Rent Countess Dracula (1971)

No horror, no fangs, lots of ham, poor script - yet I liked it. It has a curious 'period' charm :) - Countess Dracula review by RP

Hammer Films made many low budget pseudo-horror films from the 1950s - 1970s and this is yet another. The studio always seems to have made 'hammy' films and this is no exception, with dodgy acting, a dodgy story and a dodgy script.

The leading role is played by Ingrid Pitt, aka the 'Queen of British Horror', as a character nominally based on Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed. The film's title 'Countess Dracula' is a shameless attempt to cash in on Hammer's earlier successful vampire films - there isn't any vampirism here.

The main male lead is played by character actor Nigel Green as Captain Dobi, with Sandor Elès playing the unlucky young Lieutenant who is seduced by the rejuvenated Countess.

The story is about an elderly countess who regains her youth by bathing in virgin's blood, apparently a sort of magic anti-wrinkle cream, but is eventually (of course) found out. There's no horror (despite this still carrying an 18 certificate), very little blood, but there is the occasional bare chest.

So no horror, no fangs, no vampires, lots of ham, poor script etc etc - yet I liked it. It has a strange 'period' charm, harking back to the days when 'horror' wasn't either torture porn or gruesome gore. I'll give it 3/5 stars.

[Aside: Curiously, the DVD includes two extras entirely unrelated to the film, a couple of short plays, one with Nigel Green, the other with Ingrid Pitt in a Brian Clemens 'Thriller' episode]

Ingrid at her finest. - Countess Dracula review by PD

Seen this gem many times on television and was pleasantly surprised to find it on Blu-ray WITH commentary with film critics alongside dear Ingrid Pitt. Lovely to learn the background to the film and the making of. Wonderful colour transfer and exquisite sound. Added splendour to see, one of my favourite actors, Nigel Green. Always a treat to see him.

Period Horror - Countess Dracula review by Steve

This is the kind of Hammer horror that defined their image in the early seventies, with a sensational supernatural tale set in a colourful period setting... plus tasteful female nudity. It's inspired by the legend of Elizabeth Báthory, a real Hungarian aristocrat born in 1560, who allegedly bathed in the blood of virgins to restore her youthfulness.

Though the truth was probably embellished! As Ingrid Pitt's Elizabeth actually does get younger, she gives us two performances. She is the ancient, wizened baroness and also masquerades as her voluptuous, sexually liberated daughter, while her own chaste little darling (Lesley Anne-Down) is imprisoned by a crazy-mute woodsman.

Ingrid is fine and her sexy portrayal is crucial, but it's the support cast which brings the grotesquery, particularly Maurice Denham as a venerable, rat-like scholar. Some of the events are obviously disturbing, but most of the violence takes place off camera. There is one graphic skewering. But there is more nudity than gore.

As usual, Hammer squeeze decent production values out of a small budget. The set was left over from Anne of the Thousand Days (for which it was nominated for an Oscar). Perhaps the slight premise is stretched too thin but the history is interesting, if distorted, and it is well directed. With The Vampire Lovers (1970), it's a key entry in the cult of its star.