Blood for Dracula (1974)
March 20, 2022 9:07 PM - Subscribe
Deathly ill, Count Dracula and his slimy underling, Anton, travel to Italy in search of a virgin's blood to rejuvenate the ailing Count.
They are welcomed at the crumbling estate of indebted Marchese Di Fiore, who is desperate to marry off his daughters to rich suitors. But there, instead of pure women, the Count encounters incestuous lesbians and a Marxist worker who is suspicious of Dracula's motives.
Starring Udo Kier and Joe Dellasandro.
Currently streaming on Shudder.
They are welcomed at the crumbling estate of indebted Marchese Di Fiore, who is desperate to marry off his daughters to rich suitors. But there, instead of pure women, the Count encounters incestuous lesbians and a Marxist worker who is suspicious of Dracula's motives.
Starring Udo Kier and Joe Dellasandro.
Currently streaming on Shudder.
My favorite part of this movie is Anton's monologue about seeing a young girl get injured and then soaking up some of her blood in a piece of bread, which he then gives to the Count. There's something so hilarious about his delivery.
On the other hand, the hero saving the day by raping the youngest Di Fiore daughter (who then falls in love with him) is totally f'd up. I mean, I think there's probably some subversive message going on there, but yikes.
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:49 PM on March 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, the hero saving the day by raping the youngest Di Fiore daughter (who then falls in love with him) is totally f'd up. I mean, I think there's probably some subversive message going on there, but yikes.
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:49 PM on March 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
The first time I saw the movie I was like "Wait...the hero is a marxist rapist/pedophile?!"
This is a companion piece to Flesh for Frankenstein, which also has a grim ending. By comparison, this one is much more "upbeat" in that the majority of the characters live, although the flimsy pretense of their lives has been utterly destroyed.
posted by miss-lapin at 1:23 PM on March 21, 2022
This is a companion piece to Flesh for Frankenstein, which also has a grim ending. By comparison, this one is much more "upbeat" in that the majority of the characters live, although the flimsy pretense of their lives has been utterly destroyed.
posted by miss-lapin at 1:23 PM on March 21, 2022
I've always dug this film for a number of the wild characterization choices and anti-trope beats. Making Dracula a pitiful, mournful fop? Making the American anti-hero a rapacious Marxist abuser? All the weird comedy beats and profound amounts of hilarious bloodpuke coming out of a completely gorgeous Udo Kier? All fantastic. Plot elements that are profoundly uncomfortable, but deliberately so. And of course, it was one of the films that gave me the deeply pleasing sensation of finally recognizing where an old Skinny Puppy track got its samples from.
posted by FatherDagon at 1:56 PM on March 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by FatherDagon at 1:56 PM on March 21, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by miss-lapin at 11:56 PM on March 20, 2022