| Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) |
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| Director: | Alan Gibson |
| Writers: | Don Houghton |
| Starring: | Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Christopher Neame, Caroline Munro and Stephanie Beacham |
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The Plot: Dracula A.D. 1972 begins the same way that one expects a Hammer vampire movie to end, with a grand battle between Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) and Count Dracula (Christopher Lee). As the two wage war whilst riding through the wilderness in a carriage, it derails and ultimately leads to both of their deaths. Once Dracula dies, via a broken spoke from a wheel that is jammed straight through his heart, one of his followers comes along and secretly scoops up his ashes. He then sneakily buries Dracula’s ashes only a few feet away from Van Helsing’s grave. We then skip forward one hundred years to wild and vibrant 1972 Britain. Here we meet a gang of friends comprised of social misfits. They are continually crashing parties, having fun, and generally living the rock & roll lifestyle. Within this group we meet the relative newcomer Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame) who bares a shocking resemblance to the previous follower of Dracula who buried the great vampire’s ashes next to Van Helsing’s grave. Also within this group is Jessica Van Helsing (Stephanie Beacham), the great-granddaughter of the original Van Helsing. Her father, Lorrimer Van Helsing (also played by Peter Cushing), has continued on with the family legacy and is now one of the world’s most formal leaders within the study of occult activities. As one might derive, Johnny Alucard hasn’t joined Jessica Van Helsing’s group of friends for no reason in particular. He has some shady goals in mind, and after hosting a black mass near the grave of Dracula, Britain will once again be haunted by a Vampire plague. |
| The Review |
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The film is such an odd duck. Starting off by showcasing the distinctions between modern youth and a stuffy older generation, the movie has a very energetic beginning. The opening “party” sequence, which features all of the youthful cast making guesses about when the cops will show up to a party that they have crashed, is very engaging. It shows humor, some modern rebellion, interesting visuals… indeed, the movie starts off with its best foot forward. Johnny Alucard is actually a very interesting villain within the film, setting the movie up in a very dark and menacing way. As things progress, and he holds the black mass that becomes a center-point for the movie, he shows how intense a character he can be. The black mass sequence is certainly a highlight, as we watch Alucard go into a fit of angry shouting and enraged grimaces. Alucard’s monologue during the scene is filled with references to legitimate demonology and black magic, crafting something very morbid and slightly disturbing. By the time he pours his chalice, filled with blood and ash, over a young girl’s body, we know that something really wicked is afoot.
Surprisingly, Dracula is missing from the movie for nearly the entire first half hour. Then, even after that he doesn’t make regular appearances within the movie until everything starts to build to a close. Some might be disappointed by this turn of events, but it’s always interesting to see a series deviate from expectations. Yet, this also means that the movie slows down a great deal without a strong antagonist. Johnny Alucard is interesting enough, but even his role is delegated less time after a certain point. The movie lacks in the action department, but when things do pick up, they provide a decent amount of interest. Truthfully, once the police become involved, a certain percentage of the movie starts to reflect a police procedural drama. The combination of Van Helsing’s search and the police officer closing in on Dracula, it begins to give the movie a classical “vampire story” vibe, but only this time there is far less of Dracula sneaking in through unlocked windows. He has Johnny Alucard in a Renfield-esque role, but only without the bug eating. If a lack of Dracula action sounds like it might make the story seem less involving, then you’ve probably guessed right. Despite there being moments of pure entertainment found in the movie, Dracula A.D. 1972 proves to be missing a strong ingredient when it comes to making a great vampire story.
| The Conclusion |
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