 |
Christopher Neame steals the show of Hammer's DRACULA A.D. 1972 Rating: ****
|
Dracula, revamped by Hammer film staple Christopher Lee, returns to England during the hippie era, 1972: Summoned by a group of swinging hippie rebels led by A CLOCKWORK ORANGE style
swinger, who gathers his "gang" in a dilapidated old church where Drac's
ashes were buried years ago...
The kids sit in a counter-culture style party circle, chant some spells, writhe and moan as the
fanged foe emerges from the grounds of the churchyard outside...
 |
| Christopher Lee and Caroline Munro in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
Christopher Lee first sinks his fangs into sexy brunette Caroline Munro
and eventually gets a feverish drive to capture Stephanie Beacham, as
Jessica Van Helsing, whose grandfather is Peter Cushing, relative of the
famous slayer who, as a bookworm anthropologist, now must stop the
caped leech before
necking all the ladies...
At the same time, New
Scotland Yard tries solving the case, which is far over their head and
understanding, adding a human element through the lurking shadowy
mainline.
 |
| Christopher Neame gets the Warner Bos treatment for DRACULA A.D. 1972 Rates: **** |
And Lee's not the only significant Christopher on board: Christopher Neame is the important cog in this wheel. Begging for, and
then landing his, coveted eternal life through a bite on the neck of his
mentor, as a vampire he's provided a chance to really chew, or rather,
bite the scenery...
Since Neame's Johnny Alucard was a bullying leader to the kids before
the transformation and, in providing Christopher Lee all his female
friends, is the ultimate middle-man...
 |
| Stephanie Beachum & Christopher Lee in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
The kind of sociopath weasel
that, although second-tier compared to Dracula, steals much of the film
through manipulation and ratty, exuberant villainy. Especially when he
and Drac go after Beacham, a gorgeous scream queen starlet with strength
matching vulnerability, and who Cushing desperately needs to protect.
While not exactly scary to today's standards, it's sexy, intriguingly
suspenseful, creepy and lots of bloody fun. But don't expect a
worthy reunion of Cushing and Lee. It's more of a body count thriller
centered on Dracula and the sexy doomed 1970's starlets. It's just too bad Neame's Johnny (suffering an anticlimactic ending) didn't get his
very own vampire flick.
 |
| Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christopher Lee and Caroline Munro in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Stephanie Beachum & Christopher Lee in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Stephanie Beachum as Jessica Van Helsing in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Stephanie Beachum & Peter Cushing in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Modern title card showing the difference for DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christpher Neame and Marsha A. Hunt in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christpher Neame and Marsha A. Hunt in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| Stephanie Beachum & Peter Cushing in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
 |
| An extremely cute girl who is uncredited and unnamed in DRACULA A.D. 1972 |
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b...
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr...
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ...
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin...
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be...
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ...
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis...
Robyn Hilton in Video Vixens the same year as Blazing Saddles: 1974 The Anthology of Comedic Parodies, already done in several Woody All...
CADDDYSHACK is best known for the iconic leading actors: Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray, but originally the ...
Elizabeth James and Tom Laughlin on equal ground YEAR: 1967 THE BORN LOSERS wasn't supposed to happen but thank God it did since BIL...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.