The 1970s: Love, Lust, and the Ludicrous
As with all things seventies, the vampire genre contains an enormous mixed bag of cinema that provides all measure of horrific entertainment. In truth, the seventies are absolutely jam-packed with vamp flicks featuring everything from traditional Draculas to a postapocalyptic blood scourge to epic battles between Frankenstein and the Wolf Man to campy vamps, kung fu vampirism, blaxploitation, a vampire musical, and even a Dracula adaptation geared toward the hearing impaired. The wide variety of films speaks to the fact that so many vampire flicks were being made that filmmakers were in danger of beating the genre into an early grave.
For starters, the 1970s introduced us to another of the Hammer Films's brood — the ineffable Polish actress Ingrid Pitt, who first bared her fangs in the 1970 film The Vampire Lovers and again in 1971 in one of the four tales comprising The House That Dripped Blood. That same year, Pitt took yet another bite out of the genre, playing the lead in Countess Dracula (see Chapter 15). Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and John Carradine figured prominently throughout the decade as did several others who made their first appearance as Dracula, including Klaus Kinski in a 1979 remake of Nosferatu.
Also leading a tour de force of the prestigious mix of actors lending their talents to world of the undead are Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins (in the 1970 spin-off House of Dark Shadows), Robert Quarry (as Count Yorga, Vampire in 1970 and in The Return of Count Yorga the following year), Jack Palance (in the 1973 television premiere of Bram Stoker's Dracula), Udo Kier (in the bizarre 1974 virgin-hunting outing Andy Warhol's Dracula), David Niven (as the hysterical “Old Dracula” in the 1974 film Vampira), and Louis Jourdan (Count Dracula as part of Great Performances in 1977).
In 1972, the first substantial African-American bloodsucker bared his fangs in the classic blaxploitation film Blacula and again a year later in the sequel
Worthy of special note in this explosion of bloodthirsty ghouls are two actors who are often singled out for their 1979 performances. The first is George Hamilton for his over-the-top Count in Love at First Bite, the tenth-highest-grossing vampire film of all time. A cult classic in its own right, Hamilton's take on the famous Dracula line in reference to the “children of the night” won't soon be forgotten. “Children of the night,” he says in perfect accent. “Shut up!” (see Chapter 15). The second performance of that year is that of Frank Langella in Dracula, which ranks at number eighteen on the all-time list. This film is widely considered to be one of the best in the vampire genre, with Langella giving a smoldering portrayal in a remake of Lugosi's 1931 Dracula that played off the Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston stage play (see Chapter 14).
Yet another cult favorite graced the big screen in this decade, offering up a new take on the vampire hunter and setting a standard for those who would follow. The 1974 film Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter features dashing German actor Horst Janson as the suave and debonair Kronos and John Cater as his hunchbacked sidekick Professor Grost. What makes this outing so fun and memorable is director Brian Clemens's melding of several film genres, most notably a type of Western with hints of traditional mystery, romance, science fiction, and Count of Monte Cristo swordplay all interwoven amid a steady dose of drama and cliché.
Chasing a vampire who has the ability to literally meld into society by virtue of being unaffected by sunlight leaves Kronos to suss out who could be wiping out local villagers. It should be noted that Clemens was the primary writer and associate producer for the 1960s smash series The Avengers, a fact that plays heavily into the playful plotline and humorous tongue-in-cheek detail Kronos offers. For true vampire aficionados, Captain Kronos is a must see. So if you're up for a few good shivers, a bit of gore, and some big laughs, you don't want to miss the vampy campy artistic and fantastic films of the seventies, including:
Bloodsuckers aka Incense for the Damned (1970) Peter Cushing, Patrick McNee, Patrick Mower
Count Dracula aka Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (1970, Germany) Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski, Herbert Lom
Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Michael Murphy
Countess Dracula (1970) Ingrid Pitt, Nigel Green, Sandor Elès
Guess What Happened to Count Dracula? (1970) Des Roberts, Claudia Barron, John Landon
Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970) John Carradine, Robert Dix, Vicki Volante
House of Dark Shadows (1970) Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, Kathryn Leigh Scott
Jonathan aka Vampire sterben nicht (1970, Germany) Jürgen Jung, Hans-Dieter Jendreyko, Paul Albert Krumm
