Taste the Blood of Dracula

Starring:Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen, Gwen Watford, Linda Hayden, Peter Sallis, Anthony Higgins, Isla Blair, John Carson, Martin Jarvis, Ralph Bates, Roy Kinnear, Michael Ripper, Russell Hunter, Shirley Jaffe, Keith Marsh, Peter May, Reginald Barratt, Madeline Smith, Lai Ling, Malaika Martin
Director: Peter Sasdy
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Description

A collection of horror classics from Hammer Studios. Six films that feature horror stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing-- Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Frankenstein Must be Destroyed, Horror of Dracula, The Mummy, Taste the Blood of Dracula.

Customer Reviews:

Hammer Productions- 6 Legendary Classics of Gothic Horror!.......2007-04-26

The legendary British film studio, Hammer Productions began its climb to the top of the horror film genre with its Technicolor release of "The Curse of Frankenstein." Teaming Peter Cushing with Christopher Lee for the first time- the result is pure movie magic and the beginning of what was to become a beautiful friendship. As well as a great time for movie going gothic horror fans as Hammer began churning out one classic after another. This set of Hammer horror includes:

"The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957)
Baron Victor Von Frankenstein, (Peter Cushing) is in prison for murder and trying to evade the guillotine. While there he tells a priest how he and his mentor, Paul Krempe, (Robert Urquhart) had performed many scientific experiments, eventually leading to the resurrection of a dead body. Due to an accident, that damages the brain intended for Frankenstein's creation, the experiment goes horribly wrong. Instead of the intelligent being Frankenstein set out to create- a hideous monster (Christopher Lee) rises from the laboratory table! The baron's obsession and the monster's homicidal nature cause the deaths of several of those around them. Finally the Baron is confronted by an enraged monster about to throw Victor's fiancée Elizabeth, (Hazel Court) from the castle parapet. The DVD release has a clean transfer and the audio is vibrant. Great use of color and the studio sets and costuming are used to full advantage to set the gothic atmosphere to perfection. The beginning of Hammer's rise to the top of the Horror genre and the first of many classics to come!

"Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" (1968)
When his castle is exorcised, Dracula (Christopher Lee) plots his revenge against the Monsignor (Rupert Davies) who performed the rites by attempting to make the Holy man's young niece, Maria (Veronica Carlson) his bride. Great story and very enjoyable performances by the entire cast make this entry in Hammer's `Dracula" series a real treat!

"Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!" (1969)
Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is once again working with illegal medical experiments. Together with a young doctor, Karl Holst (Simon Ward) and his fiancée Anna Spengler (Veronica Carlson) they kidnap the mentally sick Dr. Brandt, (George Pravda) to perform the first brain transplant ever!

"Horror of Dracula" (1958)
After Jonathan Harker (John Van Eussen) attacks Dracula (Christopher Lee) at his castle, the vampire travels to a nearby city, where he preys on the family of Harker's fiancée. The only one who may be able to protect them is Dr. Van Helsing, (Peter Cushing) Harker's friend and fellow-student of vampires, who is determined to destroy Dracula, whatever the cost! The first in Hammer's "Dracula" series and possibly "the best" gothic vampire movie ever made! Lush visuals, great atmospheric music and studio sets, along with outstanding cast performances make this Hammer's crowning jewel of gothic horror!

"The Mummy" (1959)
Three British archeologists (including Peter Cushing) discover the grave of an important Egyptian female priestess (Yvonne Furneaux) who has died about four millennia ago. But when they open it a bad curse falls on them for having woken up the mighty "Guard of the Grave" (Christopher Lee) who was buried with the priestess. Hammer once again proved its ability to bring a classic horror story to vibrant life! "The Mummy" is perfectly wonderful in it's story telling, costuming, studio sets, and the cast performances are superb!

"Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970)
Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring lives and get in contact with one of count Dracula's servants (Ralph Bates). During a nightly ceremony they restore The Count (Christopher Lee) back to life. The three men kill Dracula's servant, and for revenge the Count makes sure that the gentlemen are killed one by one by their own sons. An original ideal for Hammer's `Dracula" series makes this one quite enjoyable. Ralph Bates really puts in a fine performance as Dracula's devoted servant- he's so believable!

