Reviews (57)

The Merry Widow Murderer strikes again
Hitchcock loved to subvert what others took for granted. Set in the Northern California town of Santa Rosa, Shadow of a Doubt is most subversive about the very normal, tranquil qualities of small town life. Like all of Hitchcock's most convincing and powerful thrillers, the mystery is revealed right away. Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotton)is on the run from the police. He's endearing, charming and a serial killer nicknamed The Merry Widow Murderer. With the police hot on his trail he turns to the only place he can--home.

Uncle Charlie visits with his sister and her family in a sleepy small town. Uncle Charlie gets the chance to visit with his namesake and favorite niece nicknamed Young Charlie (Teresa Wright). They have a grand old name visiting until the past comes haunting. Young Charlie begins to suspect that Uncle Charlie is the Merry Window Murderer. What's worse, he realizes that she knows. Suddenly, he must find a way to murder his favorite niece and escape without suspicion.

Shadow is one of Hitchcock's earliest films where his favorite themes finally come together in a great collabortive effort with Thornton Wilder (Our Town). Wilder's early drafts (Hitchcock's wife and frequent collaborator Alma Reville did extensive rewrites along with Sally Benson and, of course, Hitchcock himself, as always, uncredited). Like many of the releases from Universal in the Alfred Hitchcock Collection, Shadow comes back with some interesting extras.

The documentary which includes interviews with Teresa Wright, Hume Cronyn, Robert Boyle, Pat Hitchcock O'Connell and director Peter Bogdanovich, isn't the usual slapdash affair. There's some interesting insights and observations about the film (if you'd like real insight into the film, I'd suggest the recent Hitchcock biography).

Joseph Cotton, Teresa Wright and the rest of this stunning cast capture the atmosphere (or least Hollywood's version of it with a bit more realism courtesy of Wilder and Hitchcock)of life in a small town during the 40's. It's one of Hitchcock's early American masterpieces (along with the wonderful Notorious).

The transfer looks pretty good overall. There are some minor issues with edge enhancement but the overall look of the film is very clean considering the age of the negative. It's a pity that so many Hitchcock films are spread over so many studios. Shadow would work well in a boxed set with Strangers on a Train and even Rear Window.

Charlie, think. How much do you know about your uncle?
Having just watched Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943) last night for the first time, I was surprised at how good it was, and why I've never seen it before. I mean, I am a fan of Hitchcock, and I've seen many of his movies, but to have heard so little of this particular film seems puzzling to me, as it's an excellent film, and worthy of a lot more recognition than it seems to have gotten. Either that or I just need to get out of my cookie jar more often...

Anyway, the film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by Thornton Wilder, stars a wonderful cast including Teresa Wright, who appeared with Gary Cooper the previous year in The Pride of the Yankees (1942), Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane, The Third Man), and Henry Travers (High Sierra, Mrs. Miniver, It's a Wonderful Life). Also making an appearance is Hume Cronyn making his film debut in a supporting role as a mousy neighbor.

The story involves a family in a small California town, and the impending arrival of a relative, Charlie (Cotten), from back east. Most anticipatory is younger Charlie (Wright), named after her uncle, as she feels a deep, almost telepathic connection to this man she hasn't seen in quite awhile. Now, before Charlie's departure for California, we get a general sense of unease, as it seems Charlie is involved in something of a sinister nature. Upon arriving in California, the visit seems to be going well, as the family welcomes him with open arms, but soon we learn that trouble has followed Charlie in the form of two rather shady individuals who present themselves with a certain amount of deception, which is elaborated on later. The older Charlie's behavior begins to change subtly, perceptible only to the younger Charlie and us, the audience. As various bits of information are disseminated, the younger Charlie's begins to realize that her uncle may harbor a terrible secret that could tear apart the very fabric of her family. As her uncle's slick veneer is slowly peeled away, she eventually learns the truth, with the older Charlie realizing that the relative safety he sought in coming to stay with his sister and her family is in jeopardy. What lengths will he go to to protect himself from his past?

The film starts out very slowly, but it's obviously deliberate, as the sense of dread within the viewer is cultivated in meticulous fashion. This seems a common tactic with Hitchcock, but I did get the feeling it was more drawn out here than in most of his other films. The pacing felt very similar to Rebecca, another Hitchcock film, which was released in 1940, but while that film had a much more grandiose feel to it, this film keeps things fairly simple, which really works well. There is a good amount of leaving the viewer in the dark within the first hour or so of the film, but when the secrets of the character is revealed, the plot points prior to this fall into place nicely, making sense of these once less meaningful elements. Teresa Wright's character is wonderful as the perceptive and intelligent niece forced to make a very difficult decision between her family and her uncle, trying to deal with the consequences of whatever path she chooses. Cotten is the real standout performance in the film, presenting a very likeable character, with a highly polished exterior, but an exterior you learn is barely hiding a very ugly and, ultimately, dangerous core. He figuratively becomes the fox in the hen house, as his sinister nature encroaches upon this quiet, unassuming community. As I said before, the pacing is pretty slow, picking up moderately within the last 30 minutes (it has a running time of 108 minutes) to a very suitable and satisfying ending, one that provides a nice jolt during an already tense scene.

The print provided by Universal for this release looks very good, despite a few hardly noticeable signs of age and wear. Special features include a featurette on the making of the film, detailing why Hitchcock considered this to be one of his favorite movies he made, production notes, drawings and photographs, recommendations (to other Hitchcock films), and a theatrical trailer for the film. All in all, and excellent, if underrated, Hitchcock classic.

Cookieman108

What a Film!!!
It is sad that Santa Rosa, Ca. doesn't look like this today,but this film almost foretells the waiting, looming changes that we were about to face in our land, both to our lifestyle and our environment. Never more relevant than now.Hitchcock captured the essence of a wonderful and, now, nostalgic time in America as no one else, before or after.

5 star movie ...
While the film itself is absolutely brilliant, 'Shadow of a Doubt' loses a star for being a disappointing DVD. Considering this film was always hailed as being Hitchcock's favorite, I'm really surprised that Universal didn't roll out the red carpet when it came to the disc's bonus features.

I completely expected to see the same TLC that made the 'Rear Window', 'Vertigo', and 'Psycho' DVDs such an education to watch. Instead Universal didn't even seem to think 'Shadow of a Doubt' warranted a simple wide-screen format.

I loved the film and will always think of it as one of my favorites among Hitch's works. I can't help but to be disappointed that it seemed to fall to the way-side when it came to the attention I felt it should have commanded in its reproduction and formatting though.

I'll Go With the Masses on This One
No question about it: this one of Hitchcock's best, and it ought to be a lot better known.

There's some truth in the contention that much of Hitchcock's work is based on flimsy plotting, gimmickry, and attractive stick figures racing from one scene to the next just a step ahead of sense or logic. This is easily seen even in much-admired films like "North by Northwest".

But "Shadow of a Doubt" (along with "Vertigo" and the first half of "Psycho") gives the lie to the claim that this was all there was to Hitchcock. This is a film in which every turn of the narrative is governed by the development of character, as a girl matures from giddy teenager to strong (and even deadly) young woman while grappling with the knowledge that her beloved uncle is a serial killer.

