Lake of Dracula

Arriving at a small lake-side town, a new teacher comes to suspect that someone is behind the strange incidents and dead bodies piling up around town, and when she learns that a master vampire has moved into the area she sets out to stop his blood-soaked reign against the villagers.

This was a decent enough if slightly flawed vampire effort. One of the few solid points involved here comes from the way this goes about trying to instill the idea of the vampire in the area as the build- up here is somewhat credible. Building the strange crate delivery alongside her arrival at the same time is quite nicely handled, and the first attacks, as well as the discovery of their aftermath, all come off rather well as the mystery starts to unfold. Even some of the fine action scenes throughout here, from the abduction in the woods before being startled away and the hospital resurrection of the first body to the idea of the nightly romps through the woods where he's able to feast on her friend despite continually denying it all makes for a rather fun time here and sells the idea of her mental competence rather well which runs through the first half of the film. Once it's confirmed that there are vampires involved, things pick up far more here with the Gothic action scenes really enhancing this one from the ambush in the car at the same time the two of them trap her in the home and begin tormenting her or the hospital awakening sequence give this some really energetic and lively moments. However, it's really the big confrontation at the end which really works best here with the Gothic imagery and action really making for a great finish and gives this one a lot to really like here with the way it all wraps up inside the basement and spreading throughout the rest of the house. Still, while these are the film's good points there are a few negative issues. One of the main problems is the fact that the film really suffers from a stiff and dragged out beginning where not a whole lot really makes an impact. Despite the series of events that play out here detailing the emergence of the vampire around the village, it's still a somewhat dull and dragged-out effort where those brief spurts feel like exceptions to the bland dialogue-heavy sequences that are much more commonly featured so this one really feels like it takes a while to get going. By focusing on her burgeoning mental instability doesn't make for a fun time here regardless of how well the vampire storyline is built through these events, this one really takes more time than it should in letting loose with its story and comes across as somewhat duller than it should be considering what goes on. Likewise, there's also the rather economical manner this one manages to make the heroine think of her predicament and how she buys into it all, as a few throwaway lines regarding the Western methods of dealing with vampires and yet it's completely bought into without so much as a real questionable thought. This makes for a tough time overall, although it does still have its moments.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence, Language and violence-against-animal aftermath.

Okay, color me intrigued when I happened to come across this 1971 Japanese movie titled "Lake of Dracula" (aka "Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me"). At first I thought it was a spoof, because Dracula in Japanese cinema, come on... But my curiousity won the better of me, and I ended up sitting down to watch this movie from director Michio Yamamoto.

It actually turned out to be an entertaining movie, and the fact that it was from 1971 almost didn't show on the screen. Writers Ei Ogawa and Masaru Takesue definitely had to have been heavily inspired by the old classic Hammer Horror movies, because "Lake of Dracula" definitely had that particular style and quality to it.

I must say that I was adequate quite entertained by "Lake of Dracula", despite it being a bit odd to have Dracula pop up in a Japanese setting. It worked out well enough, actually, maybe because I didn't really see the vampire character as the mythical Dracula himself, despite his name being mentioned a single time in the movie. I suppose I just saw him as a generic, nameless vampire, which worked out quite well actually.

The storyline was good and entertaining, just as it was interesting and enjoyable. It was, however, a stereotypical approach to the vampire genre that writers Ei Ogawa and Masaru Takesue had taken on for the storyline, but it worked out well enough, because the movie had a good flow to it, and you got submerged into the storyline right away.

The acting in the movie was good, although I can't honestly say that I was familiar with any of the actors or actresses that performed in the movie. But they were well-cast for their individual roles and characters.

For a vampire movie from 1971 and from Japan nonetheless, then "Lake of Dracula" is actually well-worth watching for any fans of the older vampire movies. I am rating "Lake of Dracula" a six out of ten stars.

