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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 9781419814327
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 141981432X
Label: Warner Bros. Pictures
Manufacturer: Warner Bros. Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Bros. Pictures
Region Code: 1
Release Date: October 04, 2005
Running Time: 96 minutes
Sales Rank: 25599
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: November 17, 1972
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Editorial Review:
Description:
London's become a small town for a handful of jaded psychedelic-era hipsters. But Johnny Alucard has a groovy new way for his pals to get their kicks. A certain ritual will be the living end, he insists. And if you still wonder where Johnny's coming from, try spelling his last name backwards. Dracula is raised into the modern era in this Hammer Studios shocker that's 'quite well done' (John Stanley, Creature Features). Christopher Lee dons the cape for the sixth time and seeks out fresh victims. As archnemesis Van Helsing, fellow horror legend Peter Cushing clutches a vial of holy water and edges within throwing distance. Their harrowing battle royale is not to be missed. In fact, it's the living end. Director: Alan Gibson Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Stephanie Beacham
Amazon.com:
It was only a matter of time before Christopher Lee's Dracula visited Swinging London, arriving fashionably late for the party in 1972. In Dracula A.D. 1972, Count D was dispatched in the 19th century with a carriage-wheel spoke. The vampire's ashes and fancy ring are handed down to a young Londoner named Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame) who looks as though he's seen A Clockwork Orange too many times. Proposing that his hippie posse look for new kicks ('yet as old as time'), he holds a Black Mass and summons you-know-who. Peter Cushing joins Lee yet again; luscious Stephanie Beacham, in an amazing shag haircut and purple velvet, is Cushing's granddaughter. She considers grandpa's scientific interests 'way out,' but then again, their last name is Van Helsing.. The time-period switch makes the grooviness seem laughable, although otherwise this is an acceptable outing, especially for Lee's suave, overtly sexual take on the role. It was his penultimate entry in the Hammer Dracula series, and is certainly better than the finale, The Satanic Rites of Dracula. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Cushing and Lee make this a worthwhile watch.
Dracula A.D. 1972 is a campy instalment in the Dracula series made by Hammer Films. The gist of the movie is that Dracula gets resurrected in 1972 by a young acolyte, Johnny Alucard and seeks to destroy the remaining Van Helsings, i.e. Dr Van Helsing [Peter Cushing] and his beautiful, hippie granddaughter Jessica [Stephanie Beacham].
Though Christopher Lee reprises his role as the malevolent count, his screen time is quite limited and I felt too much screen time was wasted on portraying the debauchery and free-swinging lifestyle of 70s Hippie culture - drugs, sex and rock n roll. But, when he does appear, Lee is magnetic as the count and doesn't disappoint in his performance.
But the best performance in this movie is Peter Cushing's 20th century Van Helsing - he is assured, intelligent and above-all single-minded in his determination to save his granddaughter Jessica from the vampire's clutches. Stephanie Beacham is luscious to look at and feisty in her portrayal as the strong-willed Jessica.
The rest of the actors were ho-hum - a bit overdone in some instances [the guy who played Johnny Alucard for example].
All in all, this isn't a great Dracula movie, but it isn't the worst either.
Rating: - More hip than horror
England's Hammer Studios did 8 Dracula films from 1958-1973:
Horror of Dracula (1958)
Brides of Dracula (1960)
Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)
Dracula has Risen from the Grave (1968)
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
Scars of Dracula (1970)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
Christopher Lee plays the Count in all but the second one, "Brides of Dracula;" in fact, Dracula doesn't even appear in this film, which explains why some consider it non-canonical. Peter Cushing also stars in four entries as Van Helsing.
By the time of the seventh film the creative well was apparently running dry and Hammer decided to spice up the series by bringing the Count to present-day London (which was 1972, of course). A group of hip counter-culture youths perform a black mass in an abandoned church for kicks (although the ringleader takes it all serious) and rivive the blood-sucking prince of darkness. Havok ensues.
Peter Cushing appears as Van Helsing's descendant. Christopher Neame plays the nutjob who performs the black mass with utter relish. Also on hand are the stunning beauties Stephanie Beacham and Caroline Munro. Stephanie plays Van Helsing's daughter and Caroline has a small but significant role. There are a couple of other early-70s hippie babes as well.