The acting is uniformly outstanding. Cotten is in full lounge-lizard mode here--nobody ever enunciated a perfectly-balanced sentence with more venom. Hume Cronyn plays a neighborhood geek almost--but not quite--to the point of parody. But it's Teresa Wright who takes the prize here. Wright was a pleasant but unremarkable presence in a number of films, but in "Doubt" she really shows what she was capable of. Consider the expression on her face as she descends the stairs in the climactic scene, and how easy it would have been to overplay it.

Perhaps it was the influence of Wilder (though his biographers state that he actually didn't really do much work on the picture), but "Shadow of a Doubt" is one film in which the master outdid himself, stepping beyond the limits of entertainment into something approaching art. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Paul Newman plays a racecar driver, Frank Capua, who steps out of his professionaland personal isolation long enough to marry a single mother, Elora (JoanneWoodward). The two have a brief but happy life together with Elora's13-year-old son, Charley (Richard Thomas), but it comes to an end when Frankgoes back on the racing circuit and Elora assuages her loneliness in the armsof her husband's chief rival, Luther (Robert Wagner). Frank checks out, and Charley travels across the country to find him and effect a reconciliation. Atouching movie (with some good racing footage) by director James Goldstone, Winning is about the real pain of people who have become used to acertain way of safe, arm's-length living, and who have to learn to get beyondit to find redemption in love and faith. Good performances by Newman, Woodward, and Thomas, who makes a terrific impression in one of his earliest roles. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Marry in Haste.....
"Crime of Passion" is a solid basic film noir. It lacks much of the dark exteriors, night shots, strange camera angles and gloomy interiors of a complete noir film but this is still the real thing. Barbara Stanwyck is a successful newspaper columnist in San Francisco. She impulsively marries an L.A. cop, Sterling Hayden. The suddenness of the marriage might signal some future "problems". The newlyweds settle down to a neat little suburban house, which would appear right at home on an "Ozzie and Harriet" set. Hayden is happy as a clam but not the Mrs! She wants more! She quickly becomes bored with the stilted little dinner parties and catty gossip of the other police wives. Who could blame her! Then Stanwyck over reaches! She has an affair with her hubby's boss. The intent was getting him a promotion. The guy is none other than Raymond Burr, the soon to be Perry Mason of 50s TV fame. Can we imagine Perry getting involved with a hot girl like Barbara? This reviewer is straining not to give away the ending, so I'll just reveal that matters start to unravel. At least one person winds up dead! The gossip columnist is out of her league. Her ploy does not exactly work. The hard-nosed ending is quite satisfying and in line with 40s and 50s cop/noir films. A star is subtracted for the rather sudden "resolution". 2 final notes: True crime fans may be appalled at one especially egregious example of shoddy police work. Does anyone remember the term "protection of evidence"? No wonder O.J. walked 35 years later! Silver and Ward's "Film Noir" states that CP was a prime example of the "malaise infecting suburbia" in the 1950s. While that does not apply to Hayden it certainly does to his conniving spouse. If only she had stayed in San Francisco!

"I hope all your socks have holes in them."
In the film "Crime of Passion", tough, successful career woman Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) abandons her newspaper column and a prestigious new job to marry LA police detective Bill Doyle (Sterling Hayden). She imagines a life of domestic bliss, and soon she's living in suburbia--along with all the other detectives' wives. Doyle is happy plodding along in his career, but Kathy really can't stand the life she finds herself in. The Doyle's social life is composed of dreary evenings with Doyle's co-workers. The men play card games, and the women chatter on about inane subjects. While no unpleasant words exit from the mouths of the detectives' wives, it's quite clear that a strict social hierarchy exists. In particular, one wife, Sara Alidos, is all too happy to carry on at length about her intimate friendship with the Police Commissioner Pope (Raymond Burr) and his wife. Kathy really doesn't belong with these other wives. Try as she might, she just doesn't fit in, and her own lack of conformity drives Kathy to the brink of a breakdown.

But then Kathy has an idea. In Kathy's mind, her husband is superior to the other detectives, and she is cleverer than the rest of the wives. And so Kathy sets out to use her brain to promote her dullard of a husband through whatever means are necessary.

Barbara Stanwyck is excellent in the role of Kathy--a woman who gives up her career and lives to regret it. Kathy is hard and tough, but when she meets Bill, she gives into romance, and in her case, this is a big mistake. Bill Doyle is a good, hard-working man, but Kathy doesn't respect him. Raymond Burr as Pope is the man who sees past Kathy's persona and sees the conniving woman underneath.

"Crime of Passion" contains some extremely interesting comments especially about the roles of women in the 50s. Some of the scenes and comments in the beginning of the film were very revealing. However, I don't think the film went quite far enough with Kathy's character, and so, ultimately, the film was a little disappointing. But for film noir fans, this is a film worth watching--displacedhuman

WHAT SCHEMES MAY COME....
Neat, tidy little B-picture about a woman who tries to push her husband up the ladder of success only to have it backfire on her. San Francisco newspaper writer Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) meets and quickly marries macho LA detective Bill Doyle (Sterling Hayden) and finds herself plopped down in the middle of suburbia. This is all well and good until she finds her role relegated to the living room with the brainless other wives while the "boys" play poker in the kitchen. Being from a newspaper, she's used to being one of the boys and not one of the "little women". She finally snaps after one too many of these evenings and starts scheming to move her husband up in the department so she can be proud of him and mingle intelligently with the upper crust where she feels they belong. Her plans go beautifully until she runs up against her biggest obstacle, Bill's boss police chief Raymond Burr. They become close and one night he shows up at Kathy's while Bill's away and confides that he needs to retire and is looking for a replacement. Kathy siezes the opportunity to sell Bill as the replacement and commits the ultimate sacrifice via a one-night-stand with Burr thinking she's cinched the "deal" for Bill. But Burr has other plans---leaving Kathy horrified and guilty over what she's done. Her next move will be murder. Stanwyck always excelled at portraying strong, driven, ambitious women and Kathy is no exception. But the film has an obvious feminist slant unusual for the time. The director and Stanwyck make it clear what motivates Kathy and why she she goes over the edge. She loves her husband enough to go all out for him but smart enough to know that she will benefit too. She's too strong a woman to just sit around and mindlessly gossip over dresses, diets and phony aspirations. Her aspirations are real because she knows what she wants for herself and her husband. And it doesn't include cream cheese and olives. For Stanwyck fans, this is an interesting addition to her gallery of headstrong women with an agenda. It's not a "great" film but it's good and worth watching.

Criminal Intent
This movie might have single-handedly brought on woman's lib. When middle-aged San Francisco reporter Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) meets hunky middle-aged LA cop (Sterling Hayden), she chucks her career for love. This lands her in the San Fernando Valley in the dining room listening to the unbearably grating chatter of her husband's cop buddies wives. Naturally, this drives Kathy completely bonkers (If I heard the words "cream cheese and olive" one more time, I might have gone bonkers with her), and she becomes determined to get her husband to the top at any cost! Naturally, mayhem ensues.

This movie is only saved by the performance given by Barbara Stanwyck. She manages to make Kathy Ferguson a real person; she shows the real longing, desire (Barbara eyes Sterling Hayden like the prime slab 'o beef he is, and makes her intentions very clear), and smarts this woman has, and how frustration at being sidelined by society can bring out fierce competition in someone (today she'd be called manic-depressive). What's funniest about this movie is that it's so subversive. On the surface, we are supposed to be shocked, shocked I tell you, that Kathy does what she does in the name of her husband's career. On the other hand, life in the valley in the 50's is painted as so soul-destroyingly vapid, you wonder how she managed not to go on a killing spree. A really seldom seen gem that any fan of film noir should check out.

crime of passion
Good Noir. Good Stanwyck. Middle-aged love affair that goes wrong. What can happen to someone from San Francisco, if they move to LA. Well the valley that is. Stanwyck plays Kathy Ferguson, a reporter for a major newspaper who gets married, and has only one ambition, to make her husband move up in the ranks of the LA police Dept. And she will do anything to do it. You know there will be trouble. The acting is crisp and the pace is quick and watchable. I beleive Raymond Burr gets his only screen kiss that I know of. Fay Wray is terrific in a supportive role. Its great to see her and Stanwyck together.

Watch this with chips and CreamCheese and Olive dip. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Two worthwhile Robert Quarry films on one DVD
Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)

Written and directed by Bob Kelljan (The Return of Count Yorga, Scream Blacula Scream), Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), aka The Loves of Count Iorga (not a misspelling) stars Robert Quarry (Madhouse, Rollercoaster), Roger Perry (Roller Boogie), and Michael Murphy (Cloak & Dagger).Also appearing is Michael Macready (Terror House), Edward Walsh (Hard Times, Let It Ride), and George Macready, as the narrator (he actually appears in the sequel in a memorable scene as an oddball professor).

After some expository sequences, we go to a séance in progress, being conducted by Count Yorga, who, if you're familiar with the title of the movie, is a vampire. He ends up secretly putting the whammy on one of the women present, and then gets a ride home from a couple in their VW minibus...I have to say, it was kind of funny seeing this young couple and the aristocratic, sophisticated Count crammed into the front bench seat of a minibus. Anyway, the couple drops the Count off after declining his offer to come into his home, and they get stuck in some mud along the Count's long driveway. This starts a five-minute discussion about mud. Where did the mud come from? How did we miss it come in? How come the rest of the ground is dry? Blah, blah, blah...it's scenes like this that really dragged this movie down. I guess, among the Count's other supernatural powers, creating wind and lighting, manipulating objects with his mind, mind control over animals and humans, super natural strength, he can also create mud.As the movie progresses, the Count takes a couple of women (Count Yorga needs women!) in the way vampires do, and the men begin to suspect something is wrong, and whatever it is, it's directly linked to Count Yorga. They start throwing around the theory of vampirism, with some willing to believe once offered proof, while others refuse to accept even the possibility as they think the idea is purely a work of fiction. After much goofy dialogue, two of the men decide to take matters into their own hands and try to sneak into the castle and convince themselves that Count Yorga is a vampire. They take along a female character, as they fear to leave her alone (great idea, take her into the lair of a suspected vampire). If they are able to confirm that Count Yorga is a vampire, they intend to kill him, and their friends who have been turned, as there is no cure for bloodsucking other than a wooden stake in the heart...the last twenty minutes or so things the pace picks up pretty well, as the two men confront Count Yorga and his brides from hell. And how could I write a review about this movie without mentioning Brudah, the Count's mostly mute, brutish servant? Oh man, he is good for a few laughs...he walks around the entire movie looking like a transported cavemen in a bad sport coat and tie. I kept injecting my own lines for poor Brudah when he had none...I imagined when he spoke, each sentence would be preceded by his own name..."Brudah want woman"..."Brudah drive car"..."Brudah need shave"....

The dialog throughout the movie is rather clunky but oddly realistic at times. The actor playing Count Yorga, Robert Quarry, was the highlight of the movie, really getting into the part creating a truly believable and scary character. I vaguely recognized him, but then remembered seeing him in Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972). The direction was decent, but got annoying at times, especially during scenes with conversation, as the director would make many needless cuts back and forth between characters, sometimes showing the back of a character who was speaking... there was some blood and one scene in particular, with a cat, that was pretty ugly. The one actor most will probably recognize in this film is Michael Murphy, who played the mayor in Batman Returns (1992) and has been in a few Woody Allen movies like Manhattan (1979) and The Front (1976). All in all, I thought this was a very decent, low budget affair, much better than I would have expected.


The Return of Count Yorga (1971)

I guess we shouldn't have counted this Count out after the pervious film...you can always `count' on the Count to make a comeback...the Count was counted, but not counted out...okay, I suppose that's enough...as most of us probably know, vampires are among one of the most difficult creatures in Hollywood to destroy, and even then there's no guarantee they won't find some way to return...especially if there's money to be made...co-written and directed by Bob Kelljan (Count Yorga, Vampire, Scream Blacula Scream), the film stars Robert Quarry (Agent for H.A.R.M., Deathmaster), reprising his role, and a young Mariette Hartley (Marnie, Marooned).Also appearing is Roger Perry, who appeared in the first movie, but as a different character, Yvonne Wilder (Seems Like Old Times), Tom Toner (Splash), Rudy De Luca (High Anxiety), George Macready (Tora! Tora! Tora!), Edward Walsh (Count Yorga, Vampire), and Craig T. Nelson (Stir Crazy, Poltergeist) in his silver screen debut.

So what's the story?Well, after two and a half minutes of credits overlaid on a montage consisting on viewing various rooms in a large house (including a coffin room) we meet Cynthia (Hartley) a young woman who works at an orphanage near her family's residence in the remote northern California countryside.After scenes of something stirring from the ground in nearby cemetery, we then go to the orphanage where a costume ball/fundraiser is occurring, and we get to meet Cynthia's family (don't get used to them), along with her fiancé David (Perry).Count Yorga (Quarry) crashes the party and finds himself enamored with Cynthia, so much so he pretty much kidnaps her later on, after having his minions deal with her family, and spirits her off to his spacious abode, where he puts some sort of mind whammy on her so that she'll forget what just happened.From here David becomes suspicious at the disappearance of Cynthia and her family, begins investigating, getting the police involved, specifically two detectives played by De Luca and Nelson, who've been investigating a recent spate of brutal murders involving throats being torn out.Initially they're all a bit skeptical, but they soon learn the vampire's greatest weapon is the generally held belief that they don't exist...

I thought The Return of Count Yorga was a very decent film...it didn't really seem like a continuation from the first film, but more like an `ongoing adventures' kind of thing.The main reason to watch this, as with the first, is for Robert Quarry.The man has a real charismatic onscreen presence, and delivers his lines in the manner of a classically trained actor, with a lot less pomposity, and is just entertaining to watch.One of my favorite scenes is near the beginning, when Yorga meets everyone at the costume ball, him showing up in his `Countly' gear and replying in an appropriately sophisticated manner to some of the more crass individuals.Yorga seems to have dropped the slightly hippish clothing from the last film adopting a more loungish attire, including a red velour tuxedo complete with matching bow tie...stylin'! (never fear, as he still dons the cape)This sequel also brings back the Count's disfigured manservant Brudah (Walsh), who's also looking quite dapper in his dirt brown double breasted suit, perfect attire for dealing with trespassers or disposing bodies in the swampy bog behind the house...and speaking of the house, Yorga's crib is large and spacious, but the pool needs a little work.Overall the story is on the slow side during the first half, but does pick up later on, building to a climatic ending.Some other great parts to keep an eye out for are the scenes involving the detectives in Yorga's house, and when Yorga attacks...

Both these films, on one dual sided DVD, are presented in very good-looking anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and feature clean Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio tracks.Special features are limited to a theatrical trailer for each film.Now that Sony has bought up the MGM catalog, the fate of Midnite Movies seems uncertain. I hope they continue on releasing these lesser known films in this economical `twofer' format, as I will keep buying them.

Cookieman108

Sorely Underrated Vampire Flicks!
Wow! These movies are amazing! COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE was one of the best modern-day vampire movies ever made! Robert Quarry is excellent as the bloodsucker who uses hypnosis, a dry wit, and a harem of female vampires. And woe be unto those who try to get in his way! The humor in this film is another asset, with lines like "I'm the 47th nut to report a vampire." RETURN OF COUNT YORGA is even better, with more witty dialogue and even scarier moments than the original. And Mariette Hartley, as the prospective bride, is superb!

I've noticed that Count Yorga is kind of like Charles Manson. Watch the scene in RETURN where his harem slaughter Hartley's family. It reminds me of the murder of Sharon Tate in the way that the female followers kill under the influence of the Count. Yorga more or less brainwashes his victims in the same vein of Manson's influence on his "flower children." And both films end with a real jolt! I really can't go into detail about the endings, just watch it! Obviously a major influence on Joss Whedon. And best of all, you get both movies on a 2-sided disc! Go seek out the Count for yourself!

The full monty!
May I be the first to come out of the closet and say I'm an unabashed Yorga fan. I could have said coffin but that would have been too obvious. Instead I risk aspersions on my sexuality. That's the kind of cutting edge guy I am.

Yes, these two films are great. 'Return' is my favourite. The first is more horror, the second more played for laughs. Count Yorga is something of a tragic figure, his hubris not only destroying those around him, but also himself. But we're not talking Tolstoy here. This is inspired tosh of the first order. The count is a natty dresser with a nice line in dry sarcasm and aristocratic disdain, although never at the expense of good manners. He is a gentlemen who likes to get to the point quickly. "Dr Baldwin, you are going to die. You are going to die a most horrible death. You've been a fool, doctor, and now you are to die!" Yes, he got the point, I would say. Something to do with imminent extinction, perhaps? But the best line belongs to a co-star of his. "Dr Hayes, what an unexpected surprise" - "Yes, so much so that I almost had a massive coronry!"

Robert Quarry speculated what a third sequel might have looked like had it seen the light of day (unlike Yorga himself.) Apparently Yorga was to have fallen on lean times and been down with the street homeless. The mind, as they say, boggles!

Combined, this must get the full five stars. Favourite bits: when Yorga attacks! ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Badder and better
Unlike Vincent Price's the Fly and Dr. Goldfoot, this time the second one is better. The deformed and demented doctor is back to try and revive his beloved wife (Caroline Munro in an uncredited, non-speaking role). Instead of the revenge plot from the first film, this one has Phibes in a race with Biederbeck (Robert Quarry) to see who can find way to the river of life. This dark comedy is just a little better than the first due to a more interesting plot and a stronger supporting cast, although Peter Cushing only has a couple of lines and is still billed third. Price seems to really enjoy himself in the Phibes role and Robert Quarry is a very worthy advisary. In the late 60's -early 70's, Vincent Price did some really weak films like Scream and Scream again, the Oblong box and Cry of the Banshee that gave him top billing but gave him very little to do. So, it was great that he got to revive his horror career by doing some fine films like the the two Dr. Phibes films and Theater of Blood.

Excellent sequel to "The Abominable Dr. Phibes"
Vincent Price returns as Dr. Anton Phibes is this competent sequel, which has Phibes traveling to Egypt to get an elixer that will bring his deceased wife back to life. Phibe's antagonist Biederbeck (Robert Quarry) is also in search of the miracle drug. Phibes proceeds the eliminate the competition by picking off Biederbeck's crew with a grisly relish. Lots of fun that does justice to the original.

Give It To Me Straight Doctor, I Can Take It!
Yes, the good doctor (Vincent Price) has risen again, just as diabolical, just as obsessed with his beautiful, dead wife Victoria. He is now trying to get her to Egypt, where he plans on taking her down the secret "river of life" for her complete resurrection! Accompanied by the ever silent Vulnavia (Valli Kemp), Phibes must compete with archeologist / eternal-life seeker Beiderbeck (Robert "Count Yorga" Quarry) in a race to the land of the pharaohs for the expected murder-fest, and ultimate showdown. Lots of laughs and killings-a-plenty in this near perfect Phibes phollow up! Highly recommended...

Not quite as good as the original
The beauty of the original Dr. Phibes movie was that while the plot was fantastic and Phibe's schemes convoluted and almost impossible to pull off, there was always the sense that given a driven and malignant enough intelligence they could (emphasis on could) have happened. In other words in real life there could have been Dr. Phibes-like murders. In the second Phibes film, all pretense of reality is stripped away and the fantastic is embraced. The plot being that Phibes is racing against Robert Quarry's Biederbeck to locate the river of life in order to revive his long dead (yet remarkably perserved) wife, Regina. Whereas in the original, Phibes is merely out to avenge her 'murder' by killing the operating team that tried to save Regina's life. This is not to say this makes for a bad film, it just seems a little diminished when weighed against the original. Just how likely is that a man who can figure out how to survive years entombed with embalming fluid in his veins could not save his wife's life? And what exactly is Phibe's relationship with the conveinently ressurected Vulnavia? How is it that Phibe's tomb was never discovered but his safe was found and the house above him was completly leveled?

That being said, Dr. Phibes Rises Again is one heck of a fun, twisted movie to watch. Vincent Price is again at his campiest and the retro/deco sets are glorious to behold. Even the Egyptian sets are gorgeous and the outrageous props (like the elaborate tuba Phibes carts all the way to Egypt or his standard automated musicians) just add to the outlandish fun.

A number of the character actors from the original make appearances in this second installment including the dogged Inspector Trout and his bewildered Scottland Yard superior. Terry Thomas makes another cameo as a ocean liner booking agent (vs. his eventually bloodless Dr. Longstreet) and there is a wonderfull small appearance by Peter Cushing as an ocean liner captain.

Robert Quarry as Phibe's nemesis is as fun to watch as Price himself. Biederbeck's callous and casual egotism is almost as dehumanizing as Phibe's disregard for all those who get in his way (and many who don't). Phibe's dispatching of his victims is as vicious and mean spirited as in the original. His murder of Biederbeck's mute manservant is particularly innovative.