"THE HAMMER HORROR COLLECTION" is a great box containing some of the Production Studios finest. If only a volume 2 or even a volume 3 would have followed! Hammer Studios truly set the bench mark for the gothic horror genre, and as of yet, no other studio has come close to meeting Hammer's success!

oldie but goodie.......2007-01-10

I have wished for this series for a long time. I got it at a reasonable price in a very short time.

Killer Hammer Collection.......2006-12-13

You cannot go wrong with Hammer Horror of any type, however, this collection beats all the other Hammer collection thats out there today. If you want great horror, then this collection is the best to start off with any true Hammer fan. Cushing and Lees best work to date. Highly Recommended!!

When horror films had stories........2006-05-14

In the last 25 years, we've been bombarded with horror films designed to shock rather than scare. We have Jason, a mindless murderer back from the grave, Freddie, a murderer who haunts our dreams, and Chucky, a little doll who likes to kill people. I'm not saying these newer films are bad. They're just not as good as the older ones.

Case in point, the horror films released by England's Hammer studios from the late 50s into the 70s. All of these films have villains, murderers and shock. But they also have interesting stories. They're not mindless.

This gem of a collection is a great starting point for somebody interested in owning Hammer horror films. There are other Hammer films out there besides these, but these are some of the best.

The Curse of Frankenstein. This is where it all started. Peter Cushing is excellent in his sinister portrayal as Victor Frankenstein, and Christopher Lee is an admirable monster.

The Horror of Dracula. Peter Cushing is back, and is great this time around as Van Helsing. Christopher Lee plays the infamous count for the first time.

The Mummy. This is the best remake of the Boris Karloff original. Lee stars again, this time as Kharis, a resurrected mummy out for revenge against those who desecrated his beloved Ananka's ancient tomb. Peter Cushing is one of the people he wants to get even with.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. Perhaps Cushing's most sinister stint as Dr. Frankenstein, this time stopping at nothing to make history in the science of brain transplants.

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. Lee's third stint as the evil count, this time using a priest to exercise his agenda of death and destruction.

Taste the Blood of Dracula. Lee's fourth go-around as the blood-sucking monster, this time seeking revenge against the three men who murdered his disciple.

All of these films are beautifully presented in anamorphic widescreen. The colors, particularly the red, stand out.

the rebirth of gothic horror at the movies.......2006-04-22

this fantastic collection of the best hammer horror movies is just what the true horror movie fan has been waiting for. from frankenstein,dracula,and the mummy you get them all. while the hammer frankenstein movies are fun and i love them,i think the dracula films are the best the studio ever did. the dracula's always had the greatest deaths for the count and the one's in this set are the best. the one shot cushing&lee mummy is also one of the best mummy movies ever(right behind karloff's mummy)and a true treat. the transfers are great and the colors,so important to the hammer movies are like new. set back and let some of the masters of horror show you how it should be done.

Average customer rating:

A Fine Vintage
What happened?
Christopher Lee could replace his predecessor Bela Lugosi as Count
Just For The Taste Of It!
One of the Best in the Hammer Series

Taste the Blood of Dracula
Starring: Christopher Lee , Geoffrey Keen , Gwen Watford , Linda Hayden , and Peter Sallis
Director: Peter Sasdy
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Scars of Dracula
Horror of Dracula
Dracula A.D. 1972
Dracula Prince of Darkness/The Satanic Rites of Dracula
Dracula - Prince of Darkness

ASIN: B0001FVE9K
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

"Drac" is back once again in this fourth installment of Hammer's Dracula films starring Christopher Lee. Under the guidance of Satanic Priest Lord Courtley, three middle-aged professionals seek to add more spice to their love lives by dabbling in rituals to the Dark Prince. After drinking the blood of the Count, the pleasure seekers kill Lord Courtley, inadvertently awakening Dracula who is dead set on avenging his Priest's murder. Though not on par with Hammer's original "Horror of Dracula", Taste the Blood of Dracula does take all the key elements from the original (beautiful heroines, picturesque settings, gothic ambiance, and Lee as the "Count") and somewhat successfully "cheeses" it up for audiences of the '70s. Those wishing to expand their cheesy '70s Dracula experience will find Morrissey's "Hammeresque" Blood for Dracula a nice compliment. By all counts Taste the Blood of Dracula is a fun, campy romp --Rob Bracco

