Scars of Dracula
1970, directed by Roy Ward Baker, released by Anchor Bay

Movie
Another Hammer Dracula movie, but much better than The Satanic Rites of Dracula, see my review archived above. I used to watch all the Hammer Studio films when I was a kid - and my favorites were of the Dracula / vampire variety, especially when they featured Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing - and when the films were in a historical, rather than a modern setting. There is no Van Helsing to battle Dracula in this film, however - Lee's Dracula is not pitted against any vampire hunters in this outing.

The story: A vampire bat that vomits blood can't be a good sign. Especially for us humans, because here it is the catalyst that brings about the resurrection of Dracula. A small village is under constant threat from Dracula, in his castle on the hill above. And the villagers' efforts to destroy the vampire are far from successful - and they come at a very costly price.

Dracula, portrayed again by Christopher Lee, employs a few vampire brides, an army of vampire bats, and his ever-faithful manservant Klove (Patrick Troughton) to commit atrocities on the town, and anyone else who is caught wandering in the darkness.

By an odd set of circumstances, a few people from a nearby town (Christopher Matthews, Dennis Waterman, and Jenny Hanley), cross paths with Dracula. They must unravel they mystery of who owns the castle, and then battle to save their lives.

Video
1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. The quality is really good, a little grainy at times. But this is a far superior transfer than I have seen on videotape, and the colors, especially, stand out. This is far better than television and VHS viewings.

Audio
English Dolby Digital mono track. Nothing extraordinary here.

Trash Factor
This film is generally regarded as being the most violent of the Hammer films. There is actually some decent gore here - not terribly explicit, though. The blood itself is a little too red, and takes away from the realism a bit.

Dracula is a little bit horny in this film, I guess - he's on the lookout for young women, it seems. Unfortunately, this movie is from 1970 - I don't think it was until 1971 or 1972 that Hammer began integrating female nudity into the plots.

As far as attractive women, we have quite a few (Anouska Hempel, Jenny Hanley, and Wendy Hamilton)! But really all we get are heaving bosoms, and some deep cleavage shots. There are a couple of scenes of full-backside (dorsal?) nudity with Delta Lindsay. And I thought during one of those scenes I spied a bare breast - but even with DVD freeze-frame technology, I couldn't confirm my suspicions. I may need Blade Runner era technology to find that bare breast.

Extras
UK and US Theatrical trailers. The US trailer is a "combo" trailer for this film and Horror of Frankenstein. There is also a poster and still gallery and talent bios. The best bonus on the movie disc is an audio commentary - featuring Christopher Lee, director Roy Ward Baker, and "Hammer Films Historian" Marcus Hearn. Nice!!

But there is a really nice bonus - this is actually a 2-disc set. The DVD cover states that a limited edition bonus DVD is included - not sure if this is really limited, all copies of this movie I have seen have this bonus DVD.

The second disc contains a one-hour documentary entitled "The Many Faces of Christopher Lee." This is definitely worth seeing. This disc also contains some extra features - which are perhaps the strangest things I have ever seen. There are two Christopher Lee music videos. They are kind of funny, but really, I wasn't sure what to make of them?

Packaging
The cover artwork is too much like other Anchor Bay / Hammer / Dracula / Christopher Lee movies - the covers should be a little more unique. The chapter stop insert has a poster reproduction on one side - something like this should have been used for the cover image.

Overall
I definitely recommend renting or buying Scars of Dracula. Of the current Hammer Dracula releases that are on DVD, this is one that is definitely worth seeing. It doesn't have Peter Cushing, but it does have a great performance by Christopher Lee, and an interesting tale of Dracula - with some good blood, and sexy Hammer women. The supporting cast is more than adequate - there isn't a very intricate plot here, but the performances and action fill up a 95-minute movie nicely.

And I think the direction and set design is classic Hammer. They really did a nice job with the design of Dracula's castle - which is the main setting for the movie. The film is typical Hammer-quality "cheese" - with the Dracula "wall-walk", the special effect bats, and the attempts to make daytime shots appear as nighttime in the film. But don't let these low budget qualities dissuade you from seeing this movie.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD