Satanic Rites of Dracula, The

The Satanic Rites of Dracula
Credits
Title:	The Satanic Rites of Dracula
Directed by:	Alan Gibson
Written by:	Don Houghton
Produced by:	Roy Skeggs; Don Houghton
Music by:	John Cacavas
Cinematography:	Brian Probyn
Edited by:	Chris Barnes
Production
Distributors:	Hammer Film Productions (UK) Warner Bros. (US)
Released:	November 3rd, 1973 January 13th, 1974 October, 1978
Rating:	R
Running time:	87 min.
Country:	UK
Language:	English
Navigation
Previous:	Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
Next:	Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)

The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a British horror film directed by Alan Gibson and written by Don Houghton. It is the eighth Dracula film produced by Hammer Film Productions and the sixth and final film to feature actor Christopher Lee in the role of Dracula. The movie co-stars Lee's ubiquitous foil Peter Cushing, once again reprising his role as a member of the esteemed Van Helsing family. This is the second of Hammer's Dracula films to take place in the modern era and it follows the events of 1972's aptly titled Dracula A.D. 1972. Hammer's next foray into the world of Dracula following this production is the 1974 movie Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.

Plot

In late November of 1974 a British under cover agent known as Hanson tries to infiltrate a Satanic cult that is thriving at the Pellam House. The Pellam House is also known as the Psychic Investigations and Research Group (PIRG), and is allowed to conduct its affairs with minimal scrutiny. Hanson discovers that many of the cultists are some of London's most distinguished citizens. A priestess known as Chin Yang conducts most of the cult's affairs. Hanson is discovered and is beaten up and confined to a small room. Near death, he barely manages to escape killing two guards in the process. Meanwhile, Chin Yang continues her Satanic ritual, which includes the slaying of a cockerel and the sacrifice of a young woman (presumably a virgin).

Before long, the dying Hanson makes his way back to Inspector Murray at Scotland Yard. He dies before revealing too much information, but he has photographs he had taken of important Londoners seen entering the Pellam House. Murray decides to contact the distinguished occult academic, Larimer Van Helsing. Van Helsing and his granddaughter Jessica realize that this Satanic cult may be responsible for resurrecting the lord of the vampires known as Count Dracula.

Van Helsing also recognizes one of the men in the photograph, Professor John Keely. He visits the Nobel Prize winning physicist only to discover that Keely is irrevocably mad. Keely has managed to recreate the bacteria necessary to produce the Bubonic plague. Completely unhinged, Keely hangs himself before Van Helsing can do anything to stop him.

Upon further investigation, Van Helsing deduces that Dracula has assumed the guise of eccentric London millionaire, D. D. Denham. As Denham, Dracula plans on using Keely’s virus to destroy the world’s population. Dracula has become rather fatalistic by this point and he longs for death. But he will not go quietly. If he is to die, then he is bringing the world down with him.

Inspector Murray and Jessica investigate the Pellam House while Larimer is attempting to contact Denham. They find a cellar beneath the cultist's property containing a room full of vampire women chained to the wall. Murray is nearly bitten by succeeds in escaping. Meanwhile, Jessica is captured once again and brought before Count Dracula.

Eventually everything comes together and we have Van Helsing squaring off against Dracula with the unconscious Jessica Van Helsing lying nearby. Dracula reveals how he plans on using his contacts within the cult as the Four Horsemen of his Apocalypse. One of the cultists has a change of heart and crushes the vial containing the plague in his hand. He instantly begins suffering its effects as blisters and boils begin appearing all over his body. He soon dies and Dracula and Van Helsing carry their fight outside.

As Van Helsing is fleeing Dracula, he notices a thicket of Hawthorne bushes and recalls that Hawthorne has a biblical significance. Since the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the day of the crucifixion was made of Hawthorne, it stands to reason that Hawthorne would be anathema to a vampire as well. Van Helsing goads Dracula into the thorny brambles, and the vampire realizes a moment too late how trapped he is becoming. He eventually fights his way through, but is completely tangled up in the branches. Taking advantage of the situation, Van Helsing breaks loose a piece of fence post and drives it deep into Dracula’s heart, destroying the vampire for good.

Cast

Actor	Role
Christopher Lee	Count Dracula
Peter Cushing	Professor Lorrimer Van Helsing
Michael Coles	Inspector Murray
William Franklyn	Torrence
Freddie Jones	Professor Julian Keeley
Joanna Lumley	Jessica Van Helsing
Richard Vernon	Colonel Matthews
Barbara Yu Ling	Chin Yang
Patrick Barr	Lord Carradine
Richard Mathews	John Porter
Lockwood West	General Sir Arthur Freeborne
Valerie Van Ost	Jane
Maurice O'Connell	Hanson
Peter Adair	Doctor
Maggie Fitzgerald	Vampire girl
Pauline Peart	Vampire girl
Finnuala O'Shannon	Vampire girl
Mia Martin	Vampire girl
John Harvey	Commissionaire
Marc Zuber	Guard #1
Paul Weston	Guard #2
Ian Dewar	Guard #3
Graham Rees	Guard #4

Notes & Trivia

• Copyright: © 1973, Hammer Film Productions Limited. All rights reserved.

