Scars of Dracula (1970)

Scars of Dracula (1970)

“He is the embodiment of all that is evil; he is the very Devil himself.”

Synopsis:
A young man (Dennis Waterman) and his girlfriend (Jenny Hanley) go in search of Waterman’s reckless brother (Christopher Matthews), who is trapped in the castle of Dracula (Christopher Lee) after bedding a vampiress (Anouska Hempel) and invoking Dracula’s wrath. Once there, they receive unexpected help from Dracula’s hairy man-servant (Patrick Troughton), who has an enormous crush on Hanley.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Christopher Lee Films
  • Horror
  • Roy Ward Baker Films
  • Vampires

Review:
It’s difficult to tell why Peary chose to include this sixth of nine Hammer Studios Dracula films in his GFTFF — unless it’s the credentials of director Roy Ward Baker. Sure, it’s both scary and silly (with plenty of bawdy humor), but it’s not focused nearly enough on Dracula, whose “scars” I presume are meant to be those continuously left on the necks of his prey. Instead, the storyline is concerned with a younger brother proving his mettle to a beautiful girl, who has until now been not-so-secretly obsessed with his rakish older brother; to that end it’s a reasonably satisfying tale of a heroic quest, but without much substance. Lee’s make-up is effectively creepy, though.

Note: The other Hammer Dracula titles included in GFTFF are The Horror of Dracula (1958) and The Brides of Dracula (1960).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Christopher Lee as Dracula

Must See?
No; this one is only must-see for Hammer Studios fans.

Links:

2 thoughts on “Scars of Dracula (1970)

  1. For my money, the weakest Hammer Dracula epic. The script is very tired and the leads (Hanley, Waterman) are dull. Lee wasn’t keen on doing any of the sequels but he still does a good job.

    It’s nicely shot and James Bernard’s score is very good, so it’s overall tolerable.

  2. First viewing. Not must-see.

    Among the less-inspired-variation entries in the Dracula series, it’s passable (I suppose) but still more-than-somewhat tiresome. Devoted Hammer Film fans may find themselves wishing for something less lackluster.

    Favorite bit: The hero finds himself trapped in a guest room at Dracula’s castle. Looking for an escape, he checks the only window and finds there’s a drop that looks like it’s about 5,000 miles – straight down! 😉

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