Blood of Dracula

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Herbert L. Strock; Screenplay by Aben Kandel; Produced by Herman Cohen for American-International Pictures release. Photography by Monroe Askins; Edited by Robert Moore; Music by Paul Dunlap; production manager & assistant director: Austen Jewell. Starring Sandra Harrison, Louise Lewis, Jerry Blaine, Gail Ganley, Heather Ames, Malcolm Atterbury, Mary Adams, Don Devlin, Jeanne Dean and Richard Devon.

Evil Chemistry teacher at a girls' school puts one of her favorite pupils under a dangerous spell, and mystifying deaths result.

1957's "Blood of Dracula" from AIP producer Herman Cohen cashed in on the success of Michael Landon's "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" with a simple gender reversal of both Landon and Universal's "The Mad Ghoul." Previous credits at Realart (Lon Chaney's "The Bushwhackers" and "Battles of Chief Pontiac," plus "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla"), Allied Artists ("Target Earth"), and United Artists (Abbott and Costello's "Dance With Me, Henry") led to Cohen's arrival at American International, where the youthful slant on a supernatural favorite led to a similar double bill pairing this picture with "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein," shot a month later. It's a shame that Cohen decided to use this title since there is no Dracula, it's not "Dracula's Daughter" nor even a male vampire; instead of a mad scientist using a moody teenager for experiments on regression (Bridey Murphy again), we have a female chemistry teacher taking advantage of a troubled girl student. Louise Lewis had played the school principal in "Teenage Werewolf" (as well as an unbilled part in John Beal's "The Vampire"), here second billed as Miss Branding, whose fanatical thesis has rightly been rejected by the male dominated scientific community, that each individual has a greater capacity for destruction than any 'A' bomb if the right techniques are used. Enter Nancy Perkins (Sandra Harrison), latest arrival at the Sherwood boarding school for girls, still grieving for the mother who died only six weeks before, and dismissive of her father's sudden decision to remarry. She is not as short tempered as Michael Landon's character, quite a sympathetic figure, especially after the other girls in her dormitory trample over her the first night. Nancy is bright and quick to be accepted (she chose not to snitch), but under the hypnotic influence of Miss Branding undergoes a physical transformation and incurable thirst for blood. The old bat brandishes an amulet from the Carpathian Mountains, which can either heal or destroy depending on its use, and guess which one is selected? The result is a wild hairy creature with pointed ears similar to Max Schreck's "Nosferatu," certainly making for a decent poster. Luckily, the lone male victim (Jerry Blaine from "Teenage Werewolf") is the dimwit who belts out the picture's embarrassing teen dance number, while the perfunctory police investigation only eats up time and goes nowhere, the one officer who suggests a vampire on the loose rapidly denounced as a crackpot (we at least get a mention of Transylvania). Despite Sandra Harrison's affecting performance she never went on to any prominence, director Herbert L. Strock asserting that the actress already considered herself a star. Among the cops we see Malcolm Atterbury (back from "Teenage Werewolf") and Richard Devon ("The Undead," "War of the Satellites"), but the picture is half over before the first killing, with little enough action as it is, one other attack claiming two victims before the predictable climax. One gorgeous student who disappears all too quickly is raven haired Barbara Wilson, soon to star in "Terror in the Midnight Sun," later reworked by director Jerry Warren into the John Carradine vehicle "Invasion of the Animal People," who also supplied the memorable opening sequence of Martin Kosleck's "The Flesh Eaters."

Don't be surprised if this DRACULA version made in the late fifties includes some teenagers elements. It is obviously destined to drive in audiences, young men and women kissing each other aboard their parents cars whilst the movie appeared on screen.... It is not that bad, because directed by Herbert Strock, a little horror master from this period, besides Gene Fowler Jr and William Castle. This is an agreeable horror film, one of the first evoking Halloween twenty years before John Carpenter's most known movie. Acting is pretty surprisingly good for this kind of B feature and the photography also excellent. But please, don't take it too seriously and you'll enjoy it. Excellent ending too, rather surprising. I love that.

I agree with some of the other reviewers about the title of this film. If you're going to make a "Dracula" movie without the character of Dracula and with a teenager (or young adult) in the title role, then why not just call it "I Was a Teenage Dracula"? Particularly if the writer is the same man who co-wrote "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein" and the director was also at the helm of "Teenage Frankenstein."

The plot is quite similar to that of "Teenage Werewolf." Troubled teen is transformed into monster by mad doctor using hypnosis. I first saw this movie the year it was released. I thought it was very scary and the vampire make-up was pretty cool. After seeing it again years later on television from the perspective of a middle-aged man rather than a ten-year-old boy, it seemed less scary than before but I still thought Sandra Harrison looked pretty cool as the vampire. If you enjoyed American International's other teenage monsters, then check this one out if you can find it.

I haven't seen this movie in at least 25 years but I still remember how fun it was to watch. The headmistress of this school for girls, takes an interest in one the girls and starts to give her private lessons. First she hypnotizes the girl with a big brooch that she always wears and then somehow turns her into a blood sucking vampire! I'm sure she must whip up some instant vampire potion along the way. It's great fun but it's not one of those movies that are so bad, they're good, this is pretty good and entertaining. It's along the lines of "I Was A Teenage Werewolve." Some creepy music, but no real scary moments. Just a fun 1950's drive-in double feature flick.