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Taste the Blood of Dracula, a review by GSyren

Taste the Blood of Dracula (5-051889-547174)

United Kingdom 1969 | Released 2015-10-07 on Bluray from Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

95 minutes | Aspect ratio 1.78:1 | Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, French Dolby Digital Mono, German Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital Mono

Directed by Peter Sasdy and starring Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen, Gwen Watford, Linda Hayden, Peter Sallis

It's the boys' night out, time for bawdy fun. Yet revelry alone can't satisfy these community leaders out on a lark. There's still an adventure they can be duped into trying, one that will transform a certain Count from moldering dust into blood-lusting flesh. Taste the Blood of Dracula, the fourth film in Hammer Studios' cycle of hemogobbling Victorian-Era horror, is a showcase of why Hammer became the name in Gothic terror. The solid cast and rich production design raise goosebumps of real-life fear and otherworld dread. And Christopher Lee dons his red-lined cape again to become Evil Incarnate. He's Count Dracula, a being neither dead nor alive... but his movies are livelier than ever.

My thoughts about Taste the Blood of Dracula:

Rewatching Taste the Blood of Dracula, I still don't find it quite satisfying. I know that initially the plan was to do it without Dracula since Lee was reluctant to reprise the role. Hammer had done it before, in Brides of Dracula, and that worked well enough. But in the end they did persuade Lee to come back to the role, and it just seems that the script could have been reworked better to include him again. There seems to be little logic to Dracula wanting revenge for the three men killing Drac's disciple. After all, if it wasn't for those three, Dracula wouldn't have been revived at all. But perhaps it is too much to ask for logic from the undead? Also, we really see very little of Dracula. It isn't until halfway through the movie that he is revived. And even then we don't get to see that much of him. And what do we mainly see him do? Count, Dracula! The ending is really confusing. Probably the worst ending of any of Hammer's Dracula films. A big mistake, in my opinion. The ending of a film is really important. A bad ending can ruin the experience of an otherwise good movie, and a good ending can save an otherwise mediocre film. Still, Christopher Lee rarely, if ever, disappoints. And the first half of the movie is quite good, even without Dracula (if we don't count the death scene repeated from Risen). So, good enough, but should have been better.

I rate this title

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on November 14th, 2015)

R.L. Stein's Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It, a review by addicted2dvd

R.L. Stein's Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It
For 13-year-old goth girl Cassie, fitting into a new school and neighborhood isn't easy, but she entertains herself by playing pranks on the "popular" kids and her little brother, Max. As Halloween approaches, Cassie's search for scares leads her to a mysterious Halloween store and an unusual book called The Evil Thing. When Max begs her to read the book to him, Cassie finally gives in, ignoring the warning "Do Not Read Aloud." But it's when they get to the last page of the book and its clear warning about the Evil Thing - "Don't Think About It" - that the spooky adventure really begins.

Starring Emily Osment and Cody Linley of Hannah Montana, Brittany Elizabeth Curran of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and the quintessential movie villain, SAW's Tobin Bell, R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It is sure to put a shiver in your spine!

Brittany's Thoughts:
I for one loved this movie. I have been reading  R. L. Stein's books since I was little. Now the stories keep getting better and better. I was really surprised when I heard that he wrote all of those Goosebumps books and he doesn't know how to type and he does it all with only one finger!!! I found this out by watching the interview with him on this DVD.

My Thoughts:
This is a cute Halloween movie that is fun for the whole family. Not something to watch if you are looking for something actually scary... but a good way to spend Halloween night with your kids. I know that Britt and I will be watching it every year now. I also liked the fact that Tobin Bell is in it... I really liked him in the Saw movies. I must say.. I did get a kick out of the young boy (Cassie's brother).. he was such a scaredy-cat... I think the boy was even afraid of his own shadow.

(From Father/Daughter Marathon Review: R.L. Stein on March 22nd, 2008)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

The Greatest American Hero
Greatest American Heroine
Writer: Babs Greyhosky (Writer)
Director: Tony Mordente
Cast: William Katt (Ralph Hinkley), Robert Culp (Bill Maxwell), Connie Sellecca (Pamela Davidson), Mary Ellen Stuart (Holly Hathaway), Mya Akerling (Sara Hathaway), John Zee (Alien), Jerry Potter), Wayne Grace), Jeffrey Markel (Timothy)

Originally this was supposed to be a pilot for a new series, but it was not picked up. Instead in now serves as the last episode of the series. Which works quite well. It shows how and why Ralph has to give away the suit.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 27th, 2011)