The first half of the film borrows heavily from the previous "Taste the Blood of Dracula" in that the Count is resurrected ... Read More
Rating: - Like, Taste the Blood of Dracula, kids!
For reasons known only to the author, Bram Stoker's Dracula never included the line "Sergeant, I'll bet you a pound to a pinch of s**t that there's a little piece of hash at that party, and if there is, I've got them.", but the early 70s saw that particular oversight put right. Dracula A.D. 1972 saw Hammer trying to pump new life into the old Count with a new creative team whose big idea was basically to rehash the plot of Taste the Blood of Dracula in the 1970s with Christopher Neame in the Ralph Bates role as Johnny Alucard, here conning a thrill-seeking group of with it kids (Michael Kitchen and Caroline Munro among them) into making a date with the Devil with a Black Mass at the deconsecrated church that not only holds Lawrence Van Helsing's body (Lawrence? Whatever happened to Abraham?) and Dracula's ashes. "Okay, okay. But if we do get to summon up the big daddy with the horns and the tail, he gets to bring his own liquor, his own bird and his own pot."
As with the Godzilla films, the main attraction is kept off the screen for most of the running time - top-billed Christopher Lee's role is probably smaller in this than any other in the series, four brief scenes probably totalling no more than ten minutes. Worse still, looking more like Peter Sellers than Transylvanian aristocracy, he brings nothing except continuity to the part: he does what is asked of him with professionalism, but that's about it. Instead the bulk of the film is carried by Neame's Malcolm McDowell wannabe, second ... Read More
Rating: - Hammer's Misguided Idea of Dracula in Swinging London: Still Enjoyable (Not as a Horror, Though)
Christopher Lee's Dracula comes back again, this time in Swingin' London of the early 70s. It is a misguided idea of Hammer still trying to cash in on the name of the Count. Considering Hammer's "Dracula" saga started back in 1958, it is obvious that they should have stopped by the late 60s when things changed drastically in pop culture. But they did make this one, which turned out an unintentional comedy (sort of) with blood-sucking vampires and "funky" rock music.
Once again Dracula returns. The man responsible for his resurrection is named "Johnny Alucard" (Christopher Neame) - yes, "Alucard" - and there is a young beautiful woman named Jessica Van Helsing (Stephanie Beacham), niece of Peter Cushing's Professor Van Helsing. So now you know the rest of the story. In short, Dracula seeks the blood of her.
Though the film is not scary and its plot is very thin, "Dracula 72" is full of overacting and silly dialogues that are not boring to see. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing do their best, and their performances surely raise the level of this film one notch higher. Lee's screen time is limited, but it is amazing to see dead serious Peter Cushing doing a great job (as he always does) in this otherwise delightfully messy film. Oh, and don't forget Caroline Munro and her character "Laura" screaming.
Rating: - Let's drag Hammer into the swingin' Seventies! OH, NOOOoooo!!!
Okay, DRACULA A.D. 1972 isn't really THAT bad. Just inept. After the first couple of films, Hammer appears to have had too few ideas as to what to do with the Count, so he was grafted into various screenplays to get the punters into the theatres. This time around, Chris Lee does little but wander around a dilapidated church being menacing. He has been resurrected by Christopher Neame (son of the director Ronald Neame), to bestow eternal life upon his character, Johnny Alucard (and everyone is amazed when they spell his name backward. Wow.) Stephanie Beacham, playing the granddaughter of Peter Cushing's Van Helsing, becomes the object of the Count's revenge. Again, wow. Who'da thunk?
Caroline Munro, pre-Sinbad, gets to be a victim who forgets to run away, so she has some good scream time.
All in all, not very good Hammer, but worth a look if you're curious.
Beware: aside from the two lead actors, you will be hard pressed to find any of the Hammer stalwarts here, in front of or behind the camera. Not even James Bernard's music is in evidence! The truly annoying score for this one is by Michael Vickers.
One saving grace is the appearance by Sal Valentino's post-BEAU BRUMMELS group STONEGROUND. Not bad, and they do get to do "Alligator Man".
The film transfer is crisp, letterboxed, and the sound decent. The only bonus is the painfully hip trailer.
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