John Stone (Bill Rogers) is married to the beautiful Helena (Elizabeth Wilkinson), when one day he receives a mysterious package, from England; inside are bottles of brandy and a message inviting the couple to toast their ancestors. When John drinks the brandy, he turns into a vampire: the bottles actually contained the blood of Dracula!
From this time, flanked by his wife, he travels to England, intending to eliminate Van Helsing's descendants...
Poor foray by Lewis, this time sparing of splatter scenes, poorly acted and with a less than elementary plot (read Dr. Alucard's name backwards!)...
Probably the worst work, not only of the director, but of the entire 1960s horror filmography.
Undecided between the path he himself inaugurated with splatter and more classic horror, the mix of elements appears so coarse as to induce boredom and viewer apathy on several occasions. This time, in addition to the absence of "logical" narrative sense, the lack of gore weighs on the whole operation. And, in all likelihood, what was saved on the cost of special effects has, unfortunately, ended up on film: bringing the film to an almost unbearable length even for the most patient -and avid- viewer.
Small pearls of superficiality are more than obvious in the scene inconsistencies, such as in the night sequence set (narratively) on the ship anchored in London's East End, where one can make out -evidently- the illuminated signs of Miami Beach hotels and lights transpiring from adjacent buildings....
Absolutely forgettable, even in view of the fact that, previously, the author had made the discreet Color Me Blood Red....
Circulated -unfortunately- on our pay TVs in the original language and with Italian subtitles.
Review by Undying1
