Blood of Dracula's Castle

Dir. Al Adamson

84 Minutes

USA

1969

Starring: John Carradine, Paula Raymond, Alex D'Arcy, Robert Dix

**1/2/*****

After his 108-year old grandfather dies ("it's not a tragedy or anything"), photographer Glen inherits the family castle and he and his fiancee Liz travel to give the digs a look. Occupying the residence for the last sixty years are Count and Countess Townshend (aka Dracula), who have been very comfortable despite the occasional kidnapping of a young woman (with the help of their indentured servants-butler George (John Carradine) and the mute hunchback Mango (Ray Young), who kill the abducted and feed their masters with Bloody Marys (which the aged, but cultured, vampires dink from martini glasses). Glen and Liz arrive shortly after Johnny (Robert Dix), somehow related to the Townshend's, escapes prison with the help of an ill-fated guard at the bad end of Johnny's serial killer urges (who will kill. . . and kill again!). 

Blood of Dracula's Castle is the usual combination of Adamson's efforts to keep things on the cheap (for instance, skipping the "money shot" of the vampires rapidly aging after being hit by sunlight and going right to a shot of clothing on a floor with some dust coming out of the collars) while trying to have as much juice to fill as many seats as possible. It was also the first film to begin assembling his semi-troupe of performers and craftspeople, with Carradine, Dix (who would also produce the screenplay for Five Bloody Graves, which would feature many players from this film), Vicki Volante, and John Cardos. The film mostly moves along at a glacial pace, Adamson keeping the camera static for extended conversations that feature just enough in the frame to give off the impression of its spooky setting (a solid minute devoted to two women in chains hoping two rats that appear in the picture do not get too close to them is the kind of thing that allows for the passable running time). But there is an odd charm to the whole affair, with moments that feel like purposeful send-ups of the vampire genre, such as an oddly comic moment where the Townshend's muse about whether there will be a day where such a thing as synthetic blood exists so they can no longer live as criminals (although this goes against their occasional sacrifices to The Great God Luna). And these kinds of remarks almost keep the stakes low, allowing for a checklist of moments to occur: a nighttime walk around ominous hallways, a peek at where the Townshend's keep their coffins, and the torture dungeon. It all culminates with an extended chase sequence (similar to the psycho chasing mother-daughter in Psycho A Go-Go), a back and forth of Glen and Liz running while Mango goes after them. But of the Adamson efforts, Blood of Dracula's Castle is an entertaining example of its genre: a nice mix of schlock exploitation and incompetent filmmaking that almost feels too pure to be against. 

A television version simply dubbed Dracula's Castle added seven minutes of material (not shot by Adamson) where Dix's character becomes a werewolf and roams the countryside stalking women. This subplot is woven throughout the Adamson action, virtually altering nothing in the narrative and ultimately going nowhere. But it is fun to see an Adamson film, many of which are patchworks of other films, become a patchwork of its own.

Viewed on July 22nd, 2020

Part of the ongoing Al Adamson Project.