Product description

Scars Of Dracula [1970]

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Binding : DVD
EAN : 5060034576907
Label : Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Optimum Home Entertainment
Publisher : Optimum Home Entertainment
Release date : 2007-01-08
Title : Scars Of Dracula [1970]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 15 years and over
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1970-01-01
Region code : 2
Running time : 91
Studio : Optimum Home Entertainment
Theatrical releaseDate : 1970

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-06-16 rating:

The Best Hammer Dracula Film !
Granted it's not "Horror of Dracula" or "Dracula: Prince of Darkness", But this has to one of the best because Christopher Lee has more to do in this one than in any of the others, He has more screen time than in the first film. I like this one also because Dracula has some cool moments in the film such as branding poor Patrick Troughton's back with a red hot sword. This film deserves another look, Christopher Lee dispite his low opinion of the film has more dialogue and screen time than in the early ones or the later ones.

Great Film

review by: the-man-from-h_u_n_g_e_r date: 2008-04-28 rating:

SCARS OF DRACULA!
This was Hammer's last gothic Dracula. Although it turned out to be the weakest in series thus far. Previous reviews have pointed out that it completely breaks away from the series with it unexplained opening, and Dracula's massacre of the villagers. The film is much gorier than any of the previous films with graphic moments of bloodletting and moments of sadistic violence (Dracula burning klove with a white hot spoke). Christopher Lee is at his most physically imposing, with death white palour and blood shot eyes. The film includes incidents from the original book such as Dracula scaling the wall of his castle.
But it is the ending that REALLY is the high point of the film, when the Count is struck by lighting, bursts into flames and falls from the castle wall. But the film's length is a strain, and I would only recommend it for Hammer completists.

review by: date: 2008-01-03 rating:

Another Dracula yarn from the hammer team
This film isn't the best of the Dracula movies by any means, but if you like this genre then you'll find it all mildly amusing.

A young Dennis Waterman (complete with uncharacteristic posh accent) goes in search of his brother who is on the run due to a false allegation of rape from the local burgermeister's daughter. As expected, all roads lead to Dracula's large gaffe. The body count is rather high here (five plus a churchload of villagers) and there's plenty of fangs on display.

Interestingly, Dracula meets a rather unusual end in this one - and 'dies' like many golfers have.

Don't expect great special effects - this is 1970 and low budget (you'll particularly notice this when it comes to the bats), but overall this is a watchable 90 minute film straight off the Hammer press.

review by: date: 2007-12-15 rating:

The Count clocks on for another night on the treadmill
The budgets were hitting rock bottom and the formula getting tired by the time Hammer persuaded Christopher Lee to don the cape yet again for 1970's Scars of Dracula, their second Dracula outing of the year after the superior Taste the Blood of Dracula. Not particularly bad though awfully overfamiliar, this has the feel of everyone clocking on to work at a treadmill as yet another unwary (and in this case accidental) traveller finds himself shunned by tight-lipped superstitious locals (well, Michael Ripper and a couple of extras) and soon regretting taking advantage of the Count's hospitality in the first half while in the second half his brother (a young and miscast Dennis Waterman) and romantic interest Jenny Hanley go through much of the same routine in the second as they go in search of him. There's an effectively nasty surprise waiting for the villagers in the church after their early attempt to burn the Count out of house and home and there's an engagingly matter of fact just-another-day-at-work sequence where Patrick Troughton's servant discards the remnants of one of his master's unwanted brides with a hacksaw and an acid bath but this is more notable for upping the violence than improving the quality.

