The Satanic Rites Of Dracula
directed by Alan Gibson
directed by Alan Gibson
This movie is a sequel to the oft unintentionally hilarious Dracula AD 1972, which imagined a Dracula transported to the London of the eponymous year, surrounded by swinging mods and hippies. Dracula AD 1972 tried and horribly failed to update the Dracula story for a contemporary audience. On the other hand Hammer's standards by then had relaxed enough to include a truly tremendous amount of cleavage, which was probably the movie's only redeeming feature for those who appreciate such things.
Probably the film's biggest problem, besides the bad acting, derivative soundtrack, and inadvertent humor was that Dracula was still restricted to Gothic settings inside the movie. So it felt as if Dracula AD 1972 were really two movies spliced together, and not in a good way.
The Satanic Rites of Dracula, though a sequel, imagines a very different England (and London) than the previous movie. Here, everything is gray, lifeless, and somber instead of bright and musical. The people doing stupid short sighted things are not callow youths looking for excitement but rather some of England's most important politicians and businessmen.
This makes a difference. The film feels plausible. A British Secret Service agent who has been tasked to monitor prominent British citizens is held captive in a mansion. There's an occult ritual taking place. During this ritual the wounded agent escapes and makes it back to HQ. Before dying, the man turns over surveillance photos of people involved in the weird events.
One of the men caught on camera is the minister of the division that oversees the Secret Service. So obviously the managers can't risk investigating their boss and tipping him off. They summon a local open minded Scotland Yard Inspector Murray (Michael Coles), impressing upon him the need for a discreet inspection.
Murray brings in an occult expert Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), who, as he is getting up in age, is turning over more responsibility to his granddaughter Jessica (Joanna Lumley). One of the suspects is a famous scientist/virologist, Julian Keeley (Freddie Jones) who is a old college friend of Van Helsing's.
Van Helsing pays Keeley a visit to see if he can't learn a few things. In the meantime Murray, Jessica and some other Secret Service agents visit the house where the undercover agent was imprisoned. Things don't go as expected.
The good guys have stumbled across a doomsday plot. The man responsible is a reclusive businessman named D.D. Denham (Christopher Lee) who owns a ton of property in London and abroad but is never photographed or seen in daylight.
There is some toplessness and nudity but that's not the film's focus. Lumley is the lead actress. She's not just there to scream and faint but is competent and resourceful. The film doesn't waste time with skeptics. Once people see something they believe it.
The film works well as a spy thriller, somewhat less so as a horror film, with the exception of a creepy basement set piece. Cushing's wife had passed away not long before this film's release. Cushing was still gaunt with grief.