All in all this is a horror movie that is great fun not overly gory and outshines most of the horror films that followed it. There are plenty of humorous moments in the movie (most at the expense of the Scotland Yard detectives) to break up Phibe's sadistic scenes. The plot is somewhat plodding but lets be honest you don't watch Vincent Price horror films for Oscar quality plot elements (though the Phibes' plots are arguably more complex than say, Titanic's). You watch to see Price the horror master at work and he certainly earned his keep on this film.

oh no...you better watch out!!
You have to have seen the first film, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes", to really understand the "good" doctor's madness in his quest to find the river of life in Egypt. Phibes is totally dedicated to restoring life to his beloved wife, Victoria. So dedicated that he kills people who get in his way. In the first film he murders a lot of doctors and in this one he kills archeologists who are working for Biederbeck {he's played by Robert Quarry, the man who AIP was secretly planning to become their new horror star because Vincent was getting old and AIP felt that audience would turn away from an old man}. Biederbeck has a secret and he too is kept alive with serum but unlike Dr. Phibes, Biederbeck wants to find the youth river for himself. Phibes finds this apalling and he tricks Biederbeck into giving him back a key that unlocks the gate blocking the river of youth (it's in the bottom of a pyramid and resembles more like a stream than a river). Phibes paddles himself and the dead Victoria through the gates of life as Biederbeck slumps over watching the two sail off. Biederbeck's wife says something like "it's not the end of the world" and then we see Biederbeck turn into his true 110 year old self! The police force are once again on hand for comic relief (Inspector Trout and his superior are hilarious). This sequel is just as great as the 1971 original. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Eyes Like Hot Coals...Fangs Like Razors!
After great success in the title roles of the AIP films Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), and The Return of Count Yorga (1971), Robert Quarry appeared yet again as a vampire in a non-AIP film, as Khorda, in Deathmaster (1972), which didn't sit well with AIP as they thought it too closely resembled the Count Yorga character, and they eventually secured the rights to the film, giving it a very limited release, subsequently banishing it to late night television limbo...until now...

The film, directed by actor, later turned director, Ray Danton, seems to attempt to capitalize on the success of the Yorga films, along with the notoriety stemming from the Manson family crimes of a few years earlier. As the film's credits begin, displaying the title 'eathmaste' (obviously the film was originally released in wide screen format, but is presented in full screen format here), we see an odd looking fellow (we later learn his name is Barbado) in the dunes on a beach, as he begins playing a flute (I think the movie is supposed to take place in California). After a few moments of this, a coffin floats towards the beach, and is found by a surfer walking along the beach (leave it be, dude). He pulls it further on shore, opens it (good idea), and gets attacked by Barbado, who snuck up behind him, which I thought was a pretty good trick as the guy's wearing a lot of jingly jangly jewelry around his neck, which tends to make a lot of noise. Barbado dispatches the surfer, hoists the coffin, and lugs it back to his pick-up truck.

Cut to what appears to be some sort of hippie festival in its' final days. Here we meet Pico (Bill Ewing), Rona (Brenda Dickson), and Pop, played by popular character actor John Fielder, who, among other roles, does the voice for Piglet on the Winnie the Pooh cartoons). They have a run-in with a just arrived biker, Monk (William Jordan) and his old lady, Esslin (Betty Ann Rees). Pico uses kung fu on Monk (which is the only time he uses it...I was looking forward to a kung fu fight with a vampire), but as the heat show up (a policeman), all four book it for a funky mansion in the hills where a whole group of hippies seem to have taken up residence. It's peace, love, and a whole lot of smokin' of things probably not legal. Around this time Khorda (Quarry) makes his appearance, and proceeds to blow these young bloods' minds, spewing a bunch of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, but coming from Quarry, in his rich, aristocratic tones, it's pretty sweet to the ears, and he quickly enthralls the doped up hippies. He soon departs, despite the young hippies pleas (always leave 'em wanting more), but he'll be back, as we get a sense that he was just priming them for the big show. And he does come back, encouraging them to clean the mansion, and clean their souls (whatever that means). Monk, not buying into any of what he calls a 'freak show', decides to go off to town for 'whiskey and a steak', leaving his old lady Esslin in Khorda's clutches, which he soon reveals his true nature, attacking and turning her into a creature of the night.

The weirdness continues, and Pico decides it's time to split. He tells Rona to get her stuff, but they get sidetracked and Pico gets chained up in some caves underneath the house, and Barbado captures Rona after she find the shackled Pico. Pico manages to slip out of his bondage, as the chains were never really fastened or anything (good job Barbado) and finds Khorda's coffin in a cave within the catacombs, along with a bowl of leeches (!?). Pico then manages to escape out to the beach, and makes his way back to Pop to relate his terror-filled tale. Pop doesn't believe Pico's story, but then Pop's dog gets bitten by a vampire and dies (oh bruther) and now, as the Monkees put it, 'I'm a believer'. They do some research, infiltrate the mansion, and witness a black ceremony. This sets up the final confrontation and the rather downbeat, yet oddly satisfying, ending more common with movies throughout the 70's.

Okay, the only real reason to watch this film is for Robert Quarry. Despite the complete schlockiness of the production, Quarry puts on a great show, creating a suave, charismatic veneer that conceals a terrifying monster. His dialogue comes across smoothly, entrancing the hippies like some kind of Svengali, as they willingly accept his 'gift'. The story is very loose, creating gigantic plot holes, and character development is virtually non-existent. The dialog is pretty lame, and most of the other acting beside Quarry is bargain basement stuff, along with the extremely dated wardrobe (I swear the fabric that made up Quarry's robe was from my grandma's old couch). The pacing throughout did slow noticeably at times, making me think the director was padding the film a bit, filling out the 88 minute run time. Quarry's vampire makeup was actually better than I expected, presenting a pretty scary visage when in vampire mode.

Retromedia Entertainment presents a better than average quality of full screen print here, and a load of extras including a commentary track (pretty rare for a Retromedia release) by Fred Olin Ray and Robert Quarry, still galleries, trailers for this and some other Robert Quarry films, and television commercials and radio spots featuring Quarry. The special features seem to present more of a homage to Quarry rather than focusing on the film, but given that Quarry more or less made the movie watchable, that's not a bad thing. Fans of Quarry won't be disappointed. I guess if I learned anything from this movie, it's that vampires like to keep a bowl of water full of leeches next to their coffin. Why? Kindred spirits, I guess...

Cookieman108

Cheesmaster! Recently Resurrected on DVD
If you're a fan of vampire movies in general, then you're probably familiar with the Count Yorga films, which would mean that you are also at least somewhat familiar with Robert Quarry.

In my opinion, with the possible exceptions of Frank Langella (Dracula -1979), and Richard Lynch (Vampire - 1979), Robert Quarry brought the dapper, aristocratic, unrepentant vampire to the screen like none other. And while I would credit Christopher Lee with the definitive screen portrayal of Dracula himself, Lee was more a character of mysterious menace rather than the more personable yet just-as-menacing vampires brought to life by Langella, Lynch, and Quarry.

