Search - Satanic Rites of Dracula on DVD

Terrible transfer

John Gholson | Austin, TX | 11/05/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It's a bad-looking DVD. Non-anamorphic and murky, but watchable. Little more than just watchable..."

The Weakest Entry In The Chris Lee Dracula Series.

4-Legged Defender | ATL. GA. | 01/15/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"By the time of its release, Hammer had lost all steam, was suffering from internal financial problems due to weak sales abroad ( by this time, Italian Gaillos and Spanish Eurohorror had made improvements in the genre, brought Horror into the present time, and upped the sexual fetishes and nudity quotients considerably), leaving Hammer no longer capable of surviving in the arena they created. By the time they jumped on the nudity bandwagon, they had to grapple w/ the British censors, and it was too little, too late. This film is the one Chris Lee is embarassed about making, and rightfully so. It`s trite in its execution of ideas and lacked budget to bring them to fruition, all parties seem two-dimensional if not downright disinterested in the proceedings - if Lee and Cushing can`t make a Hammer film watchable, all is lost. It`s nice to see a very young Joanna Lumley in one of her first screen roles, but now I`m stretching to say something pleasant about this lackluster fare. This 'Special Edition' comes w/ a cd of music 'inspired' by the film (tho I doubt anyone on the cd was even born when the flick was released) that did nothing for me personally. But I tend to be hyper-critical... if you`re a Hammer lover or collector, like me, then you have little choice but to imbibe, the rest of you need to skip this one entirely."

No subtitles? Hmmm...

T. Claudiu | 03/25/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For a "Special Deluxe Edition", I would have expected at least english, spanish and french subtitles. Oops! No subtitles at all! Isn't that odd?"

Dracula in bell bottoms?

The Straw Man | Aloof October on April's Birthday | 05/21/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is an interesting little piece of cinema. It is Hammer's eighth film in their Dracula saga and the third (and final pairing) of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in the saga. This movie is a direct sequel to "Dracula A.D. 1972" and takes place about a year later. Scotland Yard is investigating some bizarre rituals involving renowned members of society. These bizarre "elements" primarily consist of cult activities and sacrifices. Well to paraphrase a bit, Scotland Yard becomes bemused and decides to consult an expert on the occult and get in touch with Professor Lorrimar Van Helsing (play smoothly by Peter Cushing). One might not find this too shocking, but once Van Helsing gets involved he unearths that this "cult" is lead by Count Dracula (performed dourly by Christopher Lee). This movie almost had a James Bond spy vibe going on. My only complaint is that Christopher Lee was in the movie for like a total of eight minutes.

I have noticed a lot of detest towards this film and I think I might know why. This movie doesn't take place in a gothic Victorian setting, rather in takes place in the 1970s. The pathos of the 1970s is painfully obvious in this film. I assume this could undermine the integrity of the film and/or content. I think it gives it an interesting twist and besides this was the eighth "Dracula" Hammer made, I guess they wanted to shake things up. Notwithstanding, Lee and Cushing still had the amazing chemistry they brought to this franchise and I think that is why these movies will forever be classics. Lee's voice is so foreboding and when Cushing speaks about the supernatural it's real as far as I am concerned.

As for this version on DVD, there are some issues I want to address. First and foremost I have seen this movie once before on a "Horror 10 Pack DVD set" and the picture was pretty dire. From my understanding, most copies of this movie have a very poor picture quality. This "special edition" is supposed to address all of those "problems". I have to be honest, the picture on this DVD could have been much better. Although it isn't terrible or public domain quality, there are scenes that are a bit too dark, others that are washed out and some where the colors adjust. In contrast, the movie is very watchable and the technical issues didn't ruin the movie viewing experience for me. Oh and I should mention, there are no special features. As for the second disk in this set, it is a CD of goth/industrial/techno bands. I found this music almost laughable. It appears these bands are trying so hard to be scary and macabre that it is actually droll. In conclusion, this is a good movie to get if you are a fan of Hammer, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Here's to hoping that a better special edition is coming to a casket nearby soon.
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