"Countess Dracula"
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Mono
The title is a cheat (no fangs here, I'm afraid), but Peter Sasdy's atypical Hammer horror takes its cue from historical fact in an effort to distinguish itself from the studio's regular formula, casting Ingrid Pitt (only recently established as a horror icon at the time, through her appearances in THE VAMPIRE LOVERS and THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD) as an ageing Countess in 16th century Hungary who discovers that her youth is restored by the blood of virgin girls. She subsequently embarks on a reign of terror whilst pursuing a young Army officer (Sandor Elès) who is unaware of her murderous activities. Philip Harrison's low budget set designs are grim and evocative (Harrison later decamped to Hollywood, where he worked on the likes of NICK OF TIME, THE CORE and many others), and Pitt is astonishingly good in the role of a dissolute noblewoman who uses her voluptuous beauty as a weapon in her selfish pursuit of personal gratification. But Jeremy Paul's complex script makes an anti-hero of its central character, revelling in Pitt's villainy whilst petitioning audience sympathy for the consequences of her sickening deceit (she keeps reverting to old age, each time looking worse than before, requiring more victims, more blood), and the dichotomy is crudely resolved during a melodramatic climax in which Pitt's secret is revealed at the worst possible moment.
In key character roles, Nigel Green and Maurice Denham are every bit as good as Pitt, though Elès and Lesley-Anne Down (as the daughter whom the Countess impersonates whilst romancing the younger man) are pretty nondescript as the underwritten juvenile leads. Prudes may disapprove of Pitt's glorious nude scenes (drool! slobber!), and timid viewers may want to cover their eyes during some brief but potent episodes of violence, including an extraordinary moment involving a lethal hat-pin which somehow managed to scrape past the British censor unscathed in 1970! The film is based on the real-life crimes of Elisabeth Bathory, a villainess whose bloodthirsty escapades would seem a natural subject for cinematic exploitation, but "Countess Dracula" is one of only a handful of movies to take inspiration from her dreadful misdeeds, including IMMORAL TALES (1974) and EL RETORNO DEL HOMBRE LOBO (1980).
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Mono
The title is a cheat (no fangs here, I'm afraid), but Peter Sasdy's atypical Hammer horror takes its cue from historical fact in an effort to distinguish itself from the studio's regular formula, casting Ingrid Pitt (only recently established as a horror icon at the time, through her appearances in THE VAMPIRE LOVERS and THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD) as an ageing Countess in 16th century Hungary who discovers that her youth is restored by the blood of virgin girls. She subsequently embarks on a reign of terror whilst pursuing a young Army officer (Sandor Elès) who is unaware of her murderous activities. Philip Harrison's low budget set designs are grim and evocative (Harrison later decamped to Hollywood, where he worked on the likes of NICK OF TIME, THE CORE and many others), and Pitt is astonishingly good in the role of a dissolute noblewoman who uses her voluptuous beauty as a weapon in her selfish pursuit of personal gratification. But Jeremy Paul's complex script makes an anti-hero of its central character, revelling in Pitt's villainy whilst petitioning audience sympathy for the consequences of her sickening deceit (she keeps reverting to old age, each time looking worse than before, requiring more victims, more blood), and the dichotomy is crudely resolved during a melodramatic climax in which Pitt's secret is revealed at the worst possible moment.
In key character roles, Nigel Green and Maurice Denham are every bit as good as Pitt, though Elès and Lesley-Anne Down (as the daughter whom the Countess impersonates whilst romancing the younger man) are pretty nondescript as the underwritten juvenile leads. Prudes may disapprove of Pitt's glorious nude scenes (drool! slobber!), and timid viewers may want to cover their eyes during some brief but potent episodes of violence, including an extraordinary moment involving a lethal hat-pin which somehow managed to scrape past the British censor unscathed in 1970! The film is based on the real-life crimes of Elisabeth Bathory, a villainess whose bloodthirsty escapades would seem a natural subject for cinematic exploitation, but "Countess Dracula" is one of only a handful of movies to take inspiration from her dreadful misdeeds, including IMMORAL TALES (1974) and EL RETORNO DEL HOMBRE LOBO (1980).