After the enormous success of Quarry's "Count Yorga, Vampire" at the box-office, he signed up for something of a departure from the proper, Bulgarian count that he had previously portrayed. The storyline that was eventually decided upon by Quarry and others, called for him to portray an ancient, evil vampire who interposes himself into the troubled world of a group of youthful hippies, earns their trust with various philosophical manipulations and sheer force of personality, and eventually attempts to turn them all into a coven of the undead.

Faced with lawsuits over similarities to "Count Yorga, Vampire," the producers of "Deathmaster" were forced to sell their work to American International Pictures, which released it to a minimum of screens in order to recoup costs, and then promptly buried it. Deathmaster made appearances on television throughout the 70's and 80's, and then seemed to vanish from the airwaves. I myself caught it in the 80's on Count Gore DeVol's "Creature Feature" program on Channel 20 in the Washington DC area, and always wondered what became of it.

For those of you who have posted here, as well as others who may have wondered what happened to this bit of 70's horror cheese, fear not! It was resurrected on DVD in September, 2002, and is now available for purchase for the first time in the U.S. This DVD is packed, too. It features a theatrical trailer, radio spots, film commentary with Robert Quarry (and, I believe, the director...), scene selection, etc. Beware of one thing in regard to this DVD though: my copy says "widescreen" on the DVD snap-case, but the film is actually presented in full screen format, which would be fine except for that fact that it cuts the title credits off a bit. DEATHMASTER becomes EATHMASTE. Otherwise the DVD transfer is excellent. Others I know actually do have widescreen versions. My copy must have been an error of some type.

For the uninitiated, this film is indeed a prime sampling of 70's horror cheese, but Robert Quarry gives his usual stand-out performance as Khourda, the millennia-old vampire who has come to corrupt and prey upon our modern, wayward youths. This film features a big, lovin' spoonful of hippie-dom, hippie-music, etc., and is quite amusing at the very least. But Quarry's performance is very well done indeed, and is worth the price alone. Feel free to give the rest a healthy dose of the MST-3000 treatment though.

Contents: Minimal blood, minimal language, moderate violence, no sexual scenes, one brief glimpse of partial nudity (girl, from the back). Rating: 3 out of 4. Quarry's performance is excellent, the movie is just plain fun, and the DVD quality/extras are excellent.

Best Retromedia DVD yet for campy but fun Quarry shocker
My experience with Retromedia DVDs has been pretty spotty, and I had never seen Deathmaster before buying this, so I'm glad to say I'm very pleased on both counts. Deathmaster was concocted as an indie production by Quarry and actor/first-time director Ray Danton to cash in on the huge success of AIP's Count Yorga: Vampire and make a subtle comment on the then-recent Manson family murders. AIP chief Sam Arkoff, angered by Quarry's swift and bold move, threatened a lawsuit, eventually buying the picture and giving it a very limited release. After a run on TV in the '70s it disappeared, never available on video. The movie starts with a surfer finding the coffin of Khorda (Quarry) washed ashore, but he's soon dispatched by Khorda's creepy flute-playing henchman Barbado. We're then introduced to the main characters, a bunch of disaffected but 'lovable' guitar-strumming Hollywoodized 'hippies' squatting in a huge old mansion who smoke lots of weed, run from 'the heat,' sing dippy inspirational folk songs, and use lots of hilarious sixties jargon. (The main folksinging hippie is a nearly unrecognizable Bobby 'Boris' Pickett of Monster Mash fame.) Khorda just sort of shows up in their midst, spouting existentialist/cosmic mumbo-jumbo (some of it improvised by Quarry) that the simple-minded flower children instantly 'groove' to even though they have no idea what he's talking about. Only biker dude Monk (whose iron cross repels Khorda) is skeptical, and bolts in search of whiskey and steak, leaving girlfriend Esslin to be seduced/attacked later by the vampiric 'guru.' The other hippies are so inspired by Khorda's rhetoric that they clean up their pad and start digging lame muzak, co-written by Ray Conniff (!!) and Pickett. Despite their copious herbal consumption these hippies apparently don't believe in free love: the guys and gals retire to separate quarters at night! Monk returns, is promptly dispatched by Khorda, and, inexplicably, everyone except 'gung fu' practicing hero Pico (who's hair looks like a really fake wig but is apparently his own) and heroine Rona go into a mystical dance-trance while Barbado plays congas (unconvincingly) and Khorda mingles. Pico and Rona try to escape the house, but are captured by Barbado, though Pico eventually gets away to seek help from balding serape-wearing hippie entrepreneur Pop (John Fiedler, ubiquitous professional milquetoast character actor and voice of piglet in the Walt Disney Winnie the Pooh cartoons). Pop just happens to have one of those old occult books (in paperback!) that explains what's going on (with handy pictures of the amulets the newly-baptized vampire cult are wearing). They mount their assault on Khorda and his minions with mallets and broom-handle stakes, and the movie finishes with one of those typically '70s 'shock/twist' endings and the only moment of actual 'special effects' in the picture. Amazingly, despite being surrounded by some really bad acting and dated dialogue, Quarry acquits himself quite admirably, creating a fairly menacing, believable character (ignoring of course all the psychobabble he's given to mouth). He looks great in an assortment of groovy custom-made robes, is occasionally introduced by sitar licks on the soundtrack, and has the same multi-pointed fangs as in Count Yorga (although everyone else is stuck with obvious dime-store 'goofy teeth'). There is no real nudity and minimal gore, even for 1972 (though the leeches are a nice, if unexplained, touch). The plot has its holes, and the relentless hippie-ness gives the film a goofy, campy aura, but Danton keeps the camera and the story moving so its quite enjoyable, never boring, and worth it for Quarry's magnetic performance and a few effectively creepy sequences. A little-seen treat for all Yorga/Quarry fans or anyone who loves the old AIP drive-in sleaze in general.
Fortunately, Fred Olen Ray/Retromedia have actually done a surprisingly decent job in rescuing this from rights-issues limbo. The print is very clean, with virtually no spotting or other damage, and matted to 1.85:1 (although it looks a little closer 1.75:1 or so to me). The color is not spectacular but quite serviceable, and isn't going to look any better since the transfer is from the original 35mm camera negative. The black level, brightness, contrast, and detail are all fine, and I didn't notice any artifacting or other weirdness that plagues other Retromedia discs I own (King Dinosaur, Faceless Monster). There are four still galleries: publicity, behind-the-scenes, Quarry portraits, Quarry on stage and screen; 30- and 60-second radio spots for Count Yorga; really scratchy TV promos for Count Yorga and Sugar Hill, a Lucky Strike commercial featuring Quarry, and a classic, funny Shasta orange soda commercial featuring Fiedler and Frankenstein's monster. While these extras are nice and generally well done, the real highlight of the set is Quarry's audio commentary (with Fred Olen Ray, who directed Quarry in dozens of low-budet indies in the 1980s and '90s), which is nearly as entertaining as the feature. Quarry is sophisticated and witty, as expected, providing much interesting behind-the-scenes production info and some amusing anecdotes, with little if any dead air. Finally a Retromedia disc worthy of my unqualified highest recommendation. Get it! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great Flick over priced
If you love this movie don't pay those stupid over blown prices....for Chirst sake this movie is on DVD already at Fred Olen Rays site!!!!

excellent movie
there are horror movies, and there are horror movies. i only wish i could get this on DVD! this movie is so funny, and its supposed to be. its not one of those lame hollywood horror-formula movies, its totally original! check it out!
(Brinke Stevens--the main character--also wrote this!)

