HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970) d. Dan Curtis (USA)
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970) d. Roy Ward Baker (UK)
COUNT DRACULA (1970) d. Jesus Franco (Spain)
THE NUDE VAMPIRE (1970) d. Jean Rollin (France)
1970 was a landmark for vampire cinema. No longer confined to fog-shrouded castles or Victorian settings, vampires were reimagined through the lenses of filmmakers across the U.S. and Europe, allowing the vampire mythos to explore shifting cultural and political attitudes with more sex, skin, and blood on full display. Tonight we’ll be looking at five significant films released that year, each offering a unique and transgressive spin on the undead.
Count Yorga, Vampire modernized the vampire myth by transplanting its titular bloodsucker into contemporary Los Angeles. Originally conceived as a softcore flick, it evolved into a straight horror film, with unexpected brutality and sexual overtones, and a new genre star in Robert Quarry.
House of Dark Shadows brought the popular Gothic soap opera to the big screen with much of the cast intact, where we saw our melancholic anti-hero Barnabas Collins transforming into a more violent and tragic figure, while also blending the melodrama with more intense horror sequences.
In Europe, Hammer Studios, which had built its reputation on Gothic horror, was also pushing the envelope with The Vampire Lovers, an adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. With overt lesbian themes and a heightened eroticism, Ingrid Pitt stole the show as a seductive, tragic vampire.
Speaking of Hammer, Spanish filmmaker Jess Franco’s Count Dracula starred Christopher Lee in the role that he famously portrayed for Hammer on six separate occasions. Franco’s version hewed SLIGHTLY closer to Bram Stoker’s novel, incorporating elements such as Dracula's backwards aging and family lore, giving it a unique place in Dracula cinema lore.
Finally, French director Jean Rollin’s The Nude Vampire adds an avant-garde approach, combining surreal imagery, eroticism, and science fiction, amidst a dreamlike atmosphere that sets it apart from more conventional horror fare.
Tonight, join AC and his awesome panel of guests (Barry Kaufman, Alan Tromp, Chad Hawks, Bobby Zier) as we celebrate The Vampires of 1970, sure to satisfy your thirst for the supernatural!
COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE
HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
COUNT DRACULA
THE NUDE VAMPIRE
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