Scars of Dracula (dir. Roy Ward Baker, 1970)
And even though it’s meant to be a reboot, Scars opens with footage from the last film, connecting it very directly. I like to think it’s a proper sequel. The lack of a Van Helsing type codifies that. And how is Dracula resurrected? Well, a big old rubbery bat pukes blood onto his powder pile, and Dracula just sort of re-solidifies. Why did the rubber bat puke blood onto Dracula’s powder pile? A question for the ages.
Dracula (Christopher Lee) is resurrected, and seems to come automatically equipped with a standard sexy lady slave, and a standard Renfield type servant (played by Patrick Troughton, known to sci-fi fans as the 2nd Doctor Who). His character is named Klove, and he may or may not be the same Renfield slave who resurrected Dracula in Prince of Darkness. When Paul, on the run from the law (and that part of the plot is really dumb) stumbles into Dracula’s castle, he is taken prisoner, and is seduced by the lady slave.
Dracula murders his lady slave with a knife. Why? Couldn’t say. He then impales Paul on a meathook, and whips Klove with the broad side of a red-hot sword. Lee is clearly having a ball, and may be relieved to have so many evil things to do in Scars. While none of these things happen in Bram Stoker’s original novel, the keeping-the-innocent-man-prisoner aspects do strongly evoke the source material.
Eventually Paul’s brother Simon Belmont (Dennis Waterman) and girlfriend Sarah (Jenny Hanley) trek to Dracula’s castle looking for Paul. Sarah is immediately seduced by Dracula, and he only recoils when he sees a cross hiding conveniently in her rather ample cleavage. Dracula glimpsing crosses peeking out of lady’s cleavage has happened often in this series, and you’d think he would have learned to check for crosses hidden in boobs before he moved in for a bite.
Did you catch the name of the brother, Simon Belmont? Video game fans know this name as the central character from the popular (and unfortunately titled) Castlevania series. Yes, the makers of the game took their inspiration almost directly from the Hammer Dracula movies. Indeed, looking back over the movies, I’m seeing all kinds of details that would eventually make their way into one of the many Castlevania games (of which there about 30).
How does Dracula die? When he and Simon fight on a roof, Dracula raises a metal rod above his head, intending to impale Simon on it while Sarah watches. Lightning strikes the rod. Dracula catches on fire. He burns for about 60 full seconds and then falls over the castle wall into a ravine. It’s a pretty awesome ending to an otherwise pretty usual Dracula movie.
Be sure to come back next week for the third and final week of The Series Project‘s examination of the Hammer Dracula movies, as the series will finally begin to suck in earnest, and Dracula will wake up in the modern day. Stay tuned for Dracula A.D. 1972, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, and The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go drink some Dracula punch.
Witney Seibold is a featured contributor on the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly articles Trolling, Free Film School and The Series Project, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
