Anoraks Assemble

The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a 1973 Hammer film, written by Don Houghton and directed by Alan Gibson. It stars Christopher Lee, making his final appearance as Dracula, and Peter Cushing as Professor Van Helsing.

Set in 1970s London, the plot resolves around the secret service investigating apparent satanic rituals at an English country house, with the revelation that prominent members of society are somehow involved. From here, the story takes some rather bizarre turns and ends up being a curious mix of spy thriller and horror.

I think the main problem with this film is that the plot could best be described as “thin”. Dracula doesn’t appear until roughly 30 minutes into the film (although his first scene is memorable and very well done) and Christopher Lee looks as though he can’t really be bothered and is simply going through the motions.

In amongst the unexpected plots twists (bubonic plague, anyone?) and gratuitous female nudity – which all feels a bit grubby – Peter Cushing is as reliable as ever, with his trademark gravitas as Van Helsing.

Michael Coles is also very good as Inspector Murray, reprising his role from 1972’s quite hilarious Dracula AD 1972. There are also nice supporting turns from the likes of William Franklyn and Freddie Jones.

To be fair, the film does have a couple of memorable scenes, the standout moment being when Joanna Lumley’s Jessica discovers the vampire women in the basement of the mansion. This whole scene plays out as something out of a nightmare, and I think it is very effectively done.

I do have a soft spot for The Satanic Rites of Dracula. It may be a curious horror / spy / conspiracy thriller hybrid, and absolute nonsense for that matter, but it is infinitely better than Dracula AD 1972, which was enjoyable for all the wrong reasons.