Evil of Dracula

Evil of Dracula is the third and last entry in the Bloodthirsty Trilogy centered around American-styled horror movies in a Japanese context. Released a whopping three years after the previous output Lake of Dracula and four years after The Vampire Doll, this story is centered around a psychology teacher who assumes a job at an isolated private school. Upon arrival, he learns that the principal's wife died in a tragic car accident two days earlier. When the teacher respectfully asks if he could visit her grave, he is told by the principal that her body hasn't been buried or cremated yet and is instead kept in a coffin in the basement for a whole week according to an ancient local tradition. The surprises don't stop there for the young teacher when he is told that the principal would like him to be his successor. At night, the young teacher has a haunting nightmare of the principal's wife and an unknown girl attacking him. He is stunned when he learns that the girl in his nightmare is in fact a student who mysteriously disappeared and that several students indeed run away from the old school every single year. The teacher realizes that something is afoul and starts investigating.

Horror movies that are set in high schools don't seem to be original anymore but Evil of Dracula was released two years before Carrie, three years before Suspiria and even decades before the Whispering Corridors series. Setting a gothic horror movie at an old private school for girls was a clever idea back then and the movie's familiar yet unsettling settings still work perfectly four and a half decades later. The isolated railway station, the bumpy country road with the carwreck, the elegant principal's mansion, the gloomy forest and lake next to the school, the big classrooms and the modest dorms make for diversified locations.

The movie also convinces with a gloomy atmosphere. Right from the start, viewers might sense that something is wrong. The teacher arrives at a completely isolated railroad station. The staff is very rude. The person who was supposed to pick him up arrives late. The first thing he sees on his way to the school is the horribly burned carwreck. The tension intensifies from there on and will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Even though Evil of Dracula is a good horror movie that has aged surprisingly well, it isn't as great as The Vampire Doll with its outstanding acting performances and Lake of Dracula with its mysterious and surreal vibes. The acting performances in Evil of Dracula are solid but not outstanding. The principal's characteristics are a little bit too similar to those of the main villain in Lake of Dracula. Lead actor Kurosawa Toshio looks stylish but his acting performance lacks depth and emotions. The characters of the three students who decide to stay at the school during summer break are promising but not fully developed. If the movie had been a little bit more detailed, it could have been much more intense.

The final showdown is also less convincing than in the two predecessors. There are a lot of things going on but the action looks unintentionally humorous at times and feels completely exaggerated by the end. This rather recalls The Rocky Horror Picture Show than an actual horror movie, even though said was also released one year after Evil of Dracula.

In the end, Evil of Dracula is an atmospheric and intense horror movie that gets even closer to American-styled horror cinema than the two predecessors. However, the acting performances are only slightly above average and the film is at times lacking depth. If you have watched the first two entries, you will also like this film. If that isn't your case, watch the Bloodthirsty Trilogy chronologically.

In the secluded halls of "Chi o suu bara" (a.k.a. "Evil of Dracula"), director Michio Yamamoto conjures a uniquely Japanese vampire tale. While Dracula himself remains elusive, the film's cyanotic bloodsuckers and eerie atmosphere cast a hypnotic spell.

Professor Shiraki (Toshio Kurosawa) arrives at the Seimei School for girls, where tragedy lingers like a shadow. The principal's wife lies in the basement, her coffin awaiting the customary seven days. As students vanish, Shiraki grapples with nightmares and inexplicable encounters. The scent of roses-white, then crimson-haunts the bitten.

Toshio Kurosawa's portrayal of Shiraki balances skepticism and dread. His encounter with a vampire-dismissed as a dream-sets the stage for chaos.

Kunie Tanaka's Doctor Shimimura unravels the mystery of tiny needle marks on a fainting student. The symbolism of the white rose turning red adds an intriguing layer.

Omoe Mari's Keiko Nonomiya, the missing student, embodies vulnerability and allure. Her transformation is both tragic and seductive.

Shin Kishida commands the screen as the main bloodsucker. His savage hunger and physical power evoke primal fear.

"Evil of Dracula" dances on the edge of folklore and fever dream. Its flaws-awkward dialogue and shallow emotions-fade against the crimson backdrop. A cult gem for vampire aficionados.

🌑🌹 Sink your teeth into this Japanese nocturne-a haunting symphony of blood and longing. 🌑🌹

I recently watched The Evil of Dracula (1974) on Tubi. The film centers on a school led by a principal who is revealed to be a vampire, with his wife residing in a coffin at home alongside three vampire mistresses. When a suspicious teacher begins investigating the principal's home, he risks disappearing forever.

Directed by Michio Yamamoto (known for The Vampire Doll & Lake of Dracula), the film stars Kunie Tanaka (Sanjuro), Katsuhiko Sasaki (Terror of Mechagodzilla), Midori Takei (Brain 17), and Shin Kishida (Shogun Assassin).

While The Evil of Dracula maintains a high standard, it doesn't quite reach the level of its predecessors in the trilogy. The film excels in its elite attire, settings, and background music, while the blood-drinking scenes are effectively executed. However, the mind control elements lack the intensity seen in previous installments, and I found myself missing the distinctive "crazy eyes" of the vampires from Lake of Dracula. Despite this, the dialogue and storyline remain engaging, with standout sequences depicting stabbings, corpses, and the aftermath of vampire destruction.

In conclusion, while The Evil of Dracula may not surpass The Vampire Doll or Lake of Dracula, it still offers enough compelling elements to warrant a viewing. I'd give it a 6.5-7/10 and recommend watching it at least once.

So after subscribing to Arrow Video service on Prime (initially started to watch the move Spanish movie REC) I was looking through their Asian movie catalogue. This is where I was introduced to Michio Yamamoto. The concept is great and the acting and pacing is good too. It reminded me of Hammer horror films. There is a lot conveyed in the short runtime of the movie.

While I did enjoy the film, there was a lot of back and forth in the scenes which I personally thought wasn't necessary. I think I would've enjoyed more focus on the back story of the occult, rather than a quick glance over it.

But this has started my exploration into the Yamamoto universe.

The last part of Yamamoto's Vampire Trilogy has been described as the worst, but it's still very entertaining. The main problem is that it obviously tries to copy the Hammer Vampire movies, and the man with the cape always looks a little bit out of place. Otherwise, most 'scary moments' are carried out in the `Kaidan Eiga'- fashion with slow camera movements and impressive lighting. Here, and in some beautiful long shots, it shows that some skill was involved, and that the movie could have become a minor classic if it had stuck to the Japanese tradition of the Horror Film. The sound track sounds too European, too and the dubbing is a total nightmare, but I think, a subtitled version recently got released in the U.K. Recommended viewing for fans of offbeat seventies horror.