Exploitation Cinema: Count Dracula’s Great Love (1972) and Vampire Hookers (aka Cemetery Girls) (1978)
I love these DVDs double features that attempt to give the feeling of sitting in the theater watching a couple of exploitation movies, including trailers, features, and concession stand ads. This particular double feature has to be the best that I’ve seen from them so far. So down in front and lets get started with the review.
Some cool looking trailers for at least one piss poor movie. The first trailer is for a little gem called Blood Mania. The trailer looks really nifty, but trust me the movie is lousy. The next trailer is for a biker movie called Wild Rebels. I’ve not seen this movie, but it looks pretty damn cool. I might have to track it down. Then we have a trailer for Angels Die Hard. Again another biker movie that I think could be worth checking out. Now on to our first feature.
Count Dracula’s Great Love (1972)
This is another sleazy little gem from legendary writer/actor Paul Naschy. Here he portrays the titular Count Dracula who has set up house in an abandoned hospital. Of course a bevy of beautiful young women and their one male companion get stranded at his home so that he can pick them off one at a time. One of the young ladies is his great love (as per the title) and can restore his full power, which he has somehow lost. But she must come to him of her own accord and not thru his powers. So he makes her fall in love with him, but at the last moment gives it all up for her and kills himself.
As is the case with many Naschy horror movies Count Dracula’s Great Love is light on plot and heavy on the naked ladies. I for one wouldn’t have it any other way. The story starts off simple but eventually goes off in odd directions with an inexplicable ending that makes no sense at all. I should also admit that the middle bit of the movie can be somewhat slow and might lose some viewers. The cast isn’t bad, but with the exception of Naschy is utterly forgettable. Naschy is on top of his game as he broods around between sex scenes with the movies attractive actresses. But in the end the movie delivers just the right amount of sleaze and story to make itself entertaining, if not spectacular.
The technical bits and pieces of the movie are pretty good. There is a neat kills right from the start with a particularly cool looking axe to the head that is repeated again and again in the opening credits. I suppose that is because it really isn’t ever matched for the rest of the movie. Other than some neck nibbling and a couple stakes to the heart that is about all you can expect. The locations are perfect for the movie and are well light and shot.
I’m a big fan of Paul Naschy and am inclined to like this movie. But I don’t think that just Naschy fans will dig this movie and recommend that everyone give it a chance, especially if you are going to buy or rent this nifty double feature.
2 ½ out of 4
After a concession stand ad that had me looking in my kitchen for some munchies there were more trailers. Hell on Wheels is a movie about racing stock cars. Why anyone thinks that watching cars make a left hand turn again and again is exciting is beyond me. I think I’ll pass on this movie. Now the next trailer for Chain Gang Women looks like something that I have to check out. I mean you have women in prison, when has that not been fun? The final trailer is for a double feature of The Velvet Vampire and Scream of the Demon Lover. The trailers look cool but I have a feeling the movies most likely suck. So of course I’ll have to track them down! Now be quite the second feature is starting.
Vampire Hookers (aka Cemetery Girls) (1978)
What is a sailor on liberty in an exotic land to do? Apparently you go drinking, look for girls and be extremely careful as to what bar you are in because some beautiful women aren’t always women. Oh and for crying out loud if your exotic date takes you to her place in a cemetery don’t go in with her. If you do you might run into a vampire and his harem of beautiful young vampire women. This is what happens to our sailors here in this movie when they go looking for their chief petty officer and friend. Only no one will believe them, not the navy or the local police. Of course all they can do is try and take care of the problem before any more of their fellow sailors become victims. Their biggest problem with this course of action is there own incompetence.
This is a really funny well-paced movie that came as a complete surprise to me. Pairing up the Naschy flick with a comedy is a brilliant idea. Both films have vampires and lots of naked women in common, but other than that they are night and day. There isn’t much horror here, but the comedy works really well. You have slapstick with silly sound effects, some really funny lines delivered by of all people John Carradine (who is great as the head vampire), and on ongoing fart joke with my man Vic Diaz. I swear to god you couldn’t make an exploitation movie in the Philippines without Diaz, and that isn’t’ a bad thing. Watching Vic Diaz chew up scenery as the henchman with terrible gas that is trying desperately to become a vampire is freaking hilarious. I also have to go back to the before mentioned Carradine. He is so freaking good in this movie as the head vampire that spends the entire movie quoting Shakespeare and berating his incompetent minions. Really he has all the best lines.
Production value wise this movie looks good. The sets, especially the entrance to the underground crypt, clearly show that some money and effort were spent on the movie. All of the camera work and lighting is professional and gives the movie the feel of a bigger budgeted operation. It looks good enough that it would be at home with the teenage sex comedies of the 80s, in spite of being made in 1978. If you are looking for an effects movie this isn’t going to fit the bill. This is a comedy first and horror film second. Even the vampires are nothing more than contacts and fake fangs.
I recommend this movie without reservations. It is a funny little gem that I’m shocked I missed growing up being the big fan of Carradine and naked ladies that I am.
3 out of 4
This DVD is from the company that brought us the Welcome to the Grindhouse DVDs. Because someone has decided to be a douche and copyright Grindhouse they have renamed the discs to Exploitation Cinema. Overall this is the strongest of the double features that I’ve seen from them and highly recommend the DVD.
Overall rating of the disc
3 out of 4
reviewed by John Shatzer
