Customer Reviews

Taste the Blood of Dracula

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

well we had prety much given up hope of ever seeing a decent version of this classic Dracula adventure when Warner anounced
it's release in an unbutchered state.the image is flawless , the sound is good if not expansive but the real treat is that the 4 minutes missing from every print released so far has this time been included.The bordelo scene is now free of the savage editing done by warner in the early 70's to be able to market it to the kiddies.The other additions are very short scenes juged to violent at the time.The result is a film that flows better & has a stronger story & that's it rates a 5 on my scale.
review of the DVD edition

Well, this time around, Dracula is not the killer, except for when he kills Lucy. He turns the children of the three thrill seekers against them for killing off his "servant". Christopher Lee is great as always playing the count, but it makes you wonder what the point even was of having him in the film. He does not even appear until 45 minutes into it, just when you think the film has nowhere to go.

The version I bought has an "R" rating, although I do not see the difference from the old "PG" videos. Yes, there are a couple of scenes added back like when one person is staked to death and has blood on his face. They also show women barebreasted for a moment, but other than that, what was so "R" about it?

A good sequel, and of course, it leaves the door open for another one.

In this version of Dracula, played by Christopher Lee, the location is in Victorian England. Lord Courtley, played by Ralph Bates, resurrects Dracula with the aid of three Victorian gentlemen, but when Courtley drinks Dracula's blood he dies and the three leave him for dead. Dracula revenges the death of his servant by seducing their children and having them kill their own fathers.

This movie was made a year after Dracula Has Risen From The Grave and the next in the series was The Scars of Dracula.

Another interesting note is that Ralph Bates became Hammer's next leading man.

Although the script wasn't as inspired as "Horror of Dracula", "Taste the Blood of Dracula" demonstrates that the series still had bite and hadn't succumbed to the anemic writing that marred the last two entires in the series. A trio of risk taking married men decide to hook up with a Lord Cortley (Ralph Bates)disciple of the Count.. He interests them in participating in a ceremony designed to bring Count Dracula back to life. It's a nasty but inventive scene that immediately captures your attention. When the trio of businessmen beat Courtley to death, the Count uses his body to rise from the dead swearing revenge on those who killed his servant.

The sharp, vivid picture quality makes this an outstanding release in the Hammer series from Warner. Although it comes only with the original theatrical trailer as an extra, it's clear that great care was taken to present the film in its original widescreen format and to transfer the film as free of blemishes as is possible.

The mono sound also is of note. While it lacks the dynamic range of more recent films, the crisp and clear sound quality marks this as an outstanding reissue in the Hammer film series. The packaging reproduces the original poster art for the film for the US release (at least on the cover)as far as I can recall.

A nice package that lacks the usual frills, this will be a welcome addition to most fan's collections.

THIS IS VERY GOOD FILM IN THE DRACULA SERIES FROM HAMMER PRODUCTION.THE STORY IS FAST PACE AND FULL OF SUSPENCE AS THREE UPPER-CLASS MEN GET INVOLVED WITH A MAN WHO BRINGS BACK DRACULA FROM DEAD. THEY KILL THE MAN AND DRACULA GOES AFTER THREE MEN'S FAMILY.THE DVD IS PERFECT PICTURE AND SOUND.

After recently watching the film Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), I was certainly curious as to how they managed to bring him back for Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), the third installment of the Hammer/Lee Dracula series. I mean, the guy dissolved away to practically nothingness, but then, I guess matter can never really be destroyed, only changed into different forms.

The film, directed by Peter Sasdy, who also did Countess Dracula (1970), starts off by basically rehashing the final scenes of Dracula has Risen from the Grave, and we find a portly merchant finding the remains of Dracula's corpse, his cloak, signet ring, cloak clasp, and red powder that is supposed to be Dracula's blood. We then meet of a group of three wealthy, respectable, older men who form a small group that participates in a little hanky panky on the side, and have become bored with their usual routine. They seek out the assistance of a younger man, one with noble lineage who was cut off from his family due to his predilections for the occult. This younger man convinces the trio to cough up the dough for the remains of Dracula, in the hopes of performing some sort of ritual, with the notion of bringing forth pleasures and such none of the men could ever conceive.

The ritual, which takes place in an abandoned church well off the beaten path, begins, and involves mixing fresh blood with the powdered blood of Dracula (which creates quite the oozing visceral cocktail), and then drinking this new combination. The three older men understandably balk at the idea of drinking this noxious concoction, and challenge the brash younger man to drink it, to which he calls them cowards and does, with interesting effects. He begins to seriously freak out, and the three older men then proceed to have their own freak out, to which the get scared and beat and kick the younger man savagely until he's dead. They then leave, quite shaken up by the ordeal and make a vow to never talk about the crime, as they have little fear that the body will ever be discovered due to the remoteness of the derelict church. Little do they know that after they left, the body of the young man became covered in ash, and from the ash Dracula (Lee) is reborn, swearing vengeance on those who killed his acolyte. This whole concept of vengeance seems to be an on-going theme in these movies, but I guess motivation has to come from somewhere.