Stinky...pew!
I HATED IT. R-E-T-A-R-D-E-D ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Capitol Roger Corman
Another facinating Corman flick features basically a combination of Jackie Chan and hardcore action violence. It also features my favorite actor of all that had ever starred in these type of Corman movie, Rick Dean ("Carnosaur 2 & 3").

good plot bat fights
I liked the ideas this movie was made on. The hero (Don Wilson) is a strong psychic with quick moves. The original idea here is worth a nice smile alone. Unfortunatly due to bad acting and lazy writers the mystery unfolds quickly after the opening credits. They try to have so many mysteries in the movie to keep you intriuged but the puzzles are too easy.

Now before I talk about the fighting which is the meat of these movies I want to say that Don is an excellent fighter with a kickboxing record of 80 and 2, and if I ever met him in a dark ally I'd sing a funeral song for my teethe and ribs.

With that in mind I don't see how the fights can be so bad. They are impractical, slow, poorly acted, and flat out embarrassing. He had a mediocre fight with a bunch of big guys in a bar (these movies always have one fight with big guys in a bar) and the lines are charming somtimes but I have to say that this movie dosn't offer much more than a lot of potential. Don can do anything I can only hope he takes the right script and shows his true skill.

To see him do his thing well check out "virtual fighter" or "ring of fire 1". ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Fun!
I think nobody reviewed the dvd edition yet, so I'll start saying that the anamorphic widescreen transfer is fine, colours are not drab and sharpness is very good. I did not check the full-screen side of the disc.
I'm not sure the movie itself comes out so well but it sure is fun. Jeffrey Hunter playing some kind of part-time detective college professor, glasses and all, is something to be seen. And legendary Mary Astor is always a delight, she only appears in a couple of scenes though. Couldn't this mother/son relationship be a prelude to the one in "Psycho"? And what about killing the leading lady halfway the movie and having her sister investigate her death?
Well, plot holes, stilted directing, goofs (the clouds and the light in the important rooftop scene, obviously shot in different days or perhaps different times of the same day) and all, this is really fun to see (and Robert Wagner is so thin).

KISS BEFORE DYING
Great fun! I enjoyed so much to see Bob Wagner so young and scary. Jeff Hunter's part is so small(sorry!). After all other comments I just want to inform future buyers that the DVD has both versions of the movie (standard and widescreen)something to consider when you still don't have a Widescreen TV but is planning to buy one soon. I had to import a copy once it's not available in my country. Worth every cent. Buy it!

Bollywood Movie "Baazigar" is a remake of this movie
The India based Bollywood Movie "Baazigar" is a remake of this movie...

one of the best books to movies made
I first read this story in a 1972 doubleday mystery volume. When I found it was a movie I was hesitant about watching as most books and movies just don't follow each other closely. This movie certainly does and wow, it is a chiller. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and is well worth watching and reading over and over again. This is a great story by Mr. Levin and movie by the director who made it.

Classic thriller from Gerd Oswald!
"A Kiss Before Dying" is an outstanding thriller with Hitchcock-level suspense courtesy of Gerd Oswald, a director much better known for his TV work on "The Outer Limits" and "Star Trek." Robert Wagner is excellent as a sociopathic killer who carries out the perfect crime but is done in by his own ambition and cleverness. The whole thing could have become ridiculous very easily, owing to certain gaps in story logic, but the dead-serious tone, the fast pacing and editing, and the high artistry of all involved make this a classic, if unusually elegant, piece of film noir. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Dracula legend gets a suavely competent makeover in this 1970 bloodsucker, bringing vampirism to present-day Los Angeles with a harem of semi-clad females and the sharp casting of Robert Quarry in the title role. The film's original title (The Loves of Count Iorga, Vampire) is perhaps more fitting, since it's really about how Quarry--posing as a Bulgarian psychic medium--seduces his female clients into neck-bitten submission. The victims' abandoned boyfriends (including Michael Murphy, who costarred in M*A*S*H the same year) recruit a vampire-hunting doctor (Roger Perry) to track Yorga down (with wooden stakes made from a broomstick, no less), and the body count rises predictably. Dry performances and tepid dialogue don't help much, but the then-modern setting and intelligent plotting make Count Yorga worthy of its 1971 sequel. It's not as stylish as Christopher Lee's Hammer films, but it's certainly not anemic. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A "pop/corn" vampire flick
Okay. So it's probably not the best vampire flick ever made, and it's time of setting does date the film a bit, but it is certainly a standout from a fairly rotten bunch.

It's best feature, is a brilliant performance by Robert Quarry in the lead role of Count Yorga; an inspired blend of viciousness and culture, all at the same time.
It certainly gives Christopher Lee's Count Dracula a run for his money!
The vampire women come straight from the set of a zombie flick in regards to their almost mindless search for blood. Curiously, they possess a ROW of sharp teeth (as does Count Yorga, when they're revealed), rather than the required elongated set of upper canines in which to delicately leave behind the standard two small puncture wounds on the neck.
This reflects the more primal, bestial, and dare I say "evil" interpretation these vampires take in the film, something in decided absense in the wake of Anne Rice's contributions to the genre.

THESE vampires are clearly predators, as we see towards the end of the movie, which finishes in a downbeat, post-"Night of the Living Dead" kind of way.

The film recycles the usual vampire movie cliches of the aristocratic, Eastern European vampire; the vampire's "brides"; the All-Wise Vampire Hunter (albeit, if Van Helsing was a "swinger"!), the vampire's black cloak, etc. and updates them to a modern day setting (well...for 1970, that is!), and fairly effectively introduces a nineteenth century vampire count into the twentieth.

This was the film Hammer's "Dracula A.D. 1972" and "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" should have been.

Cat, the other white meat...
Written and directed by Bob Kelljan, who later directed episodes on various 70's TV shows like Starsky and Hutch, Dukes of Hazzard, and Charlie's Angels, Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), aka The Loves of Count Iorga (not a misspelling), did extremely well when it opened.

The movie starts off with a scene of a large cargo ship sitting at a dock off some California coast, and a large, coffin shaped crate being loaded on a truck. As the truck drives away, we are treated to voice over that sounds like a mix between Ricardo Montalban and Harvey Fierstein talking about the vampire mythos. The truck continues until it comes to a secluded driveway with a large gate.

