Moving into our Hammer lookback, the end was near for the Dracula series. Scars ended with Dracula being struck by lighting and falling off his castle. How would they get Lee and the Count back for this one?
1872, and Dracula (Christopher Lee) is locked in a life or death struggle with Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) atop a runway coach. The coach crashes, and the vampire lord ends up impaled on a broken wheel. Van Helsing manages to rush to the vampire and finish the job, driving him further onto the wheel's spokes.
His enemy finally dead, Van Helsing collapses from his own fatal wounds. A man (Christopher Neame) appears and collects Dracula's remains. During Van Helsing's funeral he secretly buries Dracula's remains near his mortal foe.
1972 and we're thrust into a hippie party and the smooth sounds of Stoneground. The hippies, or at least a middle aged producer's idea of what a hippy is, are partying at a mansion filled with squares and generally freaking out the norms. Johnny Alucard (Neame) even makes a point to smash the hostess's stature before leaving.
The next day Alucard suggests something really wild: a séance in the same churchyard Dracula is buried. The gang agrees, although Jessica (Stephanie Beachum) has some issues with the act. The gang agrees and Laura (Caroline Munro) is picked as the sacrifice. Most of them split, although Laura isn't lucky enough when Dracula comes back.
When Laura's bloodless corpse is found, Inspector Murray (Michael Coles) is on the case. Noting the twin puncture wounds on her neck, Murray quickly this is a vampire case and calls the only expert he would trust: Professor Lorimar Van Helsing (Cushing), who's busy talking to his granddaughter Jessica about her nocturnal activities.
Alucard, meanwhile, is busy turning Jessica's friends into vampires including her boyfriend Bob (Phillip Miller). Alcuard kidnaps Jessica, but Van Helsing tracks the mod monster down and dispatches him with running water.
Can Van Helsing find his granddaughter in time? Can he stop Dracula's evil scheme before all of London is made undead?
Considering how little work was put into the series at this point this film is better than it has any right to be. Lee and Cushing save the film although Alucard comes across as more whiny than menacing.
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