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By the early 1970s, the sun was setting on Hammer Films’ empire. Or, to be more metaphorically accurate, the dawn was rapidly approaching the studio’s Dracula franchise. Christopher Lee, after his disappointment with Dracula A.D. 1972, saw more trouble ahead when it was announced that Jimmy Sangster was writing a script called Dracula is Dead...but Alive...and Well...and Living in London. Despite strong reservations, Lee stayed to make what would eventually become The Satanic Rites of Dracula. On its initial release in 1974, the film was vilified, as it
lacked (much like Dracula A.D. 1972) Hammer’s trademark gothic style and
menacingly lurid atmosphere. It would be the final nail in the coffin for Lee and his iconic count.
The narrative opens in Pelham House, where we are witness to a satanic ritual, complemented by some sanguinary cinematography from Brian Probyn (Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell). A naked female sacrifice is
laid bear on an altar. Around her, middle-aged men dressed in white robes lick their lips in anticipation of some boob action and bloodletting.
From here, the movie moves into a more mundane thriller mode. Hanson (Maurice O’Connell), an M16 agent who infiltrated the group, is being held hostage in the
house. Some not-too-bright henchmen clad in cheesy-looking sheepskin vests monitor the estate as the opening ritual plays out on the TV screens before them. Barely escaping with his life, Hanson is rescued by the British Secret Service. Before he dies, he reveals to his superior that there are satanic goings-on at Pelham, involving some important members of the British government. Inspector Murray (George Coles) suggests that, if they’re dealing with the occult, then Lorrimer Van Helsing (the great Peter Cushing) may be of great assistance. Van Helsing is joined by his beautiful niece,
Jessica (the ever-angelic Joanna Lumley).
Pretty soon, the group is waist deep in vampires. Van Helsing suspects D.D Denham,
one of the businessmen in the group, of being his family’s archenemy, Count Dracula. Denham, it turns out, is CEO of a group of companies involved in real estate in London. (And wasn’t it real estate that brought Dracula to England in Stoker’s original novel?) The count’s suicidal endgame actually adds a little depth to the old character.
While some of the action sequences in Satanic Rites come off as derivative and poorly executed, there are some very effective moments of horror that make up for the car and motorbike chases and the clunkily-staged fight sequences. Jessica’s attack in the basement of the country house by a bunch of lesbian vampires is particularly suspenseful and surprisingly erotic (or maybe that’s just me).
As ever, Cushing and Lee (who doesn’t appear until well past the 30-minute mark) are immensely watchable, adding gravitas to what is essentially a preposterous narrative. There are also some exposition glitches: the narrative never discloses how Dracula was revived after his death in the previous film.
Despite Satanic Rites’s reputation throughout the years (it wasn’t released in the U.S. until 1978, under the title Dracula and His Vampire Bride), it still has much to offer. Sure, the film looks and feels dated in a way that the other Dracula movies (Dracula A.D. 1972 excluded) do not. Sure, the writing is awkward and rife with story inconsistencies. But if viewers can forgive Hammer these transgressions, they will find a movie undeserving of its reputation.
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