Next we go to a séance in progress, being conducted by Count Yorga, who, if you're familiar with the title of the movie, is a vampire. He ends up secretly putting the whammy on one of the women present, and then gets a ride home from a couple in their VW minibus...I have to say, it was kind of funny seeing this young couple and the aristocratic Eastern European (we learn that the Count came to America from Bulgaria) and very sophisticated Count crammed into the front bench seat of a minibus. Anyway, the couple drops the Count off after declining his offer to come into his home, and they get stuck in some mud along the Count's long driveway. This starts a five-minute discussion about mud. Where did the mud come from? How did we miss it come in? How come the rest of the ground is dry? Blah, blah, blah...it's scenes like this that really dragged this movie down. I guess, among the Count's other supernatural powers, creating wind and lighting, manipulating objects with his mind, mind control over animals and humans, super natural strength, he can also create mud. After hearing a wolf howl, the couple decides not to trek back to the Count's house but to spend the night in the minibus, and after a little lovin' in the back of the van, they are soon visited by a dark stranger (two guesses who).

As the movie progresses, the Count takes a couple of women (Count Yorga needs women!) in the way vampires do, and the men begin to suspect something is wrong, and whatever it is, it's directly linked to Count Yorga. They start throwing around the theory of vampirism, with some willing to believe once offered proof, while others refuse to accept even the possibility as they think the idea is purely a work of fiction.

After much goofy dialogue, two of the men decide to take matters into their own hands and try to sneak into the castle and convince themselves that Count Yorga is a vampire. They take along a female character, as they fear to leave her alone (great idea, take her into the lair of a suspected vampire). If they are able to confirm that Count Yorga is a vampire, they intend to kill him, and their friends who have been turned, as there is no cure for bloodsucking other than a wooden stake in the heart...the last twenty minutes or so things the pace picks up pretty well, as the two men confront Count Yorga and his brides from hell. And how could I write a review about this movie without mentioning Brudah, the Count's mostly mute, brutish servant? Oh man, he is good for a few laughs...he walks around the entire movie looking like a transported cavemen in a bad sport coat and tie. I kept injecting my own lines for poor Brudah when he had none...I imagined when he spoke, each sentence would be preceded by his own name..."Brudah want woman"..."Brudah drive car"..."Brudah need shave"....

The dialog throughout the movie is rather clunky but oddly realistic at times. The actor playing Count Yorga, Robert Quarry, was the highlight of the movie, really getting into the part creating a truly believable and scary character. I vaguely recognized him, but then remembered seeing him in Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972). The direction was passable, but got annoying at times, especially during scenes with conversation, as the director would make many needless cuts back and forth between characters, sometimes showing the back of a character who was speaking... there was some blood and one scene in particular, with a cat, that was pretty ugly. The one actor most will probably recognize in this film is Michael Murphy, who played the mayor in Batman Returns (1992) and has been in a few Woody Allen movies like Manhattan (1979) and The Front (1976). The scares were mostly of the cheap kind, things popping out at the viewer accompanied by a loud sound effect or startling music. The film has a 90-minute run time, but I thought some trimming would have been useful, and would have quickened the pace.

The presentation on this disc looks really great, and special features include a trailer for the film and a neat reproduction of the original movie poster on a little card on the inside of the case. Age hasn't been kind to this movie, as the dating is very apparent in the wardrobe and hairstyles of the various actors, but I think the movie is worth looking into if you are a horror movie fan, mainly for Quarry's performance. A sequel was released a couple of years later titled The Return of Count Yorga (1972).

Cookieman108

The start of modern vampire cinema in America !!
It was no secret in the early 1970's that American International Pictures were grooming Robert Quarry to take over the mantle of their number one horror star, from the ageing Vincent Price. Price was none too happy about the treatment he received from studio executive's and made his feelings felt on several occasions. One well known story has it that during the filming of "Dr Phibes Rises Again", Price heard someone singing Gershwin and looked around the corner to see Quarry in full voice. Quarry turned to Price and remarked "Vincent, you didn't know I was a singer !". To which Price replied "Well, I knew you weren't a ******* actor."

However, Quarry did make a pretty decent vampire on three occasions in "Count Yorga", "The Return of Count Yorga", and the lesser known "Deathmaster"....all films being made virtually back to back ! "Count Yorga" started out as a concept from writer / director Bob Kelljan to make a soft porn style vampire film, however when he recruited Robert Quarry to play the lead, Quarry convinced him to play it straight for thrills. Keeping in line with the new age, hippie influenced culture of the 1970's, the film sees Count Yorga posing as a psychic medium and leading unsuspecting & naïve guests into his vampire clutches ! The film saw a departure from the more Hammer influenced style of vampire movie where the female underlings to Christopher Lee were buxom, attractive women. In "Count Yorga" however, the female servants of Yorga are haggard, disheveled harpies from the grave that mercilessly carry out the evil biddings of their master. Additionally, the film was noticeably more violent than Hammer's Dracula series, and shifting vampires to a contemporary setting ( as opposed to Hammer's Carpathian Mountains of the 1900's ) became the standard for vampire film's for many years to come, and definitely revitalized the declining movie fan's interest in blood suckers.

Kelljan does a pretty good job of keeping the plot ticking along, and Quarry does provide some solid scares....especially the shots of him bearing down on his victims in slow motion, arms outstretched and fangs bared. Well worth a look, "Count Yorga" is an interesting piece of vampire cinema that provided the genre with much needed fresh blood.

Fangs For The Memories
Somewhere between the "giant step for mankind" and Watergate Hotel breezed in this little independant feature that cost the investors about 80 grand--and returned, according to it's lead player, 100 times that amount in the first weekend of release--which, remarkably enough, brought a respectability to the modern vampire story.

More amazing is the fact that, three years later, Hammer Films couldn't as successfully pull off the same feat with its "Satanic Rites of Dracula," complete with all time horror greats Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and, presumably, a much larger budget.

The film opens during a then-trendy seance with Robert Quarry playing suave, arrogant Count Yorga--a sort of dilletante who wears a cape, is twenty something years older than his hosts, and probably was the sort that hung around those sorts of early adulthood gatherings during the seventies because he wanted to slide up to some young body(ies). In this case, however, sex isn't on the older mans mind--his interest lay (as it were) in leaving his mark--two of them, to be precise--right in the neck.

The film's credit must go in large part to veteran actor Robert Quarry, whose performance as the Count was wonderful, and to Bill Butler (cinematographer) and Bob Kelljan (director)...The rest are merely bit (as it were!) players...

Great fun throughout and, although a bit choppy at times, holds its own even thirty years later.

ROBERT QUARRY IS AWESOME!!!
I love watching Robert Quarry act,especially his two Count Yorga movies.He's great as he matches wits with his foes.Roger Perry who's another actor I like,plays Dr.Hayes,a blood specialist.The doc is called in by friends when one is missing and another has bite marks on her neck.The doc and friends try to get anwsers from the Count and he's too cool,as he brushes each question off.On the other hand,when he gets mad,his face turns white and he charges people.The Counts mansion is very gothic and you could get lost in it.No happy ending here.This is scary stuff. ... Read more

Description

Welcome to the wacky but dealy world of low-budget filmmaking!While a sleazy, low-budget movie producer (Robert Quarry) begins shooting his latestschlock epics "I Rip Your Flesh With Pliers" and "Werewolves in Heat", his sexy youngwife (Delia Sheppard) plots his death, and cleverly plans to use the films as a cover! ... Read more