Swinging London in the early 70's, what is a vampire to do?

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Product Description

London's become a small town for a handful of jaded psychedelic-era hipsters. But Johnny Alucard has a groovy new way for his pals to get their kicks. A certain ritual will be the living end, he insists. And if you still wonder where Johnny's coming from, try spelling his last name backwards. Dracula is raised into the modern era in this Hammer Studios shocker that's "quite well done" (John Stanley, Creature Features). Christopher Lee dons the cape for the sixth time and seeks out fresh victims. As archnemesis Van Helsing, fellow horror legend Peter Cushing clutches a vial of holy water and edges within throwing distance. Their harrowing battle royale is not to be missed. In fact, it's the living end. Director: Alan Gibson Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Stephanie Beacham

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43866 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-10-04
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 96 minutes

Features

• London's become a small town for a handful of jaded psychedelic-era hipsters. But Johnny Alucard has a groovy new way for his pals to get their kicks. A certain ritual will be the living end, he insists. And if you still wonder where Johnny's coming from, try spelling his last name backwards. Dracula is raised into the modern era in this Hammer Studios shocker that's "quite well done" (John Stanle

Amazon.com
It was only a matter of time before Christopher Lee's Dracula visited Swinging London, arriving fashionably late for the party in 1972. In Dracula A.D. 1972, Count D was dispatched in the 19th century with a carriage-wheel spoke. The vampire's ashes and fancy ring are handed down to a young Londoner named Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame) who looks as though he's seen A Clockwork Orange too many times. Proposing that his hippie posse look for new kicks ("yet as old as time"), he holds a Black Mass and summons you-know-who. Peter Cushing joins Lee yet again; luscious Stephanie Beacham, in an amazing shag haircut and purple velvet, is Cushing's granddaughter. She considers grandpa's scientific interests "way out," but then again, their last name is Van Helsing.. The time-period switch makes the grooviness seem laughable, although otherwise this is an acceptable outing, especially for Lee's suave, overtly sexual take on the role. It was his penultimate entry in the Hammer Dracula series, and is certainly better than the finale, The Satanic Rites of Dracula. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

Dracula versus debauched 70s youth culture
"Dracula A.D. 1972," starring Christopher Lee as the titular vampire, is one bizarre film. It starts with a prologue set in the 1800s: Lee's Dracula is shown in battle with his nemesis Van Helsing (Peter Cushing). As the title indicates, the main body of the film brings Dracula into the 1970s, where he battles Van Helsing's descendant (also played by Cushing). Also along for the horror is a young Stephanie Beacham as the second Van Helsing's lovely granddaughter.

The film tries to blend traditional vampiric horror with 70s style youth culture: thus the elements of sex (discretely), drugs, and rock 'n' roll permeate the film. To early 21st century viewers, the swingin' music, outrageous mod clothes, hairdos, and wannabe hip slang ("Weird, man. Way out") of the young cast may come off as more campy than anything else, but it does make the film fun.

Lee is compelling as Dracula: articulate and elegant, yet feral. Unfortunately, his screen time is sparse; his amounts to little more than a small supporting role. The real star of the film is Cushing as the 20th century Van Helsing. The classy Cushing projects real intelligence and ability as his character. He brings total conviction to every scene, and has solid chemistry with Beacham (although I think his hands come a little too close to her bosom in a couple of scenes--watch it, "Grandpa"!). "Dracula A.D. 1972" may be far from the best of the many Dracula films, but Cushing and Lee make it worthwhile.

A terribly underappreciated gem!
I find it amusing that many fans absolutely gush over "Taste the Blood of Dracula," yet completely dump on this one, when they're basically the same film. A group of friends, bored with their lives, decide that performing a black mass ritual that will literally raise Hell sounds like a fun new way to get kicks, and just happen to resurrect a thoroughly pissed-off Count Dracula in the process. That's the premise of both movies, and both movies carry it off nicely.

"Dracula A.D. 1972" admittedly contains some awkward moments, most notably the absurd and insulting scene in which the brilliant Prof. Van Helsing has to write the name 'Alucard' down on paper and study it before making the all-too-terribly-obvious connection to his family's arch-nemesis, but these are nit-picks. It's a beautifully-photographed, slickly-produced and generally well-acted piece, featuring both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee at the height of their game. The '70s pop soundtrack, much-maligned, is actually quite effective and suits the movie. It's fast-paced, entertaining fun, and isn't that all any genre film really needs to be?

If you love Hammer Horror as I do, appreciate the work of the legendary Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and/or just have a nostalgic appreciation for movies of this very bygone era, please ignore the bad press and give this classic film a chance.

Was Mike Myers watching this when he thought up Austin?
Very interesting entry in the Hammer Dracula series...by this time, they were generally running out of ideas, and decided to put the Count in a contemporary setting. But they went way overboard with the "mod" 70's hippie scenes...these are right out of "Austin Powers", and that character would have fit right in helping Van Helsing fight off Dracula. Aside from that, Cushing and Lee have typical powerful performances which carry the film. And the incredible women, like Munro sure are easy on the eyes. Dracula vs. Powers could have been the title to this, but the film moves at a good pace if you can stomach 37 year old hippies trying to act like teenagers. It is a lot less boring and slow moving than some of the other Hammer Dracula films. All in all, a film well worth watching if you love Hammer or basic cheesiness.