Lake of Dracula is the second entry in the Bloodthirsty Trilogy, a series of Japanese movies inspired by American and European horror cinema, literature and myths. The story revolves around school teacher Kashiwagi Akiko who lives near a peaceful lake. When a coffin is delivered to a local boathouse by a strange truck driver, strange events start to occur. Akiko believes the current events are somehow related to a traumatizing event she went through when she was only five years old. Her joyful sister Natsuko doesn't believe her but her fiancé Doctor Saeki Takashi starts to investigate when one of his patients who lived near the lake is brought to his hospital with two bite marks on her neck.

If compared to the first entry in the franchise, Lake of Dracula isn't as intense from start to finish as the creepy The Vampire Doll. There are a few too many dialogues in the middle section and scenes like the two sisters going shopping in a nearby town are irrelevant to the story. However, the opening flashback has a very eerie atmosphere and the first scene in the present when a mysterious coffin is delivered sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Things start getting really intense in the second half when the protagonist gets attacked at home and her fiancé in his car. From then on, the film has intense pace and ends very dramatically as well.

The settings are perfectly chosen. The beautiful town by the lake turns into a sinister trap. The vampire's strange house has an otherworldly vibe to it. The hospital the doctor works in looks sinsiter at night. The different locations add some diversity to an already entertaining movie.

The acting performances are also quite solid. Fujita Midori delivers the goods as lead actress in her very first film and it's a mystery to me why she only starred in six movies in her whole career. Her fragile yet determined nature is perfecrly balanced in this movie. She harmonizes well with her more rational and grounded partner Takahashi Chôei. Their chemistry is comparable to the couple in the first movie. The mysterious vampire is played by Kishida Shin and truly terrifying. It reminds of several classic American horror movies in a positive way.

The second half of the film might even be better than the one of The Vampire Doll but a slightly dragging middle section makes Lake of Dracula overall a little bit less enjoyable. Still, fans of classic horror cinema will dig the combination of Japanese culture and Western horror tropes. The idea that vampirism was brought to Japan by foreigners as explained in this movie is somewhat awkward but everything else fits together very fluidly. The movie looks a little bit dated nowadays but still convinces with very good acting performances, a lot of atmosphere and great locations.

On the age of five, Akiko Kashiwagi had a weird dream that has traumatized her life. Eighteen years later, Akiko Kashiwagi (Midori Fujita) is a school teacher that lives with her younger sister Natsuko Kashiwagi (Sanae Emi) and their dog Leo in an isolated house by a lake. Her fiancé Dr. Takashi Saeki (Chôei Takahashi) visits her every now and then when possible. When a coffin is delivered in the boat house of her acquaintance nearby her house, he is subdue by a weird man (Shin Kishida). Soon victims without blood and two holes on the neck arrive in the hospital and Dr. Takashi Saeki is attacking them at the lakeshore where Akiko lives and he decides to investigate.

"Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me", a.k.a. "Lake of Dracula", is another vampire movie produced by Toho studios. The flawed plot is entertaining and is funny to see Akiko and Takashi going to the vampire house during the night without any weapon. The age of the dog Leo is also intriguing. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Lago de Drácula" ("The Lake of Dracula")

As a child "Akiko Kashiwagi" (Midori Fujita) witnessed a horrible scene involving a vampire and has tried her best to repress it since then. Now in her mid-twenties certain strange events begin occurring which bring those memories front and center. The problem is that when she tries to tell her younger sister "Natsuko Kashiwagi" (Sanae Emi) about them she ends up sounding a little crazy and begins to question her sanity. Fortunately, her boyfriend "Dr. Takashi Saeki" (Choei Takahashi) is a bit more understanding. Even so, he still isn't quite able to make the connection when a patient is admitted to the emergency room totally drained of blood and with two bite marks on her neck. And then things really begin to happen. Now, rather than detail any more of the movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that, even though this basic story has been told many times and in many ways, this particular film was somewhat unique due in large part to the Japanese setting. I especially liked the heavy use of makeup on some of the characters along with the fog which helped to create an overall eerie atmosphere. Likewise, having a pretty actress like the aforementioned Sanae Emi certainly didn't hurt either. In any case, while the movie was certainly no blockbuster I think it deserves at least an average rating.