Anyway, Dracula is now loose in London, and his wicked plans involve using the children of the three men to exact his revenge. Here's another consistent theme throughout these films of having Dracula use others to do most of his dirty work. I suppose if you can enthrall women and control men's minds, why do it yourself? His plans begin to bear fruit, as the men begin to meet their various demises, and the race is on to not only learn who is responsible for these murders, but also to stop the fiend once his identity is revealed. Will the surviving children be able to stop this monster from destroying them and their families, or will the sins of the fathers consume all and unleash a terror on the land in the form of an insatiable creature of the night?

Most of the performances are pretty good, and Lee certainly makes a strong showing as the venerable Prince of Darkness, eyes becoming a ghastly red as he takes his various victims for sustenance. As with the previous films, he has very few lines, but Lee's on-screen presence speaks volumes, emoting a sense of real horror and terror. The sets are very good, especially the abandoned church where the resurrection of Dracula takes place, and then becomes his sort of base of operations as he carries out his murderous plans. This entry is a little faster paced than the previous film, as there is a bit more killing involved. I especially enjoyed the scene near the end when a character is fighting with Dracula within the church, and Dracula is trying to escape, tearing metal bars from windows and chucking them like spears. His supernatural strength didn't get much play in some of the other films, as it doesn't really here, but at least it's present.

Warner Brothers provides a really sharp looking wide screen print here, but very little in the area of special features, including an original theatrical trailer for the film. If you are interesting in seeing the other films in this series, look for Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Scars of Dracula (1970), Dracula AD 1972 (1972), and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973).

Cookieman108

When I was a kid, I thought this movie had too little Dracula...but thanks to Warner DVD there is now more than ever! (Still not enough, but we gotta take what we can get!!)
Issued without any formal "fanfare," this release restores approximately FOUR minutes of footage never before seen in the US versions! Throw away those old videos!!! This DVD presents "Taste the Blood of Dracula" the way it was meant to be seen! Originally rated "GP" in the US, it's now rated "R" on the package. (Granted, these days it would probably be a PG-13.) Among the shots restored are: Dracula's bright red blood turning to dust in the beginning, extended "brothel" scenes featuring (very brief) topless nudity, and an extension of the sequence where Dracula attacks Lucy! The "revenge" deaths (and the death of Lord Courtley) are extended with bloody close-ups. (Most striking is the death of Paul and Lucy's father, as he is "staked" by Lucy and Alice. Before, we only got a quick glimpse. Now, the sequence's original impact is intact!!) But the best aspect of the restoration are shots of Dracula himself, seen through the eyes of the dying men! VERY IMPRESSIVE!! Thank you Warner DVD, for a job well done!! (Now, can you go back and do the same for "Horror of Dracula???" PLEASE?????)

Romantic,gothic and scary are the best words to describe Christopher Lee's fourth outing as the demonic Count.Victorian England is where it takes place just as Bram Stoker originally intended and the cast is pretty good too.Despite Peter Cushing's absense,the film has several high points with beautiful photography and a wonderful score.The plot involves Drcaula seeking revenge on three wealthy socialites and their families after they kill his disciple(Ralph Bates).The young women,Alice(Linda Hayden) and the vampirized Lucy(Isla Blair) are one of Hammer's best and prove their worth in the film.Lee's presence though minimal is nevertheless mysterious and scary.In my opinion this is probably the most stylish and accomplished of all the Christopher Lee's Dracula films.

An excellent finale to Hammer's original Dracula series, in which the Count finally invades England a la the Stoker original. (All of the previous films - Horror of Dracula, The Brides of Dracula, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave - had been set in Transylvania, and other less specific European locales.) Not by any means a literal translation of Stoker, this film is true to the spirit of the novel in that Dracula reflects the fears, insecurities, and deep-rooted hypocrisies of the society he seeks to infiltrate. The film is painstakingly faithful to the series, even replaying the conclusion of its predecessor in setting up the action. The script seems to owe a debt to Hammer's Frankenstein Created Woman, with the monster being "created" out of the vicious deeds of three unwise men. The atmosphere of the film is dark and sinister, and Christopher Lee is in top form as the Count, backed by a solid supporting cast. Peter Sasdy's direction is top-notch. It is unfortunate that, other than here and Hammer's Countess Dracula, the director never really fulfilled his early promise. The DVD contains, for the first time in North America, the complete and uncut version of the film, which makes it a must-see for all Hammer and/or horror fans. Recommended!

This one lacks the bone chilling horror of its predecessor (Dracula Has Risen From the Grave) and uses a very "audience insulting" way of bringing back Dracula from the dead. Dracula, impaled on a cross at the end of the last film has turned to red dust. He is brought back by a guy who puts the dust in a goblet and mixes in some of his own blood to make the ultimate "bloody mary," which he drinks and then he himself turns into Dracula. I remember being scared out of my wits by the earlier movie and being bored by this one. I definately recommend getting that one instead.