Blood of Dracula's Castle

1966's "Blood of Dracula's Castle" was not Al Adamson's debut behind the camera but was the first to achieve wide distribution, picked up in early 1969 by Crown International Pictures with Cameron Mitchell's "Nightmare in Wax" since both were attached to producer Rex Carlton, a May 1968 suicide (both duly included among the 16 Crown titles in Gold Key's Scream Theater television package). Losing this potential money spinner was enough for Adamson and new partner Samuel M. Sherman to form their own company, Independent-International Pictures Corporation, at just the right moment when his unissued backlog already included "Five Bloody Graves," "Blood of Ghastly Horror," "Horror of the Blood Monsters," "Hell's Bloody Devils," and his most recent opus "Satan's Sadists," successes that launched both men into a decade long career of pure hustling showmanship. This was the director's very first collaboration with John Carradine (6 more to follow), its completion in Aug. 1966 confirmed by a shot of the date on a telegram, well before the November shoot for its theatrical cofeature. Promotional gimmicks would abound to lower costs, such as hiring Colonel Harland Sanders for a cameo to provide free chicken for one film shoot, Marineland receiving an early plug here, following the lengthy opening drive featuring session player and recording artist Gil Bernal rendering "The Next Train Out" a year before receiving an Academy Award nomination for his theme from Universal's 1967 release "Banning." The real coup on this picture was securing permission to use a genuine desert location 70 miles north of Hollywood owned by Walter Gaynor, Shea's Castle or Sky Castle still located in Lancaster with its own airstrip for small planes (built in 1924, it remains a private residence). Sherman was delighted to secure the services of top billed Carradine (interiors filmed at the same Ray Dorn studios where he had just finished "Gallery of Horror"), then dismayed to find him cast as butler George rather than Dracula, played by a decidedly unmenacing Alex D'Arcy, Paula Raymond ("The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms," "Hand of Death") replacing Jayne Mansfield as the Countess, Rex Carlton's feeble script allowing for little but camp performances. Robert Dix's psychotic excon was the subject for new additions shot only for the expanded TV version, 7 minutes of silent footage accompanied only by electronic music and heavy breathing, endless outdoor running as his character suddenly becomes a werewolf in cheap Don Post head mask that could be worn by anyone, a lone female extra to be chased if not chaste. With over 17 minutes screen time, Carradine brings an enviable level of seriousness to the silliness, though not above a sardonic remark here and there, essentially present for exposition and the need to provide nubile female sacrifices to 'the great god Luna of the moon,' severely depleting the stock of human blood in the dungeon as the girls get to check in yet never check out. There's the germ of a good idea floating around with vampires growing accustomed to modern life by having their nourishing blood served up in a glass, a cozy domesticity perhaps inspired by THE MUNSTERS, in which Carradine twice played the role of Fred Gwynne's employer at the mortuary of Gateman, Goodbury and Graves.

Anyone looking for a fittingly horrendous Al Adamson film, look no further. While this film is not the usual paste-up job that Adamson specialized in, BLOOD OF DRACULA'S CASTLE is pure bad cinema, which is Adamson's true field.

D'Arcy and Raymond play Mr. and Mrs. Dracula, looking stiff and embarrassed (who can blame them?) The Draculas feed on the blood of the young women they have chained in their dungeon (including Adamson regular Vicki Volante). Carradine plays the Dracula's butler, a wasted opportunity for this horror screen legend to do his Dracula bit (get the pun?) A psycho shows up at the castle, and a stupid couple stay there.

BLOOD is boring, with only a few laughs produced from the bad acting and flimsy-looking props. Adamson made more hilarious films than this (like DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN), and it was unintentional (of course). Adamson, however, deserves the credit to having gotten anything on film for the tight budgets he was given.

Still, BLOOD is bad, and more mediocre than entertaining.

Okay I'm going to say something that I can rarely said to have ever willingly said, this is a watchable Al Adamson movie. Adamson was a bad filmmaker from the late 1960's and early 1970's who churned out a great deal of really bad, and not in a fun sort of way, films. A good many of them had John Carradine, which is apropos of nothing but its just the way things are. Most are so bad you'd want to pluck your eyes out rather than watch them. A few a precious few are awful but watchable in that bad but good way. This is one of those bad but good sort of films. Actually its bad but watchable which is a different kettle of fish. I don't know why this film kind of works in a 3am late late show way but it does. The plot has a couple inheriting a castle from a 108 year old uncle. The castle was and is being rented by a nice old couple who are really Dracula and his bride. Carradine is the butler who along with a 7 foot tall hunchback keep women chained in the basement for the vampires blood needs. Just as the couple decide to go to the castle to pitch the tenants Dracula has their werewolf buddy sprung from an insane asylum so that he can get them better blood. Jaw dropping silliness ensues. I think this film works on any level because I think its suppose to be funny. I don't think the humor works as intended but it does give this mess watchable quality, especially if you're into movies that are so bad they are good

BLOOD OF DRACULA'S CASTLE opens with a woman being abducted by Mango the monster-man (Ray Young) while the world's grooviest theme song plays (Next Train Out- yeah!).

Next, we're off to Sea World for a photoshoot featuring a beautiful model with the universe's most incredible beehive hairdo, ever! Ever!

We're eventually introduced to Count and Countess Townsend (the inimitable Alex D'Arcy and Paula Raymond). Their decrepit butler is played by the one and only John Carradine. In order to keep their blood supply flowing in the castle, the Townsends have a dungeon full of tender, young lasses.

By now we should be catching on that this is indeed another opus from Director Al Adamson.

Enter Johnny, an escaped convict with a love for all things homicide. Need proof? Well, within minutes he kills a bikini-clad sunbather. He then kills a motorist, steals his car, and mows down a hitchhiker for good measure. All, while ultra-dramatic music blares.

By the time Johnny arrives at the castle it seems like this is going to be an action-packed, insanely entertaining movie. We almost forget who created it.

Then, all action simply dies. The non-plot implodes, leaving the nonsensical remains to plod on to the end. At this point, many viewers have been rumored to have removed their own brains with salad tongs!

Meister Adamson has once again concocted a magnificently screwy, senseless, idiot masterwork of dunderheaded filmmaking!

Hallelujah!...

A stinky, horrible, ghastly piece of cheese! (To quote the gnome statue in those television commercials for an intenet travel site.) Now that this horror is available for cheap-o prices, I would recommend it for bad film fans. Bad acting, cheap sets and leaden pacing abound. John Carradine is always fun to watch, no matter how bad the movie he is in, and he did many, many stinkers of Z-grade budgets. Probably my favorite part is the gratuitous opening scene which shows nice footage of Marineland in Los Angeles (Rancho Palos Verdes, I believe) closed and torn down decades ago. There was also some nice cinematography; I noted the scene where the robed, torch-bearing figures trudge across the beach in the moonlight. Nice image.

This film had exteriors shot mainly at Scotty's Castle (I think) in Death Valley, hundreds of miles from the ocean. But, through the magic of editing, it appears to be about a mile from the beach!

This movie is part of the Horrible Horrors Volume 2 Box Set from Rhino, eight bad horror movies for only $25 retail (about $18 street!)! Worth the freight for fans of cheesy, crusty, musty, dusty, horror flicks.