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| Blood of Dracula's Castle | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Al Adamson Jean Hewitt |
| Written by | Rex Carlton |
| Produced by | Martin B. Cohen Samuel M. Sherman Rex Carlton Al Adamson Paragon Pictures[1] |
| Starring | John Carradine Alexander D'Arcy Paula Raymond Robert Dix Vicki Volante John Cardos |
| Cinematography | László Kovács |
| Edited by | Peter Perry Jr. |
| Distributed by | Crown International Pictures(theatrical, US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Blood of Dracula's Castle is a 1969[5][6][7][8] AmericanhorrorcultB-movie directed byAl Adamson and starringJohn Carradine, Alexander D'Arcy,Paula Raymond,Robert Dix, Vicki Volante, andJohn Cardos. It was released byexploitation film specialistsCrown International Pictures. Although his name was played up in the lurid ad campaign, John Carradine only played George the butler in this film, and notCount Dracula. DVD prints all suffer from extensive emulsion scratches.
Count Dracula and hisvampire wife are occupying Falcon Rock Castle in modern-day Arizona, hiding behind the identities of Count and Countess Townsend. When the castle's owner dies, the property passes on to a photographer named Glen Cannon, and Glen has decided to live there himself with his fiancée Liz. He drives out to the castle to inform the Townsends that they will have to move out. But his car breaks down when he gets there, and he and Liz have to spend the night with the Townsends.
The Townsends are actually vampires who sleep in coffins and lure pretty young girls to the castle to be drained of blood by their butler George, who then mixes realBloody Marys for the couple, which they drink from martini glasses. George and Mango, the hunchback, keep mini-skirted women chained up in the basement, occasionally sacrificing one of them to "the Great God Luna" by burning them at the stake. Then there is a guy named Johnny, who becomes aserial killer when the moonlight strikes him (or awerewolf, depending on whether you watch the theatrical version or the late-night-TV version, the latter of which added a few werewolf scenes).
Glen and Liz accidentally witness one of the women being sacrificed in the cellar. Dracula and the Countess try to force Glen to sell the castle to them. In the final confrontation, George the butler is killed, the remaining women prisoners are freed, Mango the hunchback gets shot, hit with an ax, and set afire before dying. The vampires wind up exposed to sunlight and dissolve away into dust. Glen and Liz decide not to live in the castle after all, and drive off together. However, two bats emerge unseen from the ashes and fly away.
Ostensibly located in Arizona, the film was actually shot atShea's Castle, nearLancaster, California. Other portions of the film were shot in theCoachella Valley, California.[9]
Jayne Mansfield was originally set to star in the film as Countess Townsend, but she died in a car accident before shooting began.
A proposed sequel, which was going to be titledDracula's Coffin, was announced, but never made.[10]
The introduction to the film features the song "The Next Train Out" performed byGil Bernal, with lyrics byBob Russell and music byLincoln Mayorga.[11]