Unlike the US Anchor Bay DVD, this UK release only offers the trailer as an extra.

review by: date: 2007-10-07 rating:

Scars of Dracula
Released at the end of 1970, Scars of Dracula is almost universally panned by critics, & has been singled out by Christopher Lee himself for attack.
Whilst i recognise that this film is a step down in quality from the previous sequels, i've previously found the film quite enjoyable. Watched in isolation, it's quite a watchable outing, but when viewed in close context to the other sequels it does come across as more of generic mish-mash of elements derived from all the other films.
The film falls down from the outset with a bodged continuity link to the previous film. For a start, it's a pretty average idea at best to have a large vampire bat come along & spit out some blood onto the altar where Dracula was destroyed, & thus re-animating the Count. Ok, it's a fairly weak idea, but i can accept it. The main gripe is though that the original event took place in a church in Victorian/Edwardian England, & yet after Dracula is re-born in this film, he's suddenly back in his own locale at Castle Dracula.
Lee gets a fair bit of dialogue, which is a plus point, & gets a chance to portray the Count in the courtly manner in which he appears in the early part of the original film, as Stoker had written the Count's initial appearance. On the downside, Lee's make-up job looks slightly perculiar, & even gives him a slightly effeminate look! However, he still plays the Count very well, & with a particularly dark & violent edge. Early in the film he viciously attacks a young woman with a knife before biting her, & whilst this is somewhat out of character, Lee manages to make it quite hair raising.
Klove returns as Dracula's manservant, this time played by Patrick Troughton. Though it would've been easy enough, & better for continuity, to call the character by another name, since Philip Latham's original Klove was killed in 'Dracula: Prince of Darkness'. Troughton does a fine job of his portrayal of Klove, who undergoes some particularly sadistic treatment at the hands of his master, including being burned with hot irons, but for me, this Klove doesn't have the creepy, sinister quality that Philip Latham's original has, However, that's hardly Troughton's fault, as the conception of his Klove is very different. He's a torturted soul who suffers greatly at the hands of his master, but is too fearful to leave the castle.
Once again, the production values are high. I particularly like the views of the castle when Paul (why are the young heroic/lover figures always called Paul in these Dracula movies?!) is trying to escape by shimmying down the Castle walls using tied together blankets, & similarly in another effective scene, there's another nod to Stoker's novel, Dracula himself is seen crawling spider-like along the walls of the castle. As for the other supporting characaters - Dennis Waterman is reasonable but nothing special in his performance as Simon, & similarly; Jenny Hanley, whilst she serves well as particularly busty eye candy, is only average in her performance as Sarah. Strangely, although by now Hammer was giving us bare buttocks, (in a genuinely funny comedic scene near the beginning) Dracula's sexual frisson is not especially evident. The focus in this film seems to be on Dracula being violent & sadistic, in spite of his earlier courtly manner. Whilst Lee makes a good job of this, it does however make the Count seem a little more one dimensional. There is quite a bit more violent content in this film, which includes a savage attack upon the local priest by a large number of bats who inflict severe, bloody damage to his face. And whilst all these things aren't as subtle as most of the previous sequels, it definitely gives the film more of an out & out horror feel.
Alas, there's another slightly dodgy ending to this movie. Simon tries to kill Dracula with a metal spear which impales the count to no effect, & when the Count pulls out the spear to throw back at Simon, a bolt of lightning strikes the spear causing it to turn red hot & sets Dracula on fire & he plummets ablaze to his death over the castle walls! So much for the 'religious conviction' of a few films ago!
But IMO, whilst this film does have several flaws, i think it's counterbalanced by a lot of good stuff, too. It is more of generic runaround, that in strange way, has some of the feel of a Hammer Frankenstein movie, (perhaps because Dracula is reduced to the level of a mere monster in some regards) but it's not slow paced or boring by any means, & works well enough on the level of pure entertainment. (Ralph should love it then, & that's his main criterion)
Perhaps the final deciding factor in it's favour is that it's the last of the Hammer Draculas that retain that genuine, classic gothic atmosphere that they did so well. After, this Hammer tried to update their Dracula franchise with a contemporary setting, & IMO, these last films to come were pretty dismal for the attempt to update the Count. But taking everything i've said about 'Scars of Dracula' into account, i award a score of 7/10.

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