Description

Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring borgoueis lives and gets in contact with one of count Dracula's servants. In a nightly ceremony they restore the count back to life. The three men killed Dracula's servant and as a revenge, the count makes sure that the gentlemen are killed one by one by their own sons.

Customer Reviews:

A Fine Vintage.......2007-05-13

"Taste the Blood of Dracula" was Hammer's fourth Dracula film to feature Christopher Lee and was a noticeable improvement on their previous outing "Dracula has Risen from the Grave." The move from Bray Studios to Elstree Studios in 1966, whilst not initially having a major effect on the films, was by the turn of the decade leading to rather dour and unassuming spectacles that were not aided by a forced economisation at Hammer. With this in mind "Taste the Blood..." was one of Hammer's last great productions. The Victorian milieu in which the film is set is beautifully realised - the gothic crypts, lavish drawing rooms and the camp squalor of iniquitous brothels makes for an enjoyably authentic mise-en-scene. But then Hammer never really had much difficulty in creating a mid-Victorian gothic sensibility. This visual beauty is aided by some fine location work, which gives this production a sense of space that earlier Hammer films lacked. The film is also interesting at the level of moral polemics and contains one of Hammer's most thinly disguised attacks on the hypocrisy of Victorian attitudes. This attack then functions allegorically as a treatise on societies new found permissiveness in the early 1970's. Sadly Christopher Lee has little to do, other than glare from the sidelines and bare his teeth a few times. The films real delight is in the chemistry between the trio of Victorian hypocrites, played with gusto and glee by John Carlson, Peter Sallis and Geoffrey Keen. It is this triumvirate that makes the film memorable, not Dracula. Peter Sasdy directs efficiently and occasionally very stylishly in this his first of three films for Hammer which also included "Countess Dracula and "Hands of the Ripper". These were three of Hammer's better productions of the 1970's and showed a lot of promise that Sasdy failed to build upon.

This DVD released by Warner Bros. is totally bereft of extras, save for a rather scratchy old trailer. However the picture looks good, with the colours particularly radiant in daylight scenes. If you're feeling thirsty then "Taste the Blood of Dracula", you know it makes sense.

What happened?.......2007-02-26

I'd rather watch AD1972 before I watched this one again. The storyline was cool, but certain things were just too cheesy. For one, look at Christopher Lee's hair in this one. It doesn't have that neat, slicked back look anymore. It bulges on the sides. Secondly, everytime he has one of the three men murdered that killed his servant, he counts it off. Like when the first one dies, he says, "the first." I began to suspect that he would say "the second" when next one died, and unfortunately, I was correct. And what's this at the end when he resorts to throwing things at the people who are trying to get rid oh him? This was the biggest disappointment of the movie. Dracula is superhuman, and you see that in Prince of Darkness when he breaks a sword in half with his bare hands. Yet, he is now reduced to chunking whatever he can pick up to defend himself. I may watch this one again, but that is only because I admire Christopher Lee.

Christopher Lee could replace his predecessor Bela Lugosi as Count.......2006-09-26

Christopher Lee could balance and continue his charismatic predecessor Bela Lugosi(1882 - 1956) in the 60's Hammer british Dracula series.

This film is a great example for Lee as Count.

The differences are:
- Lugosi was more a theatrical Dracula from Broadway. Lugosi acted very elegant, exclusive & gentleman as a Dracula star. His charming style becomes a legend.
- Lee is more a mainstream Dracula star. He is not a theatre star like Lugosi did in 1931. He'd prefer a type of cold elegant beast. His style is less charming because he has to accustom himself into various directions in eight Dracula series.

