Countess Dracula (1971)

Director:

Peter Sasdy

Writers:

Jeremy Paul (screenplay)
Alexander Paal (story) ...

Release Date:

11 October 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

In medieval Europe aging Countess Elisabeth rules harshly with the help of lover Captain Dobi. Finding...

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Countess | Aging | Corpse | Women Killing Women

Cast

Ingrid Pitt	...	Countess Elisabeth Nodosheen
Nigel Green	...	Captain Dobi the Castle Steward
Sandor Elès	...	Lt. Imre Toth
Maurice Denham	...	Master Fabio, Castle Historian
Patience Collier	...	Julie Sentash the Nurse
Peter Jeffrey	...	Captain Balogh - Chief Bailiff
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Ilona Nodosheen, Elisabeth's Daughter
Leon Lissek	...	Sergeant of Bailiffs
Jessie Evans	...	Rosa, Teri's Mother
Andrea Lawrence	...	Ziza, Shepherd's Inn Whore
Susan Brodrick	...	Teri the Countess Chambermaid
Ian Trigger	...	Clown at the Sheperd's Inn
Nike Arrighi	...	Fortune Telling Gypsy Girl
Peter May	...	Janco the Mute Gamekeeper
John Moore	...	Priest

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:18 (DVD release) | Germany:18 (DVD release) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Countess Dracula was based on Hungarian Countess Erzsebet (our modern day "Elizabeth") Bathory who lived from 1560 to 1614. Countess Bathory was allegedly responsible for the deaths of approximately 600 virgin girls, all of which involved torture and gruesome methods of killing. Her atrocities are mostly speculation. She is credited for influencing our modern day concept of Dracula as an entity depending on human blood for youth and vitality.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bloodmyth (2006)

Virgin Blood: for all your party events! Now with new and improved formula!

This is a Hammer film production and the name Dracula is mentioned in the title, yet shouldn't raise any hopes to see Christoper Lee dressed up in women's clothing, as this is not another entry in the long-running Dracula-series! The screenplay of this movie is based on the life of Countess Elisabeth Bathory, who lived in Hungary during the 16th century, and became almost as (in)famous as Vlad Dracula because of her bizarre rituals to sustain a youthful appearance. The merciless countess bathed in the blood of slain virgins and supposedly was responsible for the death of more than 300 young girls. Naturally, this makes her an ideal villain and who other than the eminent Hammer Studios were more eligible to turn this legend into a compelling Gothic horror movie? Director Peter Sasdy and writer Alexander Paal added a lot of popular story lines, like a truckload of sexual intrigues and a neat display of corruption, but they also managed to sustain the morbidity of Bathory's persona. Ingrid Pitt, perhaps the most ravishing Hammer actress ever (see "The Vampire Lovers" for more evidence), is truly magnificent as the repellent countess who would even sacrifice her own daughter in order to maintain her virility. She has the loyal Captain Dobi and a bunch of household staff to obey her commands implicitly and a newly arrived stud to fall in love with. Regretfully, the film lacks balanced pacing and the set pieces too often look like discarded attributes from other Hammer films. There's a satisfying amount of bloodshed and sleaze and the abrupt ending comes as a genuine shock. "Countess Dracula" is perhaps not the most sensational horror movie of the early 70's, but it provides a welcome change in substance and it's definitely worth tracking down by all the fans of Gothic goodness.