Countess Dracula (1971)
Written By: DMG
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Peter Sasdy
Producer: Alexander Paal
Screenwriter: Jeremy Paul
Date Released: February 14, 1971
Cast:
Ingrid Pitt as Countess Elisabeth Nadasdy
Nigel Green as Captain Dobi
Sandor Elès as Lt. Imre Toth
Maurice Denham as Grand Master Fabio
Patience Collier as Julie Szentes, the Nurse
Lesley-Anne Down as Countess Ilona Nadasdy
Peter Jeffrey as Captain Balogh
Rating = 2.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Countess Elisabeth only has one motive in life, to stay young and beautiful forever. To do so, Elizabeth recruits her lover, Captain Dobl, who lures young virgin women in to see Elizabeth. From there, Elizabeth kills and drains the females body of blood and drenches herself in it transforming her into a beautiful young woman. Meanwhile, Elisabeth tries to seduce a young man in her new form but struggles to keep up with her looks.
The Gore Factor
There is not a lot of gore, however there is some nudity as well. In addition, many of the murder scenes are suggestive but get the point across. As a result, dead bodies are generally seen after the fact.
The Grave Review
Countess Dracula (1971) is one of those films that tries hard to be engaging despite its ineffectual execution. In fact, the story line was sound and resembled that of a Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The makeup was dated, the acting was linear, and the dialogue was tiring but for some reason, all aspects of the film worked well together.
One aspect of the script which could been improved, was the role of Elisabeth’s daughter, Countess Ilona. During the film, she is kidnapped and has little to no significance in respect to the story line. Arguably, her role was to put a face to the name that Elizabeth was pretending to be. Nevertheless, Countess Ilona’s character could have been further developed.
The true drive of the film centers around Countess Elisabeth, played by Ingrid Pitt. Her daring “bathing in blood” scene was probably the highlight of the film. Pitt is a beautiful actress and her nude scene was most likely what every man or woman (not to discriminate) was looking forward to. At the time this film was made, the scene may very well have been considered shock value from the perspective of the audience. But nudity, unfortunately, does not enhance the quality of the film as a whole.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Countess Dracula (1971) two and one-half graves out of five graves.
Do you agree with our review? Comment below.
Join the Conversation