London, early 1970s. A group of young party-goers, fond of drugs and nightlife, gathers around Jessica Van Helsing, great-granddaughter of the man who fought Count Dracula a century earlier. After a black magic ceremony held in an abandoned, deconsecrated church, the Count returns to life and turns his attention to the descendants of his old enemy. The film opens a new chapter in Hammer's series: its prologue sets it apart from earlier entries, and its contemporary setting breaks with the series' usual period backdrop.

How it was made

Following the success of Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), Warner Bros. commissioned two Hammer Dracula films set in the present day. This was the first; the second, The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973), kept much of the cast and tone. Shooting began in September 1971 under the working title Dracula Today, with locations in Chelsea and Hertfordshire. Don Houghton wrote the script and Alan Gibson directed. Christopher Lee returned as the Count and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, who also plays a descendant of the doctor. The story was inspired by the Highgate Vampire case. Mike Vickers, a former member of Manfred Mann, composed a funky score in the blaxploitation vein that suits the early 1970s setting.

Reception and legacy

The sources available say little about its critical and commercial reception, so any broad verdict should be treated with caution. Its historical interest lies in opening a two-film arc with its successor and in moving the Count into the urban world of its day. Lee and Cushing were sharing the screen again after Dracula (1958), a reunion often noted as one of the project's draws. Within Hammer's output, it bridges the period Dracula films and the series' contemporary experiments.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

Real-life inspiration

The plot drew on the Highgate Vampire case, a British episode that served as the starting point for moving the myth into the present day.

Experimental music in the Black Mass

The Black Mass sequence uses the track Black Mass: An Electric Storm in Hell by pioneering electronic group White Noise. Orbital later sampled dialogue from Christopher Neame in songs from 1996 and 2001.

More films by Alan Gibson

The Satanic Rites of Dracula1973

Crescendo1970

Martin's Day1985

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