Lugosi played as Dracula three times:
1. Dracula 1931
2. Return of the Vampire 1944
3. Mark of the Vampire 1935

Lee played as Dracula 8 times (see Filmography Imdb)

Frankly Bela Lugosi was a bit more charismatic than Christopher Lee, but Christopher Lee could balance the great charisma of his great predecessor.

Just For The Taste Of It!.......2006-07-15

Dracula's becoming a bit like Jason Voorhees in that he gets wiped out at the end of each film, but some schmuck manages to resurrect him in the next. In this case it's four schmucks-a student of black magic, and three thrill seekers(one of them is "M" from the Roger Moore and Dalton Bond films). After buying Dracula's clothing and blood from Veruca Salt's dad, they perform a satanic ritual that brings back Dracula. Why anyone would want to do this for kicks is beyond me. The three guys chicken out when it comes time for them to drink Dracula's blood, and beat the black magic dude to death. Well, Dracula comes back and carries out his revenge on the the three guys. Dracula's motives for revenge are lame, but oh well. Of course he gets his little group of female vampire slaves to help him out, and yes he treats them like toilet paper as usual. When the leading lady's boyfriend, Paul(it seems like alot of Hammer films have a character named Paul for some reason) gets wind of all this, he reads a book about vampires and arms himself to the teeth within the space of about half an hour. Then he's off for the final confrontation with Dracula. How is Dracula defeated this time around? I'm still scratching my head about that one. It appears that it might be sunlight(along with some kinda LSD trip about a church), but how is this possible since night had just fallen five minutes ago? That's another thing-the sun rises and sets in this film as if it were controlled by a lightswitch. Anyhow, the film is actually very good. The acting is good, but it usually is in a Hammer film. And of course, the gothic look is right on and the women are all yummy. Lee does a good job with what he's given. Dracula's not given an awful lot of screen time, very few lines, and mostly he's standing around as he orders his slavechix to kill everyone. Lee has always been my favorite actor to don the cape, so maybe I'm a little biased here. When you step back and look at it, it's not an earth shattering performance, but hell, it's Christopher Lee, man! An above average Hammer film for sure.

One of the Best in the Hammer Series.......2006-02-19

Of the eight entries in the Hammer Dracula series (counting "Brides of..." and "Scars of...") "Taste the Blood of Dracula" is, believe it or not, one of the best, if not the best.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the story is "the circle" of three Affluent British thrill-seekers. Once a month they secretly meet together to taste of life's various taboo activities. Enter Lord Courtley, an Aleister Crowley-type servant of darkness. Ralph Bate's performance as Courtley is one of the highlights of the film; he's utterly twisted, diabolic, maniacal, self-centered and arrogant -- a great character to love to hate! Courtley offers the ultimate fiendish thrill to the circle of friends.

Geoffrey Keen plays the hypocritical William Hargood, who puts up the pretense of being a respectable, church-going aristocrat. His ill-treatment of his sweet, beautiful daughter Alice, played by Linda Hayden, is incredibly infuriating and reprehensible. (Thankfully, he gets his comupance).

The sequence where Courtley and the circle of three 'taste the blood of Dracula' is ingenious, not to mention utterly horrific. Commendations to screenwriter Anthony Hinds! [SPOILER ALERT!] This leads to the murder of Courtley and the resurrection of the ol' Count himself.

"Taste the Blood of Dracula" is completely lush in Gothic atmposphere (other reviewers have also noted this), plus the set-up of the story is refreshingly innovative and brilliant, not to mention engrossing.

The only reason I give the film 4 Stars rather than 5 is because it's kinda hard to buy Dracula's vengeful attitude toward the murder of his supposed servant (Courtley). Isn't Dracula the Prince of EVIL? Why would he care about Courtley? Wasn't Courtley's death the necessary catalyst to the Count's resurrection? Isn't Dracula a use-'em-and-leave-'em type of guy? Plus, maybe I'm not up on my 60's/70's vampire lore, but why did Dracula fail to convert Alice to the ranks of the undead? He obviously mesmerizes her to do his bidding, yet he fails to ever taste of her sweet blood (although he attempts to at the very end). By contrast he converts Alice's friend right away. This doesn't make sense.

