MovieChat Forums > The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires Discussion > Hammer & Drac go chopsocky

Hammer & Drac go chopsocky

posted 3 years ago by Wuchak (8116)
9 replies | jump to latest

This was Hammer’s final Dracula film wherein producers decided to experiment by hooking up with Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong for a mixed-genre flick that meshes Hammer’s Gothic horror with the kung fu craze of the early 70s. Hammer was already experimenting at the time by setting the previous two installments in the modern day.

Whilst this is the least of the series, it can be somewhat entertaining if you roll with the comic book cheesiness and the martial arts fighting sequences, which resemble choreographed stage dances more than combat, sorta reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video (lol).

Highlights include the spirit of high adventure, the presence of Robin Stewart as Van Helsing’s son, the beauty of Julie Ege & Szu Shih, the over-the-top energy and (dubbed) John Forbes-Robertson as Dracula, who looks like Christopher Lee from a distance. But I didn’t find myself caring much about the characters and the story isn’t very compelling despite loads of action.

The movie bombed at the box office. Perhaps if they would’ve titled it “Dracula and the 7 Golden Vampires” (as it was in Hong Kong and Singapore) it would’ve drawn a bigger audience due to name recognition.

I rank the 9 Hammer Dracula-themed films like so:

1 The Scars of Dracula
2 The Brides of Dracula
3 Dracula: Prince of Darkness
4 Dracula Has Risen From the Grave
5 Taste the Blood of Dracula
6 Dracula AD 1972
7 Horror of Dracula
8 The Satanic Rites of Dracula

9 The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires

[–] millsey72 (9569) a year ago

What a ridiculous order. Everyone knows Dracula AD 1972 is the best Hammer film

[–] Wuchak (8116) a year ago

Just because I place it #6 doesn't mean I don't think it's entertaining.

[–] millsey72 (9569) a year ago

How could Horror of Dracula be ranked 7?

[–] Wuchak (8116) a year ago

It is a solid entry with the typical Hammer highlights: Lush Gothic ambiance, bright colors, Lee & Cushing and bodacious women, not to mention one of the most stunning horror scores by James Bernard. Unfortunately, the abridged story loosely based on Stoker's novel is somehow unsatisfactory and there are too many 50's limitations IMHO.

Here's one curious abbreviation: In the book the story starts in Transylvania, switches to England with Dracula voyaging to London, but ends up back in Transylvania for the climax. Coppola's 1992 film adhered to this European globetrotting, but Hammer decided to simplify the geography where travel time is condensed to something akin to a European theme park as opposed to reality. The tale starts outside of Klausenburg, the capital of Transylvania in Central Romania at the time, with Drac's castle nearby, then switches to Karlstadt, in South-Central Germany, which is roughly 750 miles from Klausenburg in real life, yet a mere carriage drive away in this film, perhaps 20 miles.

[–] millsey72 (9569) a year ago

In the 1931 version, did Dracula go back to Translyvania with Mina from London?

[–] Wuchak (8116) a year ago

I can't remember; I've been meaning to rewatch that classic.

[–] millsey72 (9569) a year ago

They didn't go back to Transylvania with Mina. Dracula was staked at Carfax Abbey.

[–] SteveRes (474) 4 months ago

It's trash but better than Satanic Rites. Just.

[–] Wuchak (8116) 4 months ago

I agree that "Satanic Rites" is arguably the least in the Hammer series up to that point (1973), but it has a lot to offer once you get past Dracula's henchmen riding motorcycles and wearing brown vests with wool fringe. Stoker's original novel took place in what was then modern times, 1897, with Dracula being over 400 years old by that point.

"Satanic Rites" simply envisions how the vampire lord would function in the early 70s. In Stoker's book he's a powerful and arrogant creature that holds a position of authority, a Count, and prefers to dwell in an intimidating castle in Transylvania or a gothic estate in London, not to mention acquires subjects to serve his purposes, like gypsies and Renfield. In "Satanic Rites" Drac's DD Denham persona is the modern English equivalent to a Count in Transylvania hundreds of years prior. In both cases he's an untouchable authority figure with minions carrying out his will. It's how a 500 year-old evil being would operate in the 1970s using elements of the modern world to accomplish his ends, including the so-called British Empire.

Speaking of which, in Stoker's novel Dracula recognized the British Empire as a means to spread his cult of vampirism around the world and eventually take it over. He wasn't content to just threaten a few local nobodies as observed in the sequels up "Satanic Rites." Yet in "Satanic Rites" he's back to his vision of global domination, tricking 4 members of the Establishment into being agents of his "own created Apocalypse," but now the incredibly sinister culmination of his power-mad scheme is revealed.