TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA (1970) You might say the Hammer comes down I'll definitely give Hammer this much credit: their most famous franchise, unlike so many others, actually lasted for four good films before putting out one that truly sucked. This particular franchise goes shockingly to shit here, Taste The Blood Of Dracula, despite a enjoyably, characteristically Hammerian way-too-long title and a few moments of fleeting fun, is that suckfest. TTBOD picks up right where Dracula Has Risen From The Grave left off, with Dracula (Christopher Lee, who actually pulls off not seeming embarrassed), flailing about, impaled on a big cross. Lucky for him, an opportunistic merchant happens by, having been stranded out in the woods by some unscrupulous traveling companions. So the merchant scoops up some of Drac's bloody remains and snags an amulet. Some time later, a secret society (membership: 3) of outwardly respectable gents (one of 'em calls his own daughter a harlot!) is into experiencing all the wacky stuff life has to offer, and they're getting bored with it. So they enlist the aid of the seemingly hysterical Lord Courtley (Ralph Bates), who is supported by the local prostitute population who he has under his thrall. Some say he's possessed by the devil. Indeed, Courtley gets them to participate in a ritual involving the merchant's finds, and...guess what. TTBOD also gives us ANOTHER bland, boring young couple we're supposed to be rooting for, and they're awfully hard to watch because it's awfully hard to stay awake here. The domestic squabbles between the gentlemen, their daughters, their daughters' boyfriends, and whoever happens to piss somebody off are about as exciting as watching Pepsi go flat. It is a VERY slowly-paced movie throughout, waiting 40 or so minutes before Dracula shows up in anything more substantial than a flashback. Christopher Lee is barely here, appearing in something like three scenes before he's finally killed by, I guess, his own imagination (!), beating out short-lived champion Dracula (1979) for the worst-Dracula-death-ever competition. Bates is fun for his limited screen time, with me thinking for the whole movie that he's the same actor who played the guy who actually dared to lip off Darth Vader in Star Wars, before getting The Choke. Some further research informs me that this is not the case. And the ritual where Dracula is brought back is fun to watch (when, as is the standard for movie-blood-rituals, he gets some blood by cutting the palm of his hand...seems to me that if I needed blood from myself for a ritual, I'd slash up a part that wasn't likely to require delicate use in the near future, like my hip). One good line: "What is it I've done to offend you?" "You don't have to do anything to offend me, young man." The copy on the back of the box says that this was only the fourth movie. Doesn't anybody count Brides Of Dracula? Yeesh, I thought that was one of the better ones, too, certainly better than this. Taste The Blood Of Dracula is strictly for those who insist on seeing this series all the way through to the oft-lamented end. Written by Hammer mainstay Anthony Hinds as John Elder. Directed by mostly-TV director Peter Sasdy. Michael Ripper, from the last Hammer Dracula movie, is here again, though I didn't notice him or find out about his presence until checking the credits. He'd come back for the next one, Scars Of Dracula, playing yet another character. BACK TO THE T's BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE