Bill Rogers gives a good performance as John Stone, a successful businessman who is turned into a blood sucker by drinking tainted brandy. It's all part of his legacy as the descendant of Count Dracula. He then goes about administering revenge on behalf of his ancestor, slaughtering the descendants of the Counts' old foes (Van Helsing, Morris, Harker, et al.), while also trying to make his young hottie wife (Elizabeth Lee) just like him. Doctor Hank Tyson (William Kerwin), a friend of the couple who has always been in love with the wife, must team with a Doctor Howard Helsing (Otto Schlessinger) to vanquish the undead fiend.
Something of an outlier in the Herschell Gordon Lewis filmography, this is because the legendary originator of "splatter cinema" decided that he wouldn't just settle for "good enough" here. He wanted to make this effort as great as it could possibly be. For once, he puts lots of stress on story and character. The movie periodically gives us the kind of gory moments that we can expect from HGL, but these are never the movies' sole reasons for being. He even assembled a bunch of actors that are a shade better than you'd typically find in his work. The handsome Kerwin, a regular in HGL movies, is of course always good value as he plays the romantic lead here. Lee is okay, basically fulfilling her duty as eye candy. Stone, who was likely a contender for his role due to a passing resemblance to Sir Christopher Lee, is good ghoulish fun as the tragic protagonist-turned-villain. Some of the on screen talent also worked behind the scenes (Kerwin was the production manager), with HGL himself turning up on screen as the sailor with the ridiculous "limey" accent.
All in all, this is decent entertainment, basically for doing something different. HGL fans hoping for hilariously awful acting and excessively tacky violence won't get much of that here. Granted, it's not without flaws. At just shy of two hours, this goes on much longer than any drive-in movie really should. Just when the pace should really be picking up, HGL introduces some lame comedy relief with some dopey guy and his unreliable dog. And the music isn't always that effective, becoming repetitive quickly.
Perhaps most indicative of the higher degree of quality in this filmmaking is the fact that Roger Corman saw this one, and was impressed enough to offer HGL some employment, which the Godfather of Gore politely turned down.
Seven out of 10.
