Search - Lust for Dracula on DVD

A stylized cinematic mess

Pen Name | United States | 11/28/2004

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The director of this film had some beautiful, young, & talented women to work with, but rather than concentrate on producing either an erotic video with horror overtones or a horror video with erotic overtones, he decided instead to try something artsy and avante garde --- and ended up with this piece of trash that is neither scary nor erotic.

Seriously, how can you possibly mess up a video with lesbian vampires? I didn't think it was possible until I watched this one. The plot is rambling and confusing, the sex scenes are one dimensional and uninteresting, and the video as a whole is silly and pretentious. This one is a disappointing waste of talented, beautiful actresses. I would have settled for one really good erotic moment but sadly it never arrived."

Not all that bad for a film that doesn't make any sense

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 02/05/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have seen a lot of Seduction Cinema films, but never before have I found myself wondering if one of them somehow went over my head. There have been plenty of Seduction Cinema films that made no sense - but that was always because they were just really stupid. Lust For Dracula isn't stupid - but it makes almost no sense whatsoever. It's like watching some kind of experimental, artsy film school production. If you don't read the summary on the back of the DVD case, I guarantee you won't have a clue about what this film is supposed to be about. I couldn't wait for this movie to be released, as it was described early on as a reinvisioning of Dracula - with lesbians. And, of course, it stars Misty Mundae, and I've never kept secret my fascination and borderline obsession with alternative cinema's reigning starlet. I must tell you, though, that the film was in many ways a disappointment.

I'm not saying this is an altogether bad film, though; there are in fact several positive aspects of Lust For Dracula. The script, unfortunately, is not one of them. The biggest problem, to me, is the director's failure to really identify and define his characters. When you have a woman married to a woman she believes to be a man, you really need to be clear about what you're attempting to do story-wise. Misty Mundae plays Mina Harker; she is married to Jonathan Harker, who is played by Julian Wells. Now, I've always thought there is a little too much of a masculine quality to Julian Wells, but clearly she is not in fact a man. Mina hasn't figured it out yet, though; there are two main reasons for this: Jonathan pretty much keeps her drugged all the time and, in addition to and largely because of that fact, Mina is as loopy as - well, something with a heck of a lot of loops. Then Dracula comes into Mina's life, and Dracula gives Mina the one thing she wants most (and the one thing Jonathan could never give her) - a child. Uh, but Dracula is also a woman (Darian Caine). Somebody bring me an abacus because something just isn't adding up here. You also have Mina's sister Abigail Van Helsing who supposedly wants to destroy Dracula (although nothing about her character is made clear - or even gauzily opaque - in the film itself). While all of this crazy stuff is going on, you also have this pair of vampire lovers taking up a lot of film time for no apparent reason - until the end, when everything comes together (which is not to say everything is explained or makes a lick of sense).

The photography of the film is actually well-nigh gorgeous; for a Seduction Cinema film, the production values are unmatched. Then there is Misty, whom director Tony Marsiglia credits with saving the film in several different ways, proving himself to be a master of the understatement. Misty has never had a role quite like that of Mina, and early on it is difficult to tell whether she is horrible or unbelievably good. One early scene in particular, in which she reads a children's story with great animation to an empty cradle, is difficult to watch because she is just so out there in left field with what she does. In retrospect, though, I think Misty was bloody brilliant in that scene - and throughout the rest of the film. Marsiglia directed her to be weird beyond her own imagination, and Misty delivers. It's not her fault the film itself doesn't make any sense.

For me, though, the real bright spot of Lust For Dracula is the performance by Andrea Davis. She has a unique look and style that could easily, in my opinion, make her Seduction Cinema's next major star. She has had small parts in other films, including Dr. Jekyll and Mistress Hyde, but this young lady deserves a starring role in a film - and soon.

I'm not exactly sure how much a pile of beans is worth, but I am pretty sure it's more than the plot of this film is worth. Still, I think Lust for Dracula is worth buying simply for the performances by Misty Mundae and Andrea Davis. You'll want to make sure which version of the film you want, though - and it can be hard to tell the difference between the two in the listings. The DVD with ASIN B0002TT0KU is the director's cut - this is what you want because it has the complete film along with extras you may not find on the R rated version (a commentary by director Tony Marsiglia and producer Michael Raso, a look at the making of the film, an interview with Misty Mundae, and a short film called Insex). In the commentary, I really, really hoped that Marsiglia would make some effort to actually explain what the heck this film was about, but he and Raso (who apparently did almost nothing on this film, despite his producer status) somehow manage to talk about the movie without actually talking about the movie. The R rated version (ASIN B00020HAHO) comes with two short films, Headcheese and Lost Face- if the other two short films are as bad as Insex, it won't matter that you miss out on those with the director's cut."

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY

M. merzaa | IL | 12/06/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I thought I will see a movie ..be it sex .. bloody .. cult .. SOMETHING .. but this DVD provides NOTHING .. absolutely NOTHING .. the acting is worse than the plot if there is a plot at all. Worst of all there is NO sex whatsoever ..
Don't waste your time or money ..buy chocolate instead !"

Lust for Misty Mundae?

WLR | Chicago, Illinois United States | 04/01/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Forget whatever it says on the box, there really is no discernable plot in this movie. It does contain a number of vivid scenes, which unfold like a series of dream sequences with little or nothing really tying them together. If you are already a fan of Seduction Cinema then this film won't disappoint you. On the other hand, if you don't know what I'm talking about, their movies are pornographic lesbian love fests thinly disguised as horror or action movies. These movies are certainly not for everyone as it often seems that they just go from one lesbo porno scene to another. Playmate of the Apes is still their best movie but this movie also has some great scenes, music, and atmosphere. The girls are all in such great physical shape that I wonder if when they're in between making these movies they all have day jobs, so to speak, in some strip club in New Jersey or somewhere. Misty Mundae says in the interview that the director kept telling her to act as crazy as she can, which she certainly did. Her character is so flaky that she believes herself to be married to Julian Welles, who she mistakenly believes to be a man. Can you believe that? If that isn't bizarre enough for you, Darien Caine claims to be Dracula as she runs around Misty's house in the nude. The dialogue between them was nothing if not bizarre and was way over my head. There is also a scene where Misty sings a lullaby to a doll or something, which she keeps in a crib in the attic. I suppose that there is some kind of philosophical meaning in the nursery rhyme but who really cares about that? Misty also mentioned in the interview that she misses her boyfriend, which was interesting because she always plays a lesbian in these movies. You can count me as a Misty Mundae fan, but in this movie I actually preferred the scenes with Andrea Davis and another teenage girl vampire. I found their scenes together to be mesmerizing. My favorite part was when Andrea looked right into the camera and smiled at me. I also loved the scenes where they were dressed as Catholic school girls who then undressed themselves. I agree with other reviewers that Andrea Davis has real potential in these kinds of movies. The subplot where vampire Andrea lusts for the other girl and makes her into her possession would have made a great little movie all on its own, sort of like the recurring plot of the Subspecies series, except with girls as both predator and prey."