• Production on The Satanic Rites of Dracula began on November 18th, 1972 and concluded on December 30th, 1972.

• Warner Bros. currently holds the copyright to The Satanic Rites of Dracula.

• Warner Bros. released The Satanic Rites of Dracula in the United States in October of 1978. It was re-released in November of that same year.

• Was one of the featured films on the cable access showcase series Saturday Night Dead.

• Lee was originally asked to reprise the role of Dracula for Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, but backed out after reviewing the script treatment, which he disliked immensely. The Dracula role in that film is played by John Forbes-Robertson.

• Director Alan Gibson also directed two episodes of Hammer House of Horror. He directed "The Silent Scream" and "The Two Faces of Evil".

• This is the first horror film with Roy Skeggs as a producer.

• Actor Peter Cushing's character is credited as just Van Helsing in the closing credits. His first name, Lorrimer, is provided in the actual film itself.

Fun facts

• The tagline for this film is, "Evil begets evil on the Sabbath of the undead!"

• This is the second of two films in the Hammer Horror Dracula series that takes place in the modern era. The first one was Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972).

• This is the only film in the classic Hammer Horror series to show female topless nudity.

• The plot description under the DVD release of the film (under the title Dracula: The Satanic Rites) states that Lorrimer Van Helsing is an ancestor of the original Van Helsing. This is inaccurate. He is actually a descendant.

• During the opening credits, the shadow outline of Dracula can be seen super-imposed on the screen.

• Another film of this era that blends vampires with Satanic cultism is Bloodsuckers, which was directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and released in 1970. Actors Peter Cushing and Valerie Van Ost appear in that film also.

Redirects

The following links all redirect to this page.

• Srod
• Satanic Rites of Dracula
• The Satanic Rites of Dracula
• The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
• Satanic Rites of Dracula, The (1973)
• Dracula: The Satanic Rites
• Dracula: The Satanic Rites (1973)

Recommendations

1970s Horror

Count Yorga, Vampire Countess Dracula Dawn of the Dead Exorcist, The Halloween

Hills Have Eyes, The Jaws Piranha Return of Count Yorga, The Scream Blacula Scream

Vampire films

30 Days of Night 30 Days of Night: Dark Days Black as Night Blacula Brotherhood of Blood Countess Dracula Daughters of Darkness Dracula (1931) Dracula (1958) Dracula (1979) Fright Night From Dusk Till Dawn From Dusk Till Dawn 2 From Dusk Till Dawn 3

House of Dracula Jakob's Wife Let the Right One In Lost Boys Lost Boys: The Tribe Lost Boys: The Thirst Once Bitten Queen of the Damned Rise: Blood Hunter Scars of Dracula Scream, Blacula, Scream Subspecies Subspecies II: Bloodstone Vampire in Brooklyn

See also

Dracula Dracula films Dracula characters Dracula appearances

Dracula gallery Dracula category Dracula cast & crew Dracula miscellaneous

External Links

The Satanic Rites of Dracula at AMG The Satanic Rites of Dracula at IMDB The Satanic Rites of Dracula at Wikipedia The Satanic Rites of Dracula at the Terror Trap

The Satanic Rites of Dracula at Themoviedb.org The Satanic Rites of Dracula at Popcorn Pictures The Satanic Rites of Dracula at Horrormovies.org The Satanic Rites of Dracula at Eccentric Cinema

Gallery

References

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Hammer Horror This article relates to the films produced under the "Hammer Horror" banner of Hammer Film Productions. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Hammer Film Productions category. Dracula 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 1972 A.D. (1972) • The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) • Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) Frankenstein Curse of Frankenstein (1957) • Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) • Evil of Frankenstein (1964) • Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) • Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) • Horror of Frankenstein (1970) • Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974) The Mummy The Mummy (1959) • Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964) • Mummy's Shroud, The (1967) • Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) Others X the Unknown (1956) • The Abominable Snowman (1957) • The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) • Curse of the Werewolf (1961) • Scream of Fear (1961) • Phantom of the Opera (1962) • Kiss of the Vampire (1963) • Paranoiac (1963) • Nightmare (1964) • The Old Dark House (1963) • The Gorgon (1964) • Plague of the Zombies (1966) • The Reptile (1966) • The Devil Rides Out (1968) • The Vampire Lovers (1970) • Lust for a Vampire (1971) • Hands of the Ripper (1971) • Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) • Countess Dracula (1971) • Twins of Evil (1972) • Demons of the Mind (1972) • Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) • To the Devil a Daughter (1976)