Scars of Dracula (1970) Christopher Lee, Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen, Gwen Watford
The Vampire Lovers (1970) Ingrid Pitt, George Cole, Peter Cushing, Kate O'Mara
Blood Thirst (1971) Robert Winston, Yvonne Nielson, Judy Dennis
Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971) J. Carrol Naish, Lon Chaney Jr., Zandor Vorkov
The House That Dripped Blood (1971, England) Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Denholm Elliott, John Bennett
Lust for a Vampire (1971) Ralph Bates, Barbara Jefford, Suzanna Leigh
Night of Dark Shadows (1971) Jonathan Frid, Grayson Hall, David Selby
The Omega Man (1971) Charleton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash
The Return of Count Yorga (1971) Robert Quarry, Mariette Hartley, Roger Perry
Twins of Evil (1971) Peter Cushing, Damien Thomas, Madeleine and Mary Collinson
The Werewolf versus the Vampire Women aka La Noche de Walpurgis (1971, Spain) Paul Naschy, Gaby Fuchs, Barbara Capell
Blacula (1972) William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas
The Daughter of Dracula aka La Fille de Dracula (1972, Mexico) Britt Nichols, Anne Libert, Howard Vernon
Despite the fact that the 1974 comedy Vampira (also known as
Deathmaster (1972) Robert Quarry, John Fiedler, Bill Ewing
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame
Dracula vs. Dr. Frankenstein aka Drácula contra Frankenstein (1972, Mexico) Dennis Price, Howard Vernon, Britt Nichols
Dracula's Great Love aka El Gran Amor del conde Drácula (1972, Mexico) Paul Naschy, Haydée Politoff, Rosanna Yanni
Night of the Devils aka La Notte dei diavoli (1972, Italy) Gianni Garko, Agostina Belli, Maria Monti
The Night Stalker (1972) Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Carol Lynley
Saga of the Draculas aka La Saga de los Drácula (1972) Tina Sáinz, Tony Isbert, Helga Liné
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1973) Jack Palance, Simon Ward, Nigel Davenport
It's not often that filmmakers can break entirely new barriers in mainstream industry, but the 1975 film Deafula did just that.
The Devil's Wedding Night aka Full Moon of the Virgins aka Il Plenilunio delle vergini (1973, Italy) Sara Bay, Mark Damon, Esmeralda Barros
Hannah, Queen of the Vampires aka La Tumba de la isla maldita (1973, Spain) Andrew Prine, Patty Shepard, Mark Damon
The Legend of Blood Castle aka Ceremonia sangrienta (1973, Spain) Lucia Bosé, Espartaco Santoni, Ewa Aulin
Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973) Lesley Gilb, Cheryl Smith, William Whitton
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Coles, Joanna Lumley
Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973) William Marshall, Don Mitchell, Pam Grier
Allen and Rossi Meet Dracula and Frankenstein (1974) Marty Allen, Steve Rossi
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974, Australia) Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Donald Pleasence
Blood (1974) Allan Berendt, Hope Stansbury, Patricia Gaul
Blood for Dracula aka Andy Warhol's Dracula (1974) Joe Dallesandro, Udo Kier, Arno Juerging
Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) Horst Janson, John Cater, Shane Briant
Chosen Survivors (1974) Jackie Cooper, Alex Cord, Bradford Dillman, Diana Muldaur
The Evil of Dracula aka Chi o suu bara (1974, Japan) Toshio Kuro-sawa, Kunie Tanaka, Katsuhiko Sasaki
Grave of the Vampire (1974) William Smith, Michael Pataki, Lyn Peters
The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974, kung fu vampirism!) Peter Cushing, David Chiang, Julie Ege
Son of Dracula aka Count Downe aka Son of Dracula (1974 musical) Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Dennis Price, Peter Frampton, Keith Moon
Vampira aka Old Dracula (1974) David Niven, Teresa Graves, Peter Bayliss
Vampyres (1974) Marianne Morris, Anulka Dziubinska, Murray Brown
Deafula (1975) Peter Wolf, Gary R. Holstrom, Lee Darel
Dracula, Father and Son aka Dracula père et fils (1976, France) Christopher Lee, Bernard Menez, Marie-Hélène Breillat
Count Dracula (1977) Louis Jourdan, Frank Finlay, Susan Penhaligon
Martin (1977) John Amplas, Lincoln, Maazel, Christine Forrest
Doctor Dracula (1978) John Carradine, Don “Red” Barry, Larry Hankin
Dracula's Dog aka Zoltan, Hound of Dracula (1978) Michael Pataki, Jan Shutan, Libby Chase, José Ferrer
Dracula (1979) Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan
Dracula Bites the Big Apple (1979) Peter Loewy, Barry Gomolka
Love at First Bite (1979) George Hamilton, Susan Saint James, Richard Benjamin
Nocturna aka Granddaughter of Dracula (1979) Yvonne De Carlo, John Carradine, Nai Bonet
Nosferatu the Vampyre aka Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979, Germany) Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
Salem's Lot (1979) David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin
Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler: The True Life of Dracula (1979, Romania) Ferenc Fábián, Emanoil Petrut, Alexandru Repan
