Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

NOVEMBER 26, 2009

GENRE: HAMMER, VAMPIRE

SOURCE: DVD (ONLINE RENTAL)

Now THIS is a Dracula movie (thank you Samantha for recommending it)! After so many ho-hum films that I have trouble discerning from one another, Dracula A.D. 1972 finally puts its own stamp on the legacy, by transporting Dracula to the then-modern times of 1970s London, where the "big daddy" is resurrected by a group of drug-addled hippies looking for something to do in between hitting up clubs and going to "Jazz Spectaculars".

Now, obviously the film is very dated, but not in the way that a Dreamworks animated film dates itself (i.e. lots of "current" pop culture references). It's dated in a good way, in that it accurately depicts the specific time it was made and thus works both as a film in its intended genre as well as a time capsule-y look back at a period that has past. If the film was made today, everything would be a parody; sort of like The Wedding Singer did for the 80s. But it's a genuine look (and an often funny one at that - the opening party scene rivals the boat party in Raw Force in sheer craziness), which makes it valid.

It also works as a Dracula movie, surprisingly enough. It all boils down to the same old shit (putting a girl under his spell, fucking with Van Helsing, etc), but the very different locale and stronger than usual emphasis on his influence on others makes it stand out without going too far off the beaten path. There is one thing about running water being one of his weaknesses - don't recall that from any other incarnation. I certainly liked how his minion wasn't some Renfield-ian weirdo, but a typically 70s handsome guy who wanted to dabble in the dark arts and got his friends mixed up in it (I got a very strong Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things vibe from some of these character scenes). Drac eventually gives in to his wish to be "turned", and we get to see how differently the two go about using their vampire powers. Usually if Drac turns someone, it's a woman, and she just settles for quickly trying to subdue Van Helsing and is then staked. But this guy, as a vampire, has his own series of vampire-related activities (which leads to a pretty good twist).

One thing I definitely didn't "dig" was the scene where Van Helsing (actually his grandson) has to literally spell out for the audience that "Johnny Alucard" (best name ever, by the way) spells "Dracula" backwards. We look over his shoulder and he has written down "ALUCARD", with "DRACUL" under it, and a series of lines connecting the letters. He then writes down the final "A". Now, obviously he has figured this out for himself in his head, so what the hell are we watching? Why is he writing it down? It's like when you figure out a math problem in your head and the teacher is like "show your work" and you gotta go back and spell it all out for some goddamn reason.

I wish there was more on the DVD, such as an interview or even text article about the film's screenwriter, Don Houghton, discussing his inspiration for this nutty concept. Or maybe one with Lee where he could talk about how it fits in with his long legacy of playing the character. Sadly, the only thing is a trailer, which has the rather odd line "1972: A LEAP YEAR in horror!" - huh?) and as usual spoils pretty much every kill. Oh well.

As usual, I am seeing these things all out of order. If I am following the filmography on IMDb correctly, this is their 7th film, of which I have only seen parts 1, 2, and 4. The opening of this film depicts a pretty rousing fight between Van Helsing and Dracula on top of a runaway wagon - I assume this fight occurred in one of the other movies (maybe even one I've seen - my memory is for shit). Hopefully I will see all of the ones I missed before I get any further into the "series". After this unique entry, I'm sure I can handle another traditional Dracula film without getting too bored (this is, after all, the 14th Dracula movie I've watched for HMAD, not counting off-title duplications like Nosferatu and Count Yorga). But in the meantime, if you know of any other "off" ones like this, by all means suggest them!

What say you?