CONCLUSION: "Taste the Blood of Dracula" is definitely one of the best in the Hammer Dracula series, it strongly blows away the sequels "Dracula, A.D. 1972" and the godawful "Satanic Rites of..." Don't miss out if you get the chance.

The Curse of Frankenstein / Taste the Blood of Dracula

Average customer rating:

What Was the Point
HAMMER HEADS
a good hammer house double feature
Great Bargin But Why ?

The Curse of Frankenstein / Taste the Blood of Dracula
Starring: Christopher Lee , Geoffrey Keen , Gwen Watford , Linda Hayden , and Peter Sallis
Director: Peter Sasdy , and Terence Fisher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Horror of Dracula
The Mummy
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
Scars of Dracula

ASIN: B0009UZG5A
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

You can't keep a good monster down - a point proven in The Curse of Frankenstein, the film via which Hammer Studios revived Gothic horror in an era dominated by sci-fi scarefests. In the first of many fright-film collaborations, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star in a tale about the family whose grasp of life's secret has monstrous consequences. Next, Lee dons the cape of the notorious evil one in Taste the Blood of Dracula. Society bigwigs cheat on their wives during a night out, but there's no cheating death when they try too late to back out of ceremony that revives the Count. Sink your teeth into this one, horror fans!

Customer Reviews:

What Was the Point .......2006-01-08

"The Curse of Frankenstein" is The Best of Hammer's Frankenstein Series But Why Pair this with "Taste the Blood of Dracula" one of the worst in Hammer's Dracula Series now I would Have Got This If instead of "Taste" maybe "Horror of Dracula" Where's The fun in this

HAMMER HEADS.......2005-09-07

CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN has the distinction of being the first Hammer production to achieve notoriety and popularity. The initial entry in the several sumptiously produced, overly melodramatic entries, this horror flick finds Peter Cushing as the dedicated if somewhat demented scientist who wants to create his own being. The luscious Hazel Court (Masque of the Red Death) plays Elizabeth, Frankenstein's naive fiancee and veteran character actor Robert Urquhart is the stalwart friend Paul. Future Dracula himself Christopher Lee steps in as the monster, but he's vastly underused and not all that frightening. We've become so immune to true horror during the last fifty years that a film like CURSE OF FRANKESTEIN seems hopelessly dull. But it's the production values and the sincerity of the actors that have made these Hammer movies such classics.
The second film, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, made in 1970 is reputedly one of Lee's least favorite Dracula films. Playing out like a kind of drawing room mystery, it's tale of revenge overshadows the terror of its vampire roots and leaves Lee with little to do but appear menacing from time to time. Still, with its vibrant colors and sincere cast, TASTE is far better than many of the 2000 vampire sagas. Overall, if you are a fan of those unique Hammer films of the 50s through the 70s, you'll want this in your collection. The transfer is quite good.

a good hammer house double feature.......2005-09-01

This is a good package of the curse of frankenstein and taste the blood of dracula they are both widescreen the way i like them too bad it didn't include extras the one i got is a 2 sided disc wish they would just make them like all the dracula's in order on double discs and all the frankensteins in order and all widescreen with extras would be nice if they remixed them with dolby surround good movies for haloween or a hammer collector.price was reasonable too.

Great Bargin But Why ?.......2005-06-30

This will be a strange deal I mean "Curse of Frankenstein" was Good But why "Taste the Blood of Dracula" this would have been Great If they had put instead of "taste" maybe "Horror of Dracula" or "The Mummy" I am going to get this only because the case which Holds my Copy of "Curse of Frankenstein" is banged up on the inside,the holder for the disk was broken when I first Got it Back in 2003 Great Deal but Could have Been Better

Average customer rating:

A Fine Vintage
What happened?
Christopher Lee could replace his predecessor Bela Lugosi as Count
Just For The Taste Of It!
One of the Best in the Hammer Series

Taste the Blood of Dracula [Region 2]
Starring: Christopher Lee , Geoffrey Keen , Gwen Watford , Linda Hayden , and Peter Sallis
Director: Peter Sasdy
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video