathode ray in hopes of being frightened, the sound turned down
low as to not wake anyone up.
In the case of Hammer films we had another reason not to
wake anyone. As most of us were hitting puberty Hammer provided enough cleavage
that we were glued to the set for reasons other than being frightened. What we
didn’t realize at the time was that we were being treated to some of the
greatest horror films made since those early Universal classics.
As the sixties bled into the seventies though Hammer found
that the typical period horror film no longer drew in the audiences that they
once did. In keeping up with the times they began to include not just cleavage
but actual skin in their films. This led to more their films popping up in
drive-ins again if not cut down versions of their films on TV. Which brings us
to COUNTESS DRACULA.
Made in 1971 following the mild success of THE VAMPIRE
LOVERS and LUST FOR A VAMPIRE Hammer turned towards another blood craving
villain that actually had nothing to do with Dracula. Based loosely on the true
Countess Elizabeth Bathory who was said to bathe in the blood of virgins here
we have the story of Countess Elisabeth Nadasdy (Ingrid Pitt) whose husband has
recently died. When the will is read his horses and stable have been left to
Imre Toth (Sandor Eles) the son of a fellow warrior, his library to historian
Fabio (Maurice Denham), his armor to his right hand man Captain Dobi (Nigel
Greene) who’s been having an affair with the Countess for years and the
remainder of his estate is to be divided between his wife and daughter Countess
Ilona Nadasdy (Lesley Anne-Down).
Both the Countess and Dobi are less than happy with the
outcome of the will. After scolding (and scalding) a servant girl who gets her
tub too hot, the Countess cuts the girl on accident. After she leaves though
she notices that the blood has made her skin youthful again. Seeing this as a secret
to eternal youth she forces her handmaiden to bring the girl to her. Killing
her she bathes in her blood and now looks as young as her daughter.
Conspiring with Dobi they capture the girl on her way home
and imprison her in the forest. The Countess takes on the disguise of her
daughter and beings flirting with young Imre much to the displeasure of Dobi.
But as time passes the effects of the blood bath wear off and more blood must
be spilled for the Countess to retain her youthful appearance. As the body
count rises so do suspicions as to where the girls are disappearing to. Before
the final reel secrets are revealed, escapes are made and the death toll
includes more than just the girls.
The movie works well as a horror film with a slight twist to
the vampire legend mentioned in the title. There is no drinking of blood, no
throats bitten nor bats flying about. Instead we just have women killed and
their blood bathed in, only seen once on screen along with the exposed flesh of
the voluptuous Pitt. But it was enough to make the film a money maker, not
quite as well as the original Hammer Dracula films but still decent box office
numbers. It also solidified Pitt as a star and popular with the horror crowd.
What I found most interesting here while watching was how
great the production value of the entire movie was. If the name had been
changed and the horror angle not played up for attention the movie would have
been a decent period piece on its own. The sets, costumes, acting, direction,
cinematography all combine to make a sumptuous film that deserves to be seen
and praised more than it has to date.
The movie has been released for a while now from Synapse
Films who have specialized in restoring so many horror, cult and drive-in
movies to blu-ray. They’ve done a fantastic job here that proves their
dedication to preserving movies without trying to take on too much has done
them well. They’re a name to be respected with this and many other releases
they’ve brought out.
With this release the picture is amazing and their blu-ray
edition is gorgeous. If that weren’t enough they’ve added a number of extras
that should interest fans as well. Those include an audio commentary track with
Pitt, director Peter Sasdy, screenwriter Jeremy Paul and author Jonathan Sothcott,
“Immortal Countess: The Cinematic Life of Ingrid Pitt” a short documentary on
the actress, an archival audio interview with Pitt, a still gallery, the
theatrical trailer and reversible cover artwork. All of this combines to make
the most comprehensive copy of the film you will find.
With releases like this it is no wonder that Synapse is a
force to be reckoned with. Along with a few other specialty companies theirs is
one that will continue to supply those of us who still believe in owning
physical copies of movies like this. Their Hammer titles are all worth adding
to your collection and one can only hope that they